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Best way to affix new wing fuel sight guage


Chris K

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So this past weekend one of the wing fuel sight gages decided it no longer liked being affixed to the wing and just departed the aircraft.  Upon inspection, it looks like nothing holds these in place other than plain silicone.  Just ordered a new one to the tune of some 145 dollars.  My question is has anyone figured out a better glue to use other than silicone in order to not lose again?  If silicone is sufficient, how much to put in there to make it both stay and work properly?  It appears that whomever siliconed previously did so while leaving an orifice in the center of the silicone - not sure if that was done for function of the magnetic gage or simply installer preference.  

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You could probably use a urethane mastic (3M 5200) that would stick down better than silicone.   But, it would make it hard to remove if you needed to do so.

 

You can remove items attached with urethane mastic by running a thin wire through the joint to cut it, but with the fuel capsule recessed, it is hard to do that.

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RTV is your best bet. Clean out all the old stuff and sand out the corrosion. They get corroded because people don't use enough RTV. Mask around the hole and the top of the indicator capsule. Fill the hole with a generous amount of RTV. You don't want any voids, that's how you get corrosion. Push the capsule into the RTV until it seats into the hole. Make sure it aligns with the tab and is seated into the tab. DON'T TRY TO CLEAN UP THE EXTRUDED RTV! Just leave it be, go home and let it cure overnight. Come back the next day and peal off the extruded RTV, remove the masking tape, clean up any excess RTV with your fingernail. Enjoy your new capsule.

One reason to use RTV is so you can remove it later if you have to.

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2 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

RTV is your best bet. Clean out all the old stuff and sand out the corrosion. They get corroded because people don't use enough RTV. Mask around the hole and the top of the indicator capsule. Fill the hole with a generous amount of RTV. You don't want any voids, that's how you get corrosion. Push the capsule into the RTV until it seats into the hole. Make sure it aligns with the tab and is seated into the tab. DON'T TRY TO CLEAN UP THE EXTRUDED RTV! Just leave it be, go home and let it cure overnight. Come back the next day and peal off the extruded RTV, remove the masking tape, clean up any excess RTV with your fingernail. Enjoy your new capsule.

One reason to use RTV is so you can remove it later if you have to.

We’re you in my shop last week when I was installing one for @ohdub

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