Always have a fuel drain spare or plug

[yvesg]

Hi guys. I had quite an adventure yesterday. On the preflight I used the plastic cup to check for water in the tanks by draining a bit of fuel. When I did the copilot side tank, the thingy refused to stop giving fuel.... I thought perhaps something was truck in it and jerked and jerked to no avail.

Thankfully I had with me an ajustable wrench so I could take the fuel drain plug out... and perhaps fix it somehow...but when you do this, instead of giving one eight of an inch fuel passage to the grass, it gives five eights or so!! You need to act fast... I had a ziploc bag so I took my spare car wheel, brought it under the wing, used a wheel chuck to jack the wrench in such a way that I could block the five eight hole the time I drive to the A & P hangar shop which is about a quarter mile away.

I was lucky that

a) I had a wrench with me and has round handles

The A & P was still in the hangar at 7 PM

c) He had a fitting part

Lesson learned: Always have a wrench and a spare drain plug handy

It cost me one third of the tank in fuel. Could have cost all the tank (over $150 here in Canada). It would also be very embarassing having this happen if taking someone for a fligth... they would have had to block the hole under the wing with their thumb or finger for fifteen minutes while I ran to get the part!

The worst about this is that I had those changed in november before the paint job and to ensure they are new... the old one on that side would give me trouble in winter.

Yves

[Marauder]

Any idea why it failed? Spring break?

[Mooneymite]

Great idea!  

 

Every time I sump fuel, I wonder, "What if this thing continues to drain?"

 

Since I don't have a spare quick-drain, maybe just a proper sized bolt to keep the fuel from leaking while I go find a part.....?

 

Does anyone know what a "proper sized bolt" would be?  Even if I never use it, it would yield peace of mind when I sump the tanks.

[yvesg]

Any idea why it failed? Spring break?

I put it in the vise last night and see if I can dissassemble it without breaking it but could not. I will call my A&P and check what ideas he has (and see if this part has a one year warranty since I bought it new 5 months ago).

I can see a bit through the holes and there seems to be a gasket that is misplaced OR it could be also part of the sealant that made its way there and prevent full closure... not sure yet. That tank was sealed a few months ago. The spring is still OK.

Yves

[Hank]

I've heard that the sample cups with plastic drain arm can leave shavings behind, creating a drip path.

 

My sample cup has a brass arm so no issues.

[yvesg]

Great idea!  

 

Every time I sump fuel, I wonder, "What if this thing continues to drain?"

 

Since I don't have a spare quick-drain, maybe just a proper sized bolt to keep the fuel from leaking while I go find a part.....?

 

Does anyone know what a "proper sized bolt" would be?  Even if I never use it, it would yield peace of mind when I sump the tanks.

I knew, in order to get a fitting part that I had to take with me the bad one so the mechanic could compare threads and size. The local mechanic is a Cessna shop and could have said to me: sorry nothing here to fit your Mooney... I was lucky he had something. The issue I had was to prevent the tank from emptying itself while I would chase the part... one solution would have been to put the plug back and startup and taxi to the mechanic but with no garantee he was there... then would have the airport manager give me sh...t for leaking fuel all along the way etc. etc. Having a bolt like you are suggesting would also have saved the day.

Yves

[Mooneymite]

I knew, in order to get a fitting part that I had to take with me the bad one so the mechanic could compare threads and size. The local mechanic is a Cessna shop and could have said to me: sorry nothing here to fit your Mooney... I was lucky he had something. The issue I had was to prevent the tank from emptying itself while I would chase the part... one solution would have been to put the plug back and startup and taxi to the mechanic but with no garantee he was there... then would have the airport manager give me sh...t for leaking fuel all along the way etc. etc. Having a bolt like you are suggesting would also have saved the day.

Yves

Yes, I can probably find one in the PMA section of Lowe's if I know what diameter.

 

 I do know fine threads are required.

[scottfromiowa]

Or have some tape to seal the opening 1001 uses...

[yvesg]

Talk to my A&P and he has never heard or seen new ones like this with a displaced o-ring. He thinks something (possibly) sealant fragment made its way there... I might be able to save it blowing it with the compressor. We'll see....

Yves

[jetdriven]

Yes, I can probably find one in the PMA section of Lowe's if I know what diameter.

 

 I do know fine threads are required.

PMA = "Pilot manufactured apparatus"

[KSMooniac]

That is a good idea to add one to the spares kit, along with a spark plug or two (plus gaskets), wrenches to change them, screw drivers, etc.  Position lights are also a good thing to have since they only fail at night, away from home.

[OR75]

by the time you are done removing the fuel drain and puting a new one in place, there is a lot of fuel on the ground ... 

if it only drained vertically, things would be easy and you could put a bucket under .... no it will flow toward the belly.

Don't try this at home !

 

for a J the thread is 7/16-20

[carusoam]

Rust bits from the old style fuel necks has a tendency to show up in the fuel cup as black specks. These specks can get stuck in the drain.

It would be good to have an extra drain to at least hand to the qualified individual for installation.

Just remember to not over torque the drain. They are easy to break, and a new leak will form worse than the original. It's an O-ring type seal. Light torque will keep it from leaking.

Best regards,

-a-

[PMcClure]

Good thing you noticed before you took off. I had a similar problem once in my F. I didn't notice that the drain stayed open and was surprised how much fuel was used in a one hour flight. Since then, I sump the fuel first and do the balance of the pre-flight, checking the ground under the wings and engine for any leaks before boarding. 

[Hank]

Or have some tape to seal the opening 1001 uses...

 

Yep—I saw someone duct tape a laminated sheet of paper over a lost fuel cap one time. Anything to get home!

[bd32322]

Yep—I saw someone duct tape a laminated sheet of paper over a lost fuel cap one time. Anything to get home!

 

 

Make sure you make those turns very coordinated

[Hank]

He apparently made it, as I never read about him anywhere. Probably need a new checklist after an hour or more in the air; hope he didn't need that page of it enroute.

[Marauder]

Make sure you make those turns very coordinated

Hank -- are we talking bout real duct tape or the Lowe's kind? I just spent an hour taking apart my manmade duct work used for propane pre-heating (thank you Brett for converting me). That stuff was sticky! (The aluminum foil kind).

[N201MKTurbo]

I've had this happen a few times. I was always able to clear the crud out of the valve by pushing it all the way open and then closing it repeadly until it seals again. It sometimes took ten or twenty actuations.

[John Pleisse]

I have had brand new drains get sticky, just happens. They seem to be stickier in the winter months.

[fantom]

I've had the drain stick several times. A good firm press with the fuel cup metal arm dislodged whatever was keeping the drain open both times. Don't be afraid to wiggle it

Keep some hand wipes in your emergency kit to remove the fumes from your hands, arms and anything else that gets wet.

[Nathan Peterson]

by the time you are done removing the fuel drain and puting a new one in place, there is a lot of fuel on the ground ... 

if it only drained vertically, things would be easy and you could put a bucket under .... no it will flow toward the belly.

Don't try this at home !

 

for a J the thread is 7/16-20

 

 

by the time you are done removing the fuel drain and puting a new one in place, there is a lot of fuel on the ground ... 

if it only drained vertically, things would be easy and you could put a bucket under .... no it will flow toward the belly.

Don't try this at home !

 

for a J the thread is 7/16-20

7/16-20 on the Acclaim also.

[yvesg]

Same size and threads for the vintage Mooney.

Now... here is the reason this happened: The O-ring fits on the plunger. It got dislodged somehow. With my excitement to get what I could see through the holes, I did not notice that you can take it apart by removing a snap ring. After I destroyed the O-ring through the holes, I notice the snap ring, then I took it apart and could tell that there was no foreign matter in there, no crud. I just need to find a source for this o-ring, put it on the shaft plunger, re-assemble and it shall be returned to service. This O-ring might be difficult to source. .. less than a quarter inch in diameter. Does anyone knows if the o-ring need to be made of a special material, not to get affected by the 100LL chemistry? I will post a picture of the whole thing dissasembled from my main computer later today.

Yves

[FlyDave]

When we replaced one of my drains, we put an oil drain pan on the ground and my mechanic told me to wrap a rag around each wrist to keep the fuel from running down my arm, into my shirt, etc. This proved to be the best tip he gave me for this job!

[yvesg]

Here is the picture promised above....

 

Yves