When this fuel tank was first constructed in 2001 leftover pieces of fiberglass samples were submerged in fuel to test its long-term effects. Those pieces are still in tact, but that was the old fuel with MTBE.

The fuel tank is being used to test the new formulation and it appears that it is failing.

Next project … perhaps an aluminum fuel tank.

Well back to the drawing board.

Jim Maher

(Dyke Delta N11XD 13B 4.1 hrs)

Is that tank epoxy lined, or some other?

 

Fuel filters are always  too big until you need them to work flawlessly, then they are always too small.

 

On the bright side, you are getting good in a cross winds. And look how lean a rotary will run and still put out quite a bit of power.

 

This is another vote for Richard Sohn's OMP adaptor. So lube oil is injected as a function of throttle position rather than fuel volume as in premixing, or pulling oil from the sump. Plus using the correct oil (high quality 2 stroke).

 

Years ago at Pocono we were racing a GTU car powered by a rotary (of course). It had Marstec fuel cells stolen from a Lola. That was when the oil companies started adding alcohol to their fuel. I filled it up with that crap and never thought about it.

 

The car went 2 laps and came in. No power. It wouldn't even rev up in neutral. It was down to enough fuel to idle fast, and that was all. Squirting fuel into the carb revved it right up. The 4 suction side fuel filters were plugged with a reddish mud. The fuel cell foam had been dissolved and turned into slime. End of weekend.

 

That car had 4 pumps. 4 suction side filters, a small collector tank they all fed into and that tank had a metered line that fed excess fuel back to the right side cell so the left tank would run out first as it had the fast fill port in it, and a last chance filter before the carb. The last chance had discolored fuel in it but no solids. Had the suction filters had more media area we may have gone 3 laps.

 

Had it been an airplane, that last few minutes of power from bigger filters, might have made a much bigger difference.  

 

I would do it with a 33 gallon cell where that 47 is now and a 10 or 12 gallon cell in each stub wing. Even the cheapest street rod cells are bullet proof and take street fuel well. You can also take out the foam and eliminate any problems from future formulation changes, and still have the advantage of a nearly bullet proof container. You can order them with no can, a steel can, or an aluminum can. They are very stiff, and I would use no can at all. There was a repair station in Kentucky years back that would make a cell from your drawing, or repair anything you sent them. I forgot the name but it might be worth a try to find them.

 

We ground through a right side cell in a Lola at Charlotte by touching the track on the banking. The driver didn't say anything until he smelled fuel. The ATL rep repaired it on the spot by installing an access port where the cell was damaged. It was an old Marstec, and when it came back from repair, it was a brand new cell with the Marstec fuel ports and that same repair port reinstalled. If you have a scrap of cell and a picture, they can legally rebuild the cell for you. It will be pricey however.  

 

Lynn E. Hanover