From: RWolf99@aol.com
Message-ID: <170.6530a6e.295e1087@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2001 13:14:31 EST
Subject: Re: fuel senders and gauges
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
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Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com

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In a message dated 12/27/2001 10:26:35 PM Mountain Standard Time, 
lancair.list@olsusa.com writes:

<< I'm about to apply bottom wing skins to my 320.  I see no 
 mention in the manual regarding installation of fuel level senders.  I 
 would like to have fuel indication for both wing tanks as well as the 
 header tank.  What have other builders done about this? >>

I have.  

I am using 24-inch capacitance fuel probes in each wing, and a 12 inch probe 
in the header tank (trimmed to fit).  The uppermost 5 (or is it 7??) inches 
of the 24 inch probe is bendable, and the rest must remain straight.  I have 
mounted the probe to the inboard side of the BL-50 rib that's attached to the 
wing.  I have a large access hole in the BL-50 rib attached to the stub wing.

Referring to the BL-50 rib attached to the outer wing, I floxed the metal 
plate (into which the probe is mounted) to the surface of the rib that's 
submerged in fuel.  I then overlapped this plate with a 2-or-3 BID for extra 
strength and sealing (same technique as all the little threaded brass blocks 
we've installed elsewhere in the fuel tanks).  I then scooped out the 
honeycomb where the probe head goes so that there's room for the probe head 
between the two BL-50 ribs.  I closed out that area with micro and 2-BID, too.

The 24 inch probe gets a pretty significant U-shape so that the sensing 
portion of the probe is at the bottom of the fuel tank.  The probe bends 
upwards and terminates just inboard of the "anti-slosh" rib.  That outer bay 
of the 2-bay tank has no fuel probe.

Some guys use 4-foot probes and drill a hole through that anti-slosh rib.

No in-flight comments yet -- I'm still building.  Let me know if you need 
more info (or a sketch).

- Rob Wolf
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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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