Virtually every time I take the Coupe out to >fly, while I'm on the ground, I get fuel coming out of the header tank.
Hello Larry: I will relate my experience with my coupe, to you. It may not be your item, but may point you closer to your problem. First let me say: "Coupe" - Now no one can send me bad mail about the content of this message, This Is Now An "Official Ercoupe Message". I had a problem with my tank over filling. The sight gauge would top out and the plane would fill up with gas smells. After a few minutes the gauge would go down and the smell would go away. This always happened once in every flight, but may or may not happen again. I spend long sleepless nights over this problem, gave lots of monetary offerings to the great A&P Air gods. Nothing worked. While doing my six month rebuild that is now a little over 18 months, I discovered the problem: On standard coupes, inside the tank is a over flow pipe, bent up at 90 degrees. As the pump filled the tank the gas should, per design, fill to this point and then drain into the left wing tank. The fuel should flow out faster than it can be pumped in and life is good. Then there was my hybrid coupe. Some time thru the years the overflow pipe in the tank, (that is bent at 90 degrees) was broken off. This, if left alone, would have resulted in a four gallon tank. However, good ole shade tree engineering fix the problem. Someone put a 90 degree elbow on the outside of the tank, turned it up so that the drain line was actually higher than the top of the tank. This increased the tank capacity to 7 - 8 gallon, (actually it would fill up into the filler neck). Can you say "Weight and Balance". So here is what happened on a typical flight: The tank would fill up to the top. The gauge would top out and gas vapors would enter the plane. When the gas got above the outside 90 degree elbow it would start flowing into the left tank, as designed. When the gas got below the 90 degree elbow it would suck air, stop flowing and the cycle would repeat, again and again and again. So - my suggestion: Look into you tank and see if you have the correct elbow. (Make sure you turn the flashlight on before you shine it in the tank, you are replaceable - your coupe isn't). Then look under your panel, make sure that your return line is coming out at a nice level angle to your wings. If it is turned up, as mine was, you may have found the problem. If it's not, give more offerings to the Air gods, divorce your wife and hope for the best. Jack Kiwi Coupe __________________________________________________________________________ ______ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15
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