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Fuel Dip Sticks


Runtoeat

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Hi Jerry, this is a reply to your question posted in another section of the Forum about fuel dip sticks.

 

The subject of dipsticks has come up before. This is what I would call one of those "mysterious" areas where questions are raised about the dipsticks but there has been no input from FD that I know of. Older CT's such as my 2006 have dipsticks which show "left" and "right" sides on the dipstick. Newer CTs have dipsticks which show "gallons" on one side and "liters" on the other. With the newer dipstick, one uses one set of marks to measure the fuel in both tanks. As far as I know, the newer CT's have the same fuel tanks that older CT's have. I have measured the fuel level in both of my tanks after draining and then filling with known amounts of fuel. It seems like the "right" side of my dipstick agrees with the known amounts of fuel added so I just use the "right" side to dip my tanks. My answer to your question would be that the dipstick corresponds to "left" and "right" as one stands at the rear of the plane and looks foward to the nose.

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Hey Dick, I need some words of wisdom. I have the two-sided measuring stick with Left measurements on one side and Right ones on the other. In bright sunlight these things are pretty hard to read. Someone suggested using a black marker to run a line down the edges to help highlight the units, but it doesn't really work very well and, over time, the marker wears off from the fuel anyway.

 

I took two paint stir sticks and carefully sanded them down to be as smooth as possible (including wetting them to raise the grain, then sanding again) before transferring the gallon marks from the metal stick to the wood. That works much better but they smell a bit after use, so I leave them in the hangar, i.e. that doesn't help with measurement away from the hangar.

 

Any suggestions how to read these metal sticks any easier? (no, my eyes are pretty good for my age)

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Hi Ron. A forum member (Roger Lee?) suggested painting the aluminum dipstick flat black. Believe that he said a one part urethane paint comes in a rattle can at most stores and this paint would not be affected by the fuel? The newer sticks now come flat black and this makes the fuel level very easy to read. I've been putting up with trying to read my dipstick like you but haven't taken the time to paint it. I've also heard from other posters that using a hollow glass tube which is calibrated works too. Dip the tube, put your finger over the end and pull it out with the captured fuel to read the fuel level.

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Hey Dick, thanks for the info. The reason this come up was I overfilled one tank ( what a mess ). With it completely full, I dipped it and it didn't seem to fit the correct side of the dip stick. Anyway, if I ever have both tanks drained I think I will do as you did and fill with known amounts and ck it out. tks

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Hi Pete. I think you've got the best solution yet. I'll have to get a piece of scrap aluminum and give this a try before blasting my dipstick. Don't want to overdo it and wipe out the calibration marks. Maybe just a little scuffing with the blaster? What type of media did you use to blast the stick?

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Hi Ian,

 

There have been a few that have done this. Some didn't get it out. I would try two things. I have a claw that can grab on the end of a cable. I might try that. The other thing I would do is apply a little Hylomar gasket sealer. Very sticky and fuel won't bother it. Stick it down on the tip of a rod and snag the dip stick. That said I have never dropped one or had to retrieve one. (Knock on wood)

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The guy who previously owned my CTSW had a steel dip stick made - a duplicate in all respects of the aluminum one. I suspect it could be fished out with a magnet. With that thought in mind, how about drilling a hole in the top of the aluminum one and putting in a very short steel bolt with nut which could be picked up by a magnet?

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Or Locktite! :)

 

If we added some steel, we'd have to do it so that the tool function of the dipstick was still functional.

 

 

 

Another solution would be to drill a hole through the aluminum dip stick and attach a length of line to it that was tied on the other end to something that would not slip down the hole. Of course, now we're starting to get something bulkier to store and handle. For that matter, a hole through the dip stick and a screwdriver or something through the hole would be easily stored separately and would not be bulky. Many of us have a screwdriver with us, anyway. Could even use a ball point pen through the hole, for that matter.

 

Aircraft Spruce sells an 11" Universal Fuel Hawk for about $11. One could use two, one for each tank, marked clearly so they could not be easily confused, or use one and label one side from one end and the other side from the opposite end. Clear markings still important, just as they are on our current metal stick. One still needs to have a tool to remove and install the fuel cap so we can't through the metal stick or it's functional equivalent away.

 

I have a notion to order the Universal Fuel Hawk and try it. I'll spend almost as much fooling around with paint or sand blasting to get my metal ones to where I want them.

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For my '06 SW I use the "Fuel Hawk" and stand my alum stick up on the rim and compare to the "hawk". Easy to use and too long to drop into the tank. The fuel caps are different distances from the center line,that's why the calib. is different.

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I took a suggestion made here and had my two dipsticks glass bead blasted so they appear matte and scuffed. One is OEM aluminum, the other is steel and home made. Both work much, much better with the scuffing/bead blasting. I'm really pleased with the results. The fuel level is immediately apparent even in a moderately lighted hangar setting. I recommend this method and have decided that for now I will not paint the dipsticks as others have suggested. If I do paint them, I will likely use an epoxy paint, based on the recommendation of a friend who worked in the paint business for many years.

 

 

 

 

 

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