Al Downs Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 I know this topic has been discussed in the past but I seem to have an abnormal situation. This is a new plane to me and the flow of fuel from one tank to the other seems to be quite different from my other CT. Started with 10 gallons in both tanks. After a flight we have 5.5 in one tank and 9 in the other. We never had this large of differential in the other CT. Is this still normal or what can I look for as a problem?>\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbigs Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 I know this topic has been discussed in the past but I seem to have an abnormal situation. This is a new plane to me and the flow of fuel from one tank to the other seems to be quite different from my other CT. Started with 10 gallons in both tanks. After a flight we have 5.5 in one tank and 9 in the other. We never had this large of differential in the other CT. Is this still normal or what can I look for as a problem?>\ Might be a venting issue...or something worse, like a partial blockage in the fuel path from the non-draining wing....assume it's the same wing that always has the most fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 2 things. The airplane is flying crooked, or there is a fuel system problem. For the first check the calibration of the ball by leveling the airplane and checking where the ball indicates. For the fuel check your vent lines. There is a connection in the wings. It can be accessed through the clear cover on the wing. Also check for a kinked fuel line where it transitions from the wing to the fuselage. Some of these lines had a tube or spring installed to prevent kinking, and some did not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 The early 2008s didn't have a 90 degree fitting at the wing root and could kink. Mine did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 The early 2008s didn't have a 90 degree fitting at the wing root and could kink. Mine did. Some had them and some didn't. I did a hose change on a very early LS, and IIRC it only had a 90 on one side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 We have a 2009 and it doesn't have the 90 degree fittings either. If they weren't sealed the way they are on the inside (making it difficult to change fittings), I'd switch them out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vance Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 I had the same problem with my CTLS - the fuel seemed to flow freely from the left wing, but very little flowed from the right. I now use right rudder trim (with AP on) to cruise with the ball offset a bit to the left, and now I get fairly even flow. With a little experimentation, I found the 'sweet spot'. This simple fix solved it for me. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Use your sight tubes to calibrate your ball. Youll learn which side of the cage the ball needs to live in to keep your nose in the relative wind. It won't be in the middle of the cage. If I fly ball centered I drain my left wing first. If I fly ball touching right side of cage my usage is even. I know the ride side is the right place buy 'centering' the levels in the sight tubes with my rudder. When they are 'centered' I note my ball position. Easy peasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbigs Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 I had the same problem with my CTLS - the fuel seemed to flow freely from the left wing, but very little flowed from the right. I now use right rudder trim (with AP on) to cruise with the ball offset a bit to the left, and now I get fairly even flow. With a little experimentation, I found the 'sweet spot'. This simple fix solved it for me. John Burning 5 gallons in one wing and 1 in the other starting with 10 gallons not a yaw error, it's some other mechanical problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Burning 5 gallons in one wing and 1 in the other starting with 10 gallons not a yaw error, it's some other mechanical problem. If I fly with my ball centered I will empty the left wing before the right wing goes down much at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 My plane used to have this problem (2006 CTsw). It was corrected when the rig of the Dynon D100 "ball" was checked and found to be out of alignment with the wings. So, with the ball "centered", I was flying in a slip with one wing low. When that happens, fuel transfers from one wing to the other in flight (just as it does when the airplane is parked with the wings un-level - the tanks are connected). After the ball was corrected (by repositioning the "mushroom" on which the panel is located), my tanks have about the same amount of fuel in them at the end of a long flight. I did not have a problem with different flow rates from each tank (caused by a compromise of some kind in the fuel lines from each tank), but that can (as noted above) also be a cause of the problem you described. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vance Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Burning 5 gallons in one wing and 1 in the other starting with 10 gallons not a yaw error, it's some other mechanical problem. This is about the magnitude of the fuel flow difference I was seeing, and a slight shift in the yaw was all it took. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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