Tip Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Has anyone solved the gas cap issues on the LS? Since switching over to ethanol, my caps are hard to open / closes. And, I get gas streaks back the wing and on to the flaps. An owner on the other forum replaced the caps and still has the same problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppercity Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Have not had any problems with mine using auto with ethanol. They are easy to open and close and no major streaking on the top of the wing. Is your o-ring in good shape and the correct size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tad Olmsted Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 You can tighten up the nut in the gas cap to shorten the throw of the gas cap latch. It doesn't take much, and too much will require Hercules to twist it closed. So try and find the sweet spot. Changing the packing will help as well. Aircraft Spruce sells the caps and packings. To get the fuel stains off your wing, just use some denatured alcohol. It wipes clean quite quickly and won't hurt the composite. Wipe it down with some soap and water and your good to go. Here is another trick, Ethenol makes rubber components swell up for some reason (like packings and the carb diaphrams). Buy a set of packings for your gas cap and install them. You may see that the new ones are a little smaller. Don't throw the old ones away. If they are in serviceable condition, just set them on the bench for 2-3 days and they will return to their original size. Weird huh??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N78BZ Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Has anyone solved the gas cap issues on the LS? Since switching over to ethanol, my caps are hard to open / closes. And, I get gas streaks back the wing and on to the flaps. An owner on the other forum replaced the caps and still have the same problem. I had that problem, too, until I found ethanol-free fuel. Hey Tip, the marina in Conneaut Lake PA where I buy fuel for my boat sent out a notice that they will be unable to obtain/sell ethanol-free gas this summer. Is this a Pennsylvania thing? Has PA regulated it out of existence or is it just a supplier issue? I have three places locally here in SC where I can buy ethanol-free-91-octane (sold primarily for boaters) and none of them have plans to stop selling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 I had that problem, too, until I found ethanol-free fuel. Hey Tip, the marina in Conneaut Lake PA where I buy fuel for my boat sent out a notice that they will be unable to obtain/sell ethanol-free gas this summer. Is this a Pennsylvania thing? Has PA regulated it out of existence or is it just a supplier issue? I have three places locally here in SC where I can buy ethanol-free-91-octane (sold primarily for boaters) and none of them have plans to stop selling it. My understanding is it's a state or distributor thing. Some states, for example Minnesota, mandate a certain percentage of ethanol in at least the auto fuel. Other states, such as Iowa, have no requirement. But in Iowa, the decision to add ethanol is made by the distributor at the "rack". It is possible to buy non-ethanol autogas in Iowa but as an individual you might have to buy a large amount, like 300 gallons or more, to get a wholesaler to bother with it. If I were in your shoes and wanted to know, I'd ask the marina if it was a PA state law to put ethanol in boat gas or if he couldn't get pure gas from the distributor. I'd bet it's the latter. And if it's the latter, maybe there is nothing that can be done or maybe the distributor could provide it but figures it's not worth the trouble or costs too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanik Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 I had this problem until I switched to Viton. From my old post: I run E10 almost exclusively. Can't say I've seen any problems except the gas cap o-rings. It's also worth changing the fuel filter every 100hrs instead of 200hrs I think. Could have just been age, but anyway I replaced them with VITON style rings: Product ID: ov-75-222 Product Name: Fluorocarbon 222 Size O-ring Quantity: 2 Unit Price: $0.64 from http://www.superiorseals.com/ Pretty solid now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Viton is a better choice over rubber when it comes to oils, fuel and heat. The rubber swells, the Viton resist swelling. Even Neoprene is better than rubber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanik Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 I had the rubber ones swell, needing to be jammed in which then split the edge and allowed fuel to leak. I think these Viton ones should last forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted April 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Randy, PA switched to mandatory ethanol September 20, 2010. I have a friend that has a Kit Fox that is frantically looking for ethanol free and will travel to get it. I noticed the gas cap issue after only one fill up. Kurt, Thanks for the lead, that's what I was looking for. One FD service center rep said to replace the caps but new caps will do the same thing. Does anyone have the dimensions for the O-rings for the LS gas cap made by SPRL. The overall diameter and cross section width in inches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Welsch Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Has anyone solved the gas cap issues on the LS? Since switching over to ethanol, my caps are hard to open / closes. And, I get gas streaks back the wing and on to the flaps. An owner on the other forum replaced the caps and still have the same problem. Look at Flight Design MFG. Approval No. 081027. Easy to do and completely solved my LS fuel cap problems. PRW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Here it is. LS fuel cap mod. 08 10 27 FD Manufacturer Approval for CTLS Fuel Cap.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted April 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Thanks Phil! It's hard to believe that this SB has been around since 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike g Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Has anyone solved the gas cap issues on the LS? Since switching over to ethanol, my caps are hard to open / closes. And, I get gas streaks back the wing and on to the flaps. An owner on the other forum replaced the caps and still has the same problem. hello,, yes,, i have that problem time to time,,, streaks of gas can you explain this too me,, & why??thank you mike g drchum@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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