Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

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tazin river
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Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

Post by tazin river »

Hello again

Looks like one of the fuel tank leaks when full. My engineer will look at it again but wondering what you guys think maybe? Can the leak be caused by an old and leaky gasket at the top only? Or does the entire fuel tank need to be replaced usually?

Thanks
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scdriver
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Re: Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

Post by scdriver »

I've had tanks leak out of the cap when the gasket is old and crusty on the 180 and that's an easy fix, but only your AME is going to be able to tell you for sure.
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tazin river
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Re: Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

Post by tazin river »

Thanks

The leak is actually under the wing around where we drain the fuel....not on top where the cap is....
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SeptRepair
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Re: Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

Post by SeptRepair »

Depending on the age of them, there is a good chance the upper part of the cell is cracked. The cells dry out over time. I would be searching around for a new cell as soon as possible. Very seldom sending a cell to be fixed will work out, seems 95% of the time its BER. I just waited over 5 months for a bladder from Hartwig for a 206. The one I sent them for repair was rejected ( and it even looked in good shape to me!) Major back log. Talk to Butch at Hartwig, very decent guy to talk to. Then again maybe its a sender/cap, but I doubt it.
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hangarline
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Re: Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

Post by hangarline »

The leak will show up at the sump drain because it runs from the top of the tank and drips into the fuel cell cavity and out the open hole where the drain is. Typically the leak is when the tank is full because of two reasons. Either the tank is cracked around the filler neck or the leak is from the fuel quantity sender gasket. This is a fairly common problem with the old tanks. If cracked, they can be welded. It is becoming more difficult to find replacement tanks, so repairing may be the only option.
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-42
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Re: Leaky fuel tank? Cessna 180H

Post by -42 »

It’s going to be very expensive. Your AME will do a great job for you though I am sure.
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