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Fuel cap rubber rejuvenation

Comanche Airframes

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Topic starter 28/04/2020 7:54 pm

Fuel cap rubber rejuvenation

by Duane Bolin » Wed Jul 13, 2016 3:20 pm

I have a thermos style fuel cap that is not as tight as it was when new and I have heard that soaking in MEK or Lacquer thinner may help to swell the rubber and rejuvenate the rubber. Does anyone have experience with this procedure and if so which solvent did you use and how long did you let the fuel cap soak.

Thanks,
Duane

Duane Bolin

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Re: Fuel cap rubber rejuvenation

by Michael Bryant » Wed Jul 13, 2016 9:18 pm

I have not done the procedure, but have seen it here and in the Tips pages.

Here, just do a search. I'd use MEK and thinner as search terms.

For the Tips pages, go to the home page and click on the Technical tab, then Comanche Tips, then Click Here to Read Online. Not as easy to find specific things, but it is searchable. I selected the Fuel System, then searched for both thinner and MEK and found reference to MEK for fuel cap repair.

Last edited by Michael Bryant on Sat Jul 16, 2016 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Fuel cap rubber rejuvenation

by Donald Shaffer » Fri Jul 15, 2016 9:47 am

I do know that MEK will breakdown elastomers in rubber. I used to use it a long time ago until it was banned from use in semiconductor cleaning applications once it was proven to be a carcinogen. It would make latex gloves turn hard. No way I would use that on my plane.

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Re: Fuel cap rubber rejuvenation

by LeWayne Garrison » Thu Jul 21, 2016 7:05 pm

I have done this with MEK and it works very well. Leave them soak for a couple of hours minimum (MEK will probably evaporate by then). Each time you do this, though, it does less good. Eventually you will have to replace. And yes MEK is a known carcinogen, but so is almost every other chemical. Use nitrile gloves and avoid ingestion.

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Re: Fuel cap rubber rejuvenation

by JIMICS2452 » Fri Jul 22, 2016 12:26 pm

MEK will attack the rubber and eventually make it too hard to rejuvenate. Lacquer thinner works better in the long term.

Jim Hiatt

JIMICS2452: ICS member; Posts: 254; Joined: Sat Mar 09, 2002 9:26 pm; Location: Pine Shadows Airpark - North Fort Myers, FL

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