This Forum is a place for Piper Comanche pilots to communicate and discuss technical issues
If you join or reset a password, please check your Spam Email box for emails from Admin at ComancheTechTalk.com
Please put your questions on the forum as well so everyone can read and respond. Someone else might be having similar questions.
All questions or topics on the Forums automatically get sent to the Tech team as well.
PA30 Fuel Vents
So being fairly new to FLA, I went out to the hanger today to check the fuel vents, to see if some friendly bugs were building a new home. So a couple of questions:
1) Can anyone suggest some kind of a rubber cone that I can attach a small hose to, so that I can blow into the vents. With the NACA vents, I can't figure out how to seal a tube in the vent.
2) Using a large (11") tie wrap, I probed the vents, and all seemed open except the Left Aux tank. The wrap hit something about 2-3" in, and wouldn't let it pass. I didn't try a piece of safety wire, for fear of poking a hole in something rubber. I did try a small screw driver, rotating it to see if I could loosen the blockage. Only got a tiny piece of aluminum. I see from the Parts books that the Aux tank vents have a weld about 2-3" in. Guessing that's what I hit.
3) While the Inboard (Main) tanks have a vent and drain (overflow?) tubes coming out, the Aux (Outboard) tanks have an extra tube coming out of the wings. What is it? It's not shown in the parts or maintenance manuals.
Thanks.
- Frank Brunot
- ICS member
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:41 pm
- Location: Spring Hill, FL
Re: PA30 Fuel Vents
Sounds like you are may be of a mechanic than I am but one of the things to watch for on Twins are the alternate air doors and their operation. They are not the most robust of assemblies and they do wear and get out of adjustment and could account for the moment you mentioned. Easy to check on with maint man. guidance and a mirror and the outboard cheek cowl off. Webco has a whole bunch of the replacement parts - just had the Twin's worked on again this annual.
wrt clearing vent lines, you'll need help from someone else. Clifton Aero take care of my Twin in that regard ... although if I were going to try to clear a line away from home, I might try flexible tubing of a smaller diameter than the hose/vent. No guarantee it won't poke a hole either ...
Always interested - please post what you find. Thx
Patricia Jayne (Pat) Keefer ICS 08899
PA-39 #10 Texas
N3322G- ICS member
- Posts: 1911
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 1:58 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas area
Re: PA30 Fuel Vents
Some sort of a flexible "roto-router" would work great, but have never seen one. I really need something 3/8" diam to go up thru the NACA vent tube to fully clean it out. If I find something, I'll post it.
- Frank Brunot
- ICS member
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:41 pm
- Location: Spring Hill, FL
Re: PA30 Fuel Vents
Patricia Jayne (Pat) Keefer ICS 08899
PA-39 #10 Texas
N3322G- ICS member
- Posts: 1911
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 1:58 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas area