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Thread: Nose Tanks PA15, 16 & 17

  1. #21
    lugo2214's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fuel Tanks

    Mr. Steve,
    cool, ready to order the rebuilt kit, do we exhcange info for the tool or is it feaseble to obtain the Ford tool from the other site?
    Is the procedure written someware or would you send it with the tool.
    thank you
    jlugo

  2. #22
    tnowak's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fuel Tanks

    Steve,

    A friend needs to remove his tank gauge. How do you stop the gauge itself rotating (using the nut/bolt shown in your pics) when the larger peg tool in in place?
    Tony N

  3. #23
    Administrator Steve Pierce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fuel Tanks

    You hold the nut/bolt stationary, that holds the gauge itself in place while you turn the jam nut.

  4. #24

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    Default PA-17 Fuel Tank

    Folks,
    My Vagabond is being annualed now and I had a fuel leak through and around the gauge. Steve, the mechanic has seen it before and got the new parts from an Antique Ford place. He'll fix the gauge and solder any leaks. We are stripping the paint off the tank and removing an old JB Weld repair or two. We are also removing an illegal sight gauge which was installed on the tank. My questions: 1. What is the purpose of the screw near the top center face of the tank (question mark on keyboard is dead, sorry) and 2. What was originally on the flat plate on the front of the tank. Was this a flat place to display a placard. Is the placard shown in the type certificate.

    Thanks,
    Joe

  5. #25
    tnowak's Avatar
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    Default Re: PA-17 Fuel Tank

    Hi Joe,

    I have neither on my PA17 tank. Can you attach some pics?
    TonyN

  6. #26
    Bruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: PA-17 Fuel Tank

    The flat plate was for placard to show fuel selector position, i think.

  7. #27
    Gilbert Pierce's Avatar
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    Default Re: PA-17 Fuel Tank

    There was no fuel selector on the Vag as the nose tank was the only tank. Someone might have put a Clipper tank in as they are otherwise the same. The fuel selector valve flat plate is mounted on the bottom front of the tank and hangs below the tank.
    Last edited by Gilbert Pierce; 02-20-2013 at 02:58 PM.

  8. #28
    BrettL's Avatar
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    Default Re: PA-17 Fuel Tank

    Refer to Piper Drawing 11590 on the Vagabond drawing CD.

    It is not shown in the drawings, but I've seen the flat plate on so many Vagabond tanks that I believe the factory must have installed them. The flat plate is simply for the fuel shut off placard which reads "FUEL SHUT OFF UNDER TANK OFF – HANDLE DOWN". The plate on mine was removed because it showed no signs of being a factory installation (it was attached by some kind of nasty silicon caulk which had been soaked with gasoline). My placard is directly on the tank.

    Screw near the top center face of the tank??? Are you talking about the small flange plate that extends forward from the top of the tank (part number 11918 in the drawing)? That attaches to a clamp that attaches around the shaft of of the throttle housing behind the instrument panel. This is shown on Fig 14 of drawing 11828 (which is only on the SWPC CD, not on the Vagabond CD). Also check "Fuel System Installation" detail on that drawing.

    Whether you are replacing the gauge or not, you may want to refer to drawings 11662 and 11663 (back to the Vagabond CD). Piper used the Ford Model A fuel gauge, but modified it for use in the Vagabond/Clipper. I'll try to post some photos of what mine looks like in the next post.

  9. #29
    BrettL's Avatar
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  10. #30
    BrettL's Avatar
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    Default Re: PA-17 Fuel Tank

    Mine worked extremely well at first. Very accurate reading on the gauge. After a few months it suddenly started reading 2 gallons lower than what was in the tank very accurately. I found that the float cork and wire had somehow rotated from the horizontal position shown in the photos to being vertical (cork pointing straight up in the tank). I'm not even sure how this is possible. I'm deferring pulling it out to to correct it. It's easier just to live with the gauge reading 2 gallons low.

    One of the nice things about this type of gauge is you can see the gasoline level pass the glass face of the gauge when you have about 4-5 gallons of fuel remaining (depending on aircraft pitch). It's a nice verification of fuel level.

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