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Cessna 172 with Wild Fuel Gauge Needle



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 16th 04, 09:59 PM
jls
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Default Cessna 172 with Wild Fuel Gauge Needle

Anybody know the reason for this? The needle on the pilot's side is
stable, but the needle on the co-pilot side swings wildly, especially when
the tank is full. A float moves the needle around the dial. Why doesn't
it stay still and be good like its brother?


  #2  
Old February 16th 04, 10:43 PM
Bob Noel
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In article , " jls"
wrote:

Anybody know the reason for this? The needle on the pilot's side is
stable, but the needle on the co-pilot side swings wildly, especially when
the tank is full. A float moves the needle around the dial. Why doesn't
it stay still and be good like its brother?


loose connection somewhere?

--
Bob Noel
  #3  
Old February 17th 04, 02:49 AM
Rick Glasser
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On Mon, 16 Feb 2004 15:59:47 -0500, jls wrote:

Anybody know the reason for this? The needle on the pilot's side is
stable, but the needle on the co-pilot side swings wildly, especially when
the tank is full. A float moves the needle around the dial. Why doesn't
it stay still and be good like its brother?


There was a service bulletin for the fuel sensor in the late model Cessnas
(don't know the number). Last winter, almost all of the 172s at our club
would exhibit the same problem. This winter (after a few 100-hour and
annual inspections) none that I have been flying are acting bad. It
used to be quite a nuisance.

--
Rick/JYO
PP-ASEL-IA
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  #4  
Old February 17th 04, 03:47 AM
C J Campbell
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" jls" wrote in message
news
Anybody know the reason for this? The needle on the pilot's side is
stable, but the needle on the co-pilot side swings wildly, especially when
the tank is full. A float moves the needle around the dial. Why doesn't
it stay still and be good like its brother?


It probably is a bad sending unit, especially if it is a late model 172. You
can replace the sending units, but they just go bad again.


  #5  
Old February 17th 04, 05:08 AM
Larryskydives
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I would never trust a fuel guage. I was taught to alway visually check and
know the aircrafts fuel usage.


  #6  
Old February 17th 04, 04:09 PM
C J Campbell
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"Larryskydives" wrote in message
...
I would never trust a fuel guage. I was taught to alway visually check

and
know the aircrafts fuel usage.


You were taught a very popular myth. No doubt you were also taught the myth
(spread by Rod Machado and others) that your fuel gauge is only required to
be accurate when it reads zero fuel. The FAR require you to have a fuel
gauge that shows the quantity of fuel in each tank, whether you trust it or
not.

The reason you are to check the fuel in each tank is to see if your fuel
gauge is accurate. If it is not accurate, your airplane is not airworthy. I
think it is very strange for people to say that they do not trust a fuel
gauge, but they trust other, equally unreliable instruments such as the
ammeter, oil pressure and temperature, fuel flow, etc.

Your fuel gauge must be accurate, no matter how good you are at estimating
fuel flow and using your watch. Your fuel tank could leak, for example, or
your fuel cap could come loose during flight. The only way that you would
know that you are losing fuel would be from your fuel gauge, especially if
you fly a high wing airplane or you are flying at night. The fuel line from
one of your tanks could become blocked, creating an imbalance and
effectively cutting your fuel supply in half. One of the most common fuel
mismanagement accidents occurs when pilots switch to an empty tank. Your
fuel gauge is a critical item of fuel management, possibly the most
important one.


  #7  
Old February 17th 04, 04:19 PM
Dan Thomas
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"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...
" jls" wrote in message
news
Anybody know the reason for this? The needle on the pilot's side is
stable, but the needle on the co-pilot side swings wildly, especially when
the tank is full. A float moves the needle around the dial. Why doesn't
it stay still and be good like its brother?


It probably is a bad sending unit, especially if it is a late model 172. You
can replace the sending units, but they just go bad again.


The earlier ones do it, too. They have a wirewound potentiometer
that wears out and starts getting intermittent.

Dan
  #8  
Old February 17th 04, 05:35 PM
Newps
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If your fuel cap comes off in flight in your high wing Cessna you will
never be able to tell you are losing fuel by looking at your fuel gauge.
The problem is so bad that 182's have to have a placard stating that.
The problem is that the air flowing over the wing creates a suction
from the tank that makes the gauge read full.

C J Campbell wrote:

"Larryskydives" wrote in message
...

I would never trust a fuel guage. I was taught to alway visually check


and

know the aircrafts fuel usage.



You were taught a very popular myth. No doubt you were also taught the myth
(spread by Rod Machado and others) that your fuel gauge is only required to
be accurate when it reads zero fuel. The FAR require you to have a fuel
gauge that shows the quantity of fuel in each tank, whether you trust it or
not.

The reason you are to check the fuel in each tank is to see if your fuel
gauge is accurate. If it is not accurate, your airplane is not airworthy. I
think it is very strange for people to say that they do not trust a fuel
gauge, but they trust other, equally unreliable instruments such as the
ammeter, oil pressure and temperature, fuel flow, etc.

Your fuel gauge must be accurate, no matter how good you are at estimating
fuel flow and using your watch. Your fuel tank could leak, for example, or
your fuel cap could come loose during flight. The only way that you would
know that you are losing fuel would be from your fuel gauge, especially if
you fly a high wing airplane or you are flying at night. The fuel line from
one of your tanks could become blocked, creating an imbalance and
effectively cutting your fuel supply in half. One of the most common fuel
mismanagement accidents occurs when pilots switch to an empty tank. Your
fuel gauge is a critical item of fuel management, possibly the most
important one.



  #9  
Old February 17th 04, 05:54 PM
mikem
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Default

Google Groups result:

Your shorter link is: http://makeashorterlink.com/?D23212077

jls wrote:
Anybody know the reason for this? The needle on the pilot's side is
stable, but the needle on the co-pilot side swings wildly, especially when
the tank is full. A float moves the needle around the dial. Why doesn't
it stay still and be good like its brother?



MikeM
Skylane '1mm
Pacer '00z

  #10  
Old February 17th 04, 06:03 PM
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C J Campbell wrote:


You were taught a very popular myth. No doubt you were also taught the myth
(spread by Rod Machado and others) that your fuel gauge is only required to
be accurate when it reads zero fuel. The FAR require you to have a fuel
gauge that shows the quantity of fuel in each tank, whether you trust it or
not.


Which FAR covers this?

I can find the one that requires a fuel indicator, but nothing about
accuracy.


--
Jim Pennino

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