fuel caps - safety issue

[Ralph Baker]

Our Elite kit from Oct 97 has a Marine type fuel cap with bead chain cap
retainer to the neck. I noticed by chance that the cap bottoms on the bead
chain attach welded in the filler neck. This will give the illusion that
the cap is seated when the "O" ring is not compressed. This is a safety
issue (fuel siphoning, water entry) so you might want to check if you have
these caps. MAM has not yet replied to my inquiry on this issue.
Ralph Baker
Elite 611E
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[Wayne G. O'Shea]

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Thanks for that warning Ralph.

I have never installed the flush caps supplied by MAM but did receive one of
the Sea Dog flush caps by mistake when I ordered a regular neck and cap. I
don't understand why MAM would supply a boat filler cap/neck for an aircraft
application (marine parts are not generally any cheaper than aircraft
parts). It doesn't look very easy to seal the "neck" properly to the tanks
skin either (you certainly wouldn't use the rubber gasket that came with it
I presume) and the whole flush cap assemblies construction just invites
water infiltration!

When viewing the Rebel in tailwheel configuration from the front, you can't
see the normal neck and cap anyway. Certainly doesn't slow the aircraft down
in any considerable sense and the neck/cap style gives you something to hold
onto when you are climbing up the ladder to fuel it, or when you are on
floats it gives you a hand hold instead of falling in the lake!

Blue skies,
Wayne G. O'Shea
www.irishfield.on.ca

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ralph Baker" <rbaker@sumter.net>
To: <murphy-rebel@dcsol.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2000 9:32 AM
Subject: fuel caps - safety issue

Our Elite kit from Oct 97 has a Marine type fuel cap with bead chain cap
retainer to the neck. I noticed by chance that the cap bottoms on the

bead

chain attach welded in the filler neck. This will give the illusion that
the cap is seated when the "O" ring is not compressed. This is a safety
issue (fuel siphoning, water entry) so you might want to check if you have
these caps. MAM has not yet replied to my inquiry on this issue.
Ralph Baker
Elite 611E

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Archives located at:
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