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Tank Dipstick(s)?


SkyrangerRich

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Hi all. 

I've owned my 2006 CTSW for 4 months. Previous owner handed me a single fuel dipstick, marked with a big L on the top. (Blank on the other side)

This and the line in the POH about having a specific dipstick per side made me think I should have two, or a double sided stick. 

Contacted Flight Design and they've sent me a new single dipstick. It's very different to my old one, is anodised black and doesn't have a side marking on it. 

Do you have different dipsticks for each side of your CTSW?

Thanks. 

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I only got once stick, plain aluminum and graduated on both sides for the two different tanks.  Mine developed a crack on the inside curve from unscrewing the fuel caps, so I used it as a template and made a replacement out of 1/8" thick aluminum plate and with a wider inside curve radius.  That one will never crack.  I didn't bother to graduate it, I set my fuel level by looking in the tank at the fuel level with a flashlight and verifying by the sight gauges (which are graduated and calibrated).

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One can do as Andy has done to calibrate the inside tape on the sight tubes and/or the dip stick.  Next time you drain the tanks to do the wing inspection at yearly condition inspection, add known amounts of fuel to the wings, i,e., first add 5 then another 5 and then another 5 gallons to the tank and calibrate the tape and/or a new dipstick with the 5, 10 & 15 gallon levels.  Do this for each side of the stick for each wing.

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3 hours ago, Runtoeat said:

first add 5 then another 5 and then another 5 gallons to the tank and calibrate the tape and/or a new dipstick with the 5, 10 & 15 gallon levels.  Do this for each side of the stick for each wing.

My experience is that fuel begins to transfer / equalize right away.  To address this ad 5 to left then 5 to right then 5 more to each side.

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3 hours ago, Ed Cesnalis said:

My experience is that fuel begins to transfer / equalize right away.  To address this ad 5 to left then 5 to right then 5 more to each side.

When I calibrate tanks I use a line clamp on one of the fuel lines where it comes out of the door post to block the transfer of fuel.

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ED & Tom, failed to say i add fuel to both sides, as with Ed's example.  I think I like clamping the fuel line as Tom suggests though.  This isolates the tank being calibrated and gives a true reading for that wing.  I'll do it this way next time my wings are drained for inspection. 

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  • 2 years later...
3 hours ago, Bob737 said:

I misplaced my CTSW fuel dipstick.  I would like to replace it or at least obtain a tracing of both sides so that I can fabricate one.  Thanks in advance for any help.  2006 CTSW.

If you haven't yet, look in the black hole. By this I mean remove the seats and look under them.

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thanks Tom....I did that... I think the fueler in Tallahassee accidentally kept it, my last stop returning from Oshkosh.  In the morning I had to use a screwdriver to tighten the caps and align into the wind.  Of course the evening fuel guy was nowhere to be found.  

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Bob...

I made my own when mine cracked a while back.  I made mine from 1/8" thick aluminum, the stock one is about half as thick and is prone to bending or cracking on the inside radius turn.  You don't really need a template to make this, just make a piece of stock with a curved 90° bend in it that will fit the cap slot, it doesn't need to be exact.

I never use my stick for fuel level, I don't find it to be very accurate, or at least no more accurate than looking in the sight tubes (which I do on pre-flight).  If you want to use the stick to check fuel, just drain all the fuel from the airplane and then make the fuel marks by adding a couple of gallons at a time to each tank and checking where the level sits on your new stick. 

Good luck!

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  • 5 months later...
On 1/30/2022 at 4:03 PM, 207WF said:

I have found that over time the sight tubes change shape a bit, so your initial calibration of the fuel levels using them will drift over time.

WF

Never had that happen.  It would have to be a really gross shape change to matter, since the tube level mirrors the tank level.  My first set of tubes went three years and didn’t change at all.

what kind of tube do you use?

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I've never seen a site tube change shape. It usually hardens in the curved installed shape. I just removed two today that were 4 years old. They are hard to the touch, but you can still bend them in half and they will not break or split. I've seen and done this several times with high time site tubes. The only thing I have seen is they darken over the years due to the brown dye in the auto fuel.

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