20/10/2019 Airfield Models - How to Install a Fuel Tank in a Model Airplane

May 05, 2015

How to Install a Fuel Tank in a Model

Aircraft
Installing a fuel tank in a model airplane is a fairly
simple process. It's even easier if you aren't trying to
stuff in a tank that barely fits the tank compartment.
Having some space around the tank will allow the
tank be positioned with the least amount of strain on
the fuel lines as well as making insertion less
frustrating and tedious.

Whenever you are working with a fuel tank, keep the

work area as sterile as possible. The previous article describes how to clean
and assemble the tank. If you have not washed the tank out, then now is a
good time to disassemble it and clean out the tank and the lines.

Tips

Ensure that the engine mount bolts do not extend beyond the blind
nuts into the tank compartment so that they can not puncture the fuel
tank.
If you are installing the tank in a balsa-dust filled structure, then
chances are some of that dust will make it into the fuel lines. Before
you begin, vacuum the inside of the model or blow the dust out using
compressed air.

Background
My Stik 30 was originally built around my O.S. .30 Wankel engine. I took
the engine out after the first day of test flights due to its very high fuel
consumption. It was replaced with a Webra Speed .32 2-stroke engine.

Exactly a week after completing the model, I rolled a wing tip into the
ground during a touch-and-go which resulted in a totaled fuselage.

The new fuselage was not to set up for the Wankel. The Webra had
unresolved idle and transition problems so it was replaced with an O.S. .46.

The plane was already nose-heavy with the Wankel and the Webra. The .46
made the problem even worse. By the time the Center of Gravity was
where I like it, My Stik 30 flew like a dog due to massive amounts of lead in
the tail.

The only way to save this plane was a major weight-reduction surgery —
nearly 10 ounces of weight was removed from a plane having a wing area of
approximately 450 in2.

The modification involved installing the Wankel which required the firewall
and fuel tank to be modified. This article details the tank installation.

The only reason I bring all this up is so you understand why this firewall looks
like Swiss cheese.

Installing the Fuel Tank

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Because of the shape

of the Wankel and the
way it mounts, the
fuel lines have to
come through the
firewall around the
outside of the mount
— not through the
center.

Creative tubing bends

were necessary as
well as new holes in
the firewall for the
fuel lines to pass
through.

I used aluminum
tubes on this tank
because they bend
more easily than
brass.

As shown here, the

metal tubes are too
long and must be
trimmed to about
1/2".

Always deburr metal

tubing to prevent it
from cutting fuel
lines

The arrows point to

the new holes for the
fuel lines.

The four holes

arranged in a square
pattern are the
engine mounting
holes for the O.S. .46
that was replaced by
the Wankel.

The three larger

holes are the holes
for mounting the
Wankel.

All the unused holes

were filled with
silicone sealant to
prevent fuel and oil
from entering the
airframe.
It is a good idea to
line the tank
compartment with
foam rubber to
insulate it from
engine vibration and

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to prevent the tank

from moving.

Tank movement can

cause the fuel lines to
kink which will cause
many headaches at
the field.

This is a good place

to use older foam
that's kind of ratty
looking, but is still
spongy.
Trying to keep the
foam in place while
the tank is slid into
the compartment can
be a lesson in
frustration.

Use double-sided
tape or spray
adhesive to hold the
foam in place so you
can concentrate on
inserting the tank
and not fiddle around
with uncooperative
foam that won't stay
where you want it.

In this case I tried

double-stick tape,
but it wouldn't stick
inside the tank
compartment. I
ended up using spray
glue instead.

Here you can see the

foam inserted in the
tank compartment.
There is a piece above
the tank as well.

A piece of latex foam

rubber is rolled up
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and rubber banded to

the front of the tank
has a couple useful
purposes:

It prevents the tank

from directly
contacting the
firewall which can
help prevent it from
being punctured by
the engine mounting
bolts as well as
reduce vibration
transmitted to the
tank.

The foam will also

help prevent the
delicate tubing from
being bent or
damaged.
Many people believe
that a tank is not
sealed if the metal
tubing can rotate in
the stopper. That is
not true. The stopper
should be snug, but it
does not need the life
squeezed out of it.

A properly sealed
tank will allow the
tubing to rotate.
Nevertheless, a tank
should always be
tested for leaks
before installation. It
should also be
checked to ensure
there is no blockage
in the system by
blowing through one
of the tubes.

In this case, the

ability of the tubing
to rotate is very
helpful. I arranged
the tubes so they
more or less line up
with the holes in the
firewall.

The tubes were not

aligned properly
when this photo was
taken, however.
Fuel lines are fed
through the firewall
and into the radio
compartment. They
will be used to pull
the tank in place.
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Use one hand to

guide the tank while
using the fuel lines to
pull the tank into
place. Every inch or
so, pull on each fuel
line individually to
ensure that the lines
are not kinking inside
the tank
compartment.

If you look carefully,

you can see that the
aluminum tube has
been trimmed to its
final length.

The tank in its final

position. This rubber
band will break soon.
That is ok because
now that the tank is
in place, the foam it
was holding will
remain in position
without the help of
the rubber band.

The fuel lines are

located outside of the
Wankel engine
mount. In the next
photo you can see
why they could not
come through the
center of the mount.

Testing the Installation

Before you go to all the trouble of installing the engine, throttle linkage, etc.,
check to ensure that flow through the fuel lines is not obstructed.

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With neither line connected to the engine, blow through a line. There will be
a little resistance, but not too much. If you can not blow through the tube,
then something is blocked.

You may need to pull the tank back and then tug on the fuel line to remove a
kink. If that does not work, then you may need to remove the tank
completely and find out what happened.

If you can not blow through the tank, then the engine will not be able to draw
fuel. It is not a problem that will go away by itself so you may as well fix it
now. Otherwise you will be at the field tinkering with the installation instead
of flying.

As you can see, there

is no space between
Wankel and its mount
for the fuel lines to
come through.

Fortunately, 2 and 4-
Stroke engines
usually have enough
room between the
engine and their
mounts to pull the
lines through which
simplifies installation.

Previous How to Assemble a Model Airplane Fuel Comments about this

— Tank article
Next — Model Airplane Engine Glow Fuel

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Copyright © 2004 Paul K. Johnson

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