Sport Pilot Talk

You'll also need an oetiker clamp tool to install them.

Yep, got everything + the end tape: http://www.americanfiresleeve.com/fires ... r-now.html

Learning new stuff every day - thanks again.

This is the kind iuse,available at any auto parts store:



Maybe not as elegant a Oetikers, but get the job done.

Thanks

in this case Oetiker clamps are actually pretty cheap ( ~60 cents), even at the Leading Edge store - which is pretty rare since just about everything there is rather expensive ( comparatively speaking )

Most of the airplanes I deal with either have the stainless fuel line or the Rotax Teflon line. With the carb connection it is something that will have to be disconnected from time to time for carb maintenance. I think I would prefer a screw type fuel injection clamp so I could remove the hose from the fitting, instead of having to remove the banjo bolt to remove the carb. The only problem with the screw type clamp is that it makes it harder to cleanly finish the end of the firesleeve.

Warmi wrote:Thanks

in this case Oetiker clamps are actually pretty cheap ( ~60 cents), even at the Leading Edge store - which is pretty rare since just about everything there is rather expensive ( comparatively speaking )

Yes, but the special tool needed to clamp that .60¢ clamp is about $35 or more for a good one. Using the clamp that Eddie posted, which is also what I use, uses a screwdriver or nut driver and everyone has one of those laying around. The smooth clamp like Eddie posted is a fuel injected hose clamp and has great clamping pressure all the way around the hose. Those crappy, serrated, screw style clamps dont. I buy the "Breeze" brand made in the US.

I always use Oetikers for fuel lines where I can. They literally *can't* loosen over time or due to vibration or something bumping them. The clamp tool is totally worth having if it means not leaking fuel in flight and potentially burning to death. Just IMO.

MrMorden wrote:I always use Oetikers for fuel lines where I can. They literally *can't* loosen over time or due to vibration or something bumping them. The clamp tool is totally worth having if it means not leaking fuel in flight and potentially burning to death. Just IMO.

You were actually right it was a clamp after all.

It can get loose over time and in my case it is pretty much gone and the hose just freely rotates around the fitting.

https://youtu.be/APpDykQnUDY

MrMorden wrote:I always use Oetikers for fuel lines where I can. They literally *can't* loosen over time or due to vibration or something bumping them. The clamp tool is totally worth having if it means not leaking fuel in flight and potentially burning to death. Just IMO.

I also use Oetikers most of the time, but there are places I like these better. https://www.wurthusa.com/Service-and-Re ... /p/0540139 This is the brand Flight Design uses, or at least they used to. It is a very high quality clamp. Depending on the clamp location I sometimes swap the slotted screw out for a hex head screw. I have never experienced these loosening up.

Personally I would not use a cheap clamp like Eddie posted a picture of.

I also have never had one loosen up, ever. I always put torque seal on them so at a quick glance I could see if anything moved. The fuel injected style clamps are great clamps and not one has ever come loose. The fuel injected ones all have a hex bolt, slotted head so you can get a good grip on it and tighten it with a nut driver.

drseti wrote:

Warmi wrote:do you know which clamp would be suitable for the carb fuel hose ?

I've always been partial to the Oetiker clamps. Sometimes called "stainless steel ear clamps":

https://www.leadingedgeairfoils.com/sta ... 37-64.html

I think the proper size is this one :
https://www.leadingedgeairfoils.com/sta ... 35-64.html

The hose is 12 mm so I will need smaller size when closed

Btw , the reason it started leaking is because the mechanic messed up installation of the clamp during 5 year rubber replacement - it was different diameter than the one on the other side ( which is as tight as it should be ) , it was different type and also it looks like it was clamped and then reclamped.

I am actually quite pissed off - this is some serious shit , we could have easily ended up with one carb completely being cut off and/or in-flight fire , at the very least with an off airport landing due to only one carb working ( which I presume would result in the degree of vibration which would necessitate shutting down the engine )

PS.
This was actually quite progressive failure - just before we started disconnecting the hose it got even worse ...
https://youtu.be/kDW1AOBs3VE

As for sizing on the Oetiker clamps, if you look at the other side that is done properly the size is stamped in the side of the clamp. Just match it up so they'll be he same.

Certainly alarming to hear what has happened and that it wasn't checked before OR after it was clamped.

Yeah, I got it under control now

The 5 year rubber was done just a few months after I bought the plane - back then I had no idea even what to look for , beyond the basic pre-flight of the plane..

Since then I went to the Rotax maintenance class and step by step getting to the point where I can fix or at least recognize potential issues before they become a major problem - ultimately, as they say "if you want to get it done right - do it yourself " - of course, within reasonable limits, but there is definitely some truth to that - it is my ass riding up there after all

Oetiker and fuel injection screw clamp like the one in the previous post are both considered band clamps and are good choices for fuel hose.
Do not use the Ace hardware serrated worm drive clamps on oil and fuel hose. Usually for 1/4: hose I use 13.3 or 13.5mm and 5/16" I use 14.5 or 14.7mm Oetiker. Some different fuel hoses have slightly different OD sizes. I usually use fuel injection clamps on oil hose. The choice is yours.