Leaking Fuel Sender

I learned almost the hard way of a problem with the VDO fuel sender used in my CH701. I purchased my wings and fuel system kit in 2010 and first flew last July. I had already finished my condition inspection a month ago and had flown a few days prior to my problem.  A small fuel puddle beneath the left wing root led me to open the inspection panel I made just under the wing root.  I felt the fuel sender electrical connection and discovered it was wet. As I got my fingers on the connector, the whole thing pulled out from the face plate of the sender and a gasoline flood  started! After draining the tank and cleaning up the mess, I removed the front edge of the root skin to get to the installation. The local V W parts house had a replacement sender and acknowledged there had been a leaking problem with older units.  The new part was sealed from the inside around the insulator going through the face plate.  I added an additional bead of 2-ton epoxy around the outside of the insulator/ connector. I was blessed this happened in my hangar and not in flight.

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Comment by Don Herbel on August 26, 2013 at 6:39pm

They used to be on top, as seen on the old Zenith builders website.  Don't know why ZAC moved them to the sides.

Comment by Roger Wibbels on August 25, 2013 at 11:26pm

I put mine on the top of the tank with a thin lexan access cover to avoid any grounding of the electrical connection.  Not flying yet, but I feel more confident of it's not leaking.  Even if it did, its easy to access

Comment by Mark Maltais on August 25, 2013 at 9:26pm

I agree with the fuel senders being junk.... they make me nervous and I've never liked the placement.  I'm hoping that they have improved in the last few years.  I did do a leak test on them before putting them in the wings for the last time and they are not leaking but they should have been designed to go on the top of the tank!!!  I'd redesign their placement myself if I were to do it over again, or find a better system.  There has to be a better design than this available out there somewhere?

Comment by rob steenweg on August 24, 2013 at 12:00pm

Thanks ! we will have an other look at it we have access panels for the top mounted fuel QTY XMTRS ,

Comment by Jimmy Young on August 23, 2013 at 9:49pm
If I build another plane, the fuel senders will be top mounted & will be from a better source. I have never liked what I did following the plans regarding this.
Comment by Jesse Hartman on August 23, 2013 at 3:51pm

Blessed is right.  Good thing.  Thanks for sharing

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