Fuel Selector Valve

[8349]

Are there any STCs or field approvals to install a 150 fuel selector in the 120/140 to provide just the on/off selection vs. only one tank at a time?

[6643]

Are there any STCs or field approvals to install a 150 fuel selector in the 120/140 to provide just the on/off selection vs. only one tank at a time?

You cannot feed from both tanks simultaneously unless there is a tube connecting the air spaces of the two tanks, as there is in the later systems and the 150.

[8424]

Hey Drew,

I've noticed your USA map signature in your posts showing some colored states. Are these states in which you have flown your 120/140? Man, that's a long leg of a cross country from Pennsylvania to Nevada! I suspect there's an interesting story hiding there. I flew my first C140 from McGrath, AK, to McAlester, OK, but had to make quite a few stops along the way!

To keep this in the subject of the fuel selector valve thread, the valve would get a good work out with the number of cycles on a trip from PA to NV!

Steve H

[8349]

Hi Steve,

Just the various states I have flown in. Actually, the only place I have flown a 140 is in Australia. Looking to get one here in the next year to two though.

[8424]

I think the map is pretty neat! I bet when you get your 140 you'll have a lot more colored states in a short time.

There aren't a lot of us that have only flown one in Australia!

Steve H

[6795]

I would strongly recommend that you do not modify your fuel system in any way.

The Left-Right-Off valves are a much better fuel management option over "Both-Off" valves and there have been several accidents as a result of people modifying the fuel valves and fuel caps on C-120/140 planes.

[6277]

KISS is a good approach. L-R-Off is a fuel system that is simple, reliable and allows you to know for sure where your fuel is at all times. With the L-R-Off-Both system, fuel will equalize between the tanks in either the Both or Off position. What happens if you are in the both position and one tank develops a leak? There are a lot of ways to manage fuel, i.e., when the minute is on the right side of the clock, select the right tank, etc.

[8474]

Not saying you should convert a LEFT-RIGHT system, but L-R-BOTH is the best of both worlds. You can select BOTH for take-off which of course is the safest option, and then switch in cruise to LEFT or RIGHT for fuel management if desired.

[7392]

The fuel selector in my '46 140 serial # 8015 is LEFT-RIGHT-BOTH OFF.
I've owned her for 27 years and all I've had to do to the fuel valve was
to polish the stem assembly and replace the o-ring.
I am Blessed.

Larry Surratt
1946 C-140
#89011
serial # 8015
R26

[6643]

Not to get repetitive, but, you cannot (legally) install a valve that allows feeding from both tanks simultaneously unless the air spaces of those tanks are connected.

Also, the L-R-Both-Off valve actually connects the left and right tanks together when in the off position, which allows fuel transfer between the tanks.