Sam Buchanan

We had a local pilot who used to be a check engineer for the B1 ground-following radar system. He said it was quite the experience to be flying near supersonic just over the trees! Yes, my can of tank sealant is reserved for a low and slow antique (4-wheel) vehicle flying at less than 0.1 mach....... 😎

Hey.....no argument, the sealer is ten years past the expiration date. It would be a violation of whatever mil-specs are in play to use this batch on a B-1 bomber tank. But that has absolutely no relevance in regard to sealing a fuel sender on the P-15......I may still be using this sealer five years from now. I’ve never “served” but I have nearly 1400 hrs in the aircraft with tanks I sealed twenty years ago. I have a lot of experience with this particular product. Do you?

The fuel cap vents can be difficult to find, here is what they look like on my P15. There are two openings in the center portion of the cap: These are vented to four tiny openings in the underside of the outer rim of the cap: If these are plugged (mine were) use very fine wire to unplug them carefully and test with compressed air....this may be sorta tedious. In the course of trying get my old corroded fuel system working (before I yanked the whole mess and started over with new tank, lines and pump) I drilled a 3/32" hole in the underside of the filler neck to make sure the old cap didn't try to play any tricks....I consider this a useful backup to assure tank venting. This might not be the best option for a car that spends a lot of time parked in the rain.

Amen.

You guys need to relax......the sealer is stored in the refrigerator and it is good for odd jobs for years post expiration. I wouldn’t seal new aircraft tanks with that batch but it still adheres aggressively to a 1948 Plymouth. This is the same batch I used to seal the tranny last year. Find something else to worry about.....unless you have B-1 bomber tanks to seal (that’s what the sealer was developed for). 😁

When I looked inside my P15's tank and the whole thing looked like alien life forms had taken up residence I yanked the tank and put in a new one....no point trying to work with that mess....72 years is long enough for one tank..... 😉

Took a look at the sender today (Kanter) and it appears that is where fuel has been leaking. Mixed up a small batch of Flamemaster aircraft tank sealant and applied a glob over each pop rivet after scuffing with Scotchbrite and cleaning with acetone. That stuff will stick to anything! But I was surprised to find the terminal studs loose.....that could also cause leaks. Tightened the base nuts and reconnected everything, we'll see if that stops the leakage.

Maybe apply some fuel tank sealant around and over the rivets? Yes...it is aggravating to have to address somebody's engineering flaw. My "new" tank (passed my pressure test prior to installation) leaks fuel when nearly full, I'm gonna have to take a look at the two-wire sender I installed a few months ago.

A 10 gauge wire should handle 45-50 amp no longer than the run from alternator to battery, that will provide quite a bit of margin over what would be needed in normal ops. I put a 65a fuse in my alternator lead to protect against a dead short inside the alternator. Something is weird about your car's wiring---if wired per the schematic disconnecting the ammeter will kill the electrics since all loads go through the meter. Stay with it, this can be figured out.

Should be a great read.....but $95?

Ok...time to go to school, there is no point in being uninformed about what is inside your engine. Here is a video from one of our own forum members as he takes a look inside the flathead engine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQNszFmHJHQ

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Here is the wiring schematic for a P15, it is scaled to print on 8.5x11 paper:

Glad you found a ground drain....but I'm struggling to visualize what is going on with your wiring....the comment about the starter solenoid is puzzling. I also don't understand the comments about multiple terminals and higher gauge wire.....maybe a photo would help? Do you have a service manual for your car with a wiring schematic? You would be ahead to return the ammeter to the original configuration, it really is a simple hookup. Without an ammeter or voltmeter you are flying blind with no way to see a charging failure in progress. As long as your car has bastardized wiring you will be chasing problems.....get it straightened out once and for all for maximum reliability and ease of maintenance. The original wiring is fine as long as the insulation is intact, some of the wiring firewall forward may be worse for wear and can be easily replaced.

Yes, let's revisit the alternator hook up, I thought we went through this earlier but now I'm wondering about it. The old, external regulator, if still in place, should ONLY be used as a terminal block to connect the wire from the alternator to the car's wire that goes to the ammeter. Disconnect everything from the A and F terminals on the regulator. Tell you what I would do (and did on my car)......remove the old regulator and toss in on the work bench (or trash). Then use a high-quality butt splice to connect the alternator lead and ammeter wire (the one that was connected to the BAT terminal of the old regulator). There MIGHT be a faulty internal drain to ground in the old regulator, removing it eliminates that possibility. One more test. With the ammeter lead disconnected from the alternator and the ignition switch off, check to see if there is any continuity between the ammeter wire and chassis ground. This will explore the possibility of a ground drain occurring in the harness or ignition switch (or headlight switch?). If your car passes that test and the alternator is connected to the ammeter, your alternator is good, the battery is good........this system has to work properly.