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kkinney
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 42
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 Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:58 am Post subject: Homegrown Boroscope |
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Both my fuel senders froze and I needed to free them. In my original plans, the senders were attached to the top of the tank. There was a drain hole I could poke a wire in, but to see what I was doing, I'd have to be able to look in through the fill tube 4 feet away on the other side of the wing.
After trying to borrow a boroscope, I was seriously thought about renting or buying one. As I explained to my wife what it was, I used the phrase "camera on a stick." But since it's a major purchase, I held off a couple days.
In that time I realized instead of a boroscope, I could use a CAMERA on a STICK. I already had a cheapo HaborFreight camera with limited night vision capabilities - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98813
It fit in the filler neck and I poked it down far enough to see the float. Then with the monitor on the other side of the wing, I was able feed my fish tape into the drain hole and jiggle the float. Viola!
Months of fretting solved by 30 seconds of work.
I'm not sure is good enough to be included on http://www.ch601.org/tools.htm
What does everyone think?
Regards,
Kevin Kinney
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Ron Lendon
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Clinton Twp., MI
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ashontz
Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Posts: 723
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 3:33 am Post subject: Re: Homegrown Boroscope |
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Yeah, I'd like to see it in action too. There's a bunch of stuff I could have used one of these for. Depending on the size of the camera element, it would probably work even better mounted in the end of a flexible hose.
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kkinney
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 42
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:53 am Post subject: Re: Homegrown Boroscope |
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| ashontz wrote: | | Yeah, I'd like to see it in action too. |
I'm afraid pictures would be anticlimatic. I had a piece of 1/2" x 1/8" steel bar and I tyrap'd the camera to the end. After a couple attempts, I got the bend in the bar right and the camera positioned correctly.
Then I set the monitor (OK a small TV, but "monitor" sounds more techy) so I could see it from the underside of the wing. Finally, I stuck some fish tape in the drain hole and manipulated the float.
On the first, I just had to knock the float arm loose and the sender started working.
Sadly on the second, I had to unzip the wing and replace the sender.
Fun fact - When trying to remove the drilled rivet bodies from a wing, lying under it while someone tips the wing forward is NOT a good place to be. Aluminum shavings end up in the DARNEDEST places.
I'll try to add a few pictures this evening.
Regards,
Kevin Kinney
P.S. Before you add fuel for the first time, stuff a vacuum down your gas tank. I was AMAZED at the #$%^ it sucked up.
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ashontz
Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Posts: 723
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:46 am Post subject: Re: Homegrown Boroscope |
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Where's your sender, on the top of the tank? Can you mount it on the side in the middle of a rib lightening hole that you can get to from the access plate?
I've been wondering about how hard it would be to take a tank out if need be. Be nice to know that the ONLY reason the tank would ever need to be removed if it was outright leaking along a welded seam. More reason to weld the tanks than use Pro-Seal, at least in the XL. No good way to get at the tank if you really need it out without ripping the wing apart.
| kkinney wrote: | | ashontz wrote: | | Yeah, I'd like to see it in action too. |
I'm afraid pictures would be anticlimatic. I had a piece of 1/2" x 1/8" steel bar and I tyrap'd the camera to the end. After a couple attempts, I got the bend in the bar right and the camera positioned correctly.
Then I set the monitor (OK a small TV, but "monitor" sounds more techy) so I could see it from the underside of the wing. Finally, I stuck some fish tape in the drain hole and manipulated the float.
On the first, I just had to knock the float arm loose and the sender started working.
Sadly on the second, I had to unzip the wing and replace the sender.
Fun fact - When trying to remove the drilled rivet bodies from a wing, lying under it while someone tips the wing forward is NOT a good place to be. Aluminum shavings end up in the DARNEDEST places.
I'll try to add a few pictures this evening.
Regards,
Kevin Kinney
P.S. Before you add fuel for the first time, stuff a vacuum down your gas tank. I was AMAZED at the #$%^ it sucked up. |
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