Page 1 of 1

Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 10:53 am
by Jim Nash
Is there supposed to be a flapper valve at the fuel inlet to the cell? I am referring to the large (2.5" dia) filler inlet, not the return.

Jim

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 11:04 am
by kurtbob
There is one on the entry elbow of the fuel cell. None on my actual fuel inlet where the cap attaches.

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 12:05 pm
by Jim Nash
That's where I was thinking. Do they limit how quickly the cell can be filled? A car I am working on seems to take forever to fill. Almost like that flapper is super stiff.

Jim

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:22 pm
by Dog Licked Racing
Could the cell's internal foam be blocking the valve or holding it closed?

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:30 pm
by markfick
The weight of the fuel in our black fill hose alone would push the rubber flapper open. Unless someone did a poor job of foam work in the cell (loose piece that moves around), that would be an unusual event.
I have had to take my overturn vent relief valve apart and clean it of any residue to alleviate sticking issues when drawing fuel from the cell when under race conditions, but that would not be your case if your cell isn't filling faster. Double check your fuel lines and make sure your vent line is at the highest port on the back of the cell.

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 2:14 pm
by Greg-Cirillo
Jim Nash wrote:That's where I was thinking. Do they limit how quickly the cell can be filled? A car I am working on seems to take forever to fill. Almost like that flapper is super stiff.

Jim

Closed/clogged vent tube seems like a much more likely culprit.

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 2:29 pm
by joefrederick44
When I changed my fuel cell, I had these problems with it not taking fuel very quickly. When tore it open the second time, the flapper valve was pushed backwards and was acting like a check valve which i must have accidentally done in the replacement process. After I fixed that, I had a problem with the vent line not letting the air out of the fuel cell, and I must have had a kink in the vent line or something. After taking apart the SoB 3 times, it finally worked properly. These are typical on the job mechanical training problems for me. I would say that it's a vent tube issue if this problem just started and probably the portion outside the fuel cell that is easy to fix. If you recently changed the fuel cell or this problem has always existed since you've owned it, it's probably an issue inside the cell with vent line or flapper.

Re: Fuel Cell ...

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 11:09 pm
by Dave Skinner
If it's not the flapper, the other thing to look at, especially if the 2.5" hose is old, is that sometimes the inner wall of the hose delaminates and flaps open as the fuel is poured in, slowing the fill. If it's a GEN III conversion, it probably has a new fill hose and that most likely will not be the problem. Good luck. Tell us what you find.