I flew my new Raptor 30 ARF for the first time yesterday, however I'm having a major gravity fuel feed problem. The tank seemed high to me from the start, but I figured being an arf it'd be okay. NOT THE CASE! I fill the tank and by the time I'm ready to start the heli, fuel is pouring out of the carb. It runs great on a half tank, but I can't get it to do the whole thing. I installed a header tank, but it just feeds right through it giving me crappy starting, and a super rich mixture. Is this a common problem and whats the best fix?

Thanks

I flew my new Raptor 30 ARF for the first time yesterday, however I'm having a major gravity fuel feed problem.

The tank seemed high to me from the start, but I figured being an arf it'd be okay. NOT THE CASE! I fill the tank and by the time I'm ready to start the heli, fuel is pouring out of the carb.

<are you using a fuel cutoff?or a device to keep the fuel from going to the carb while fueling??>

It runs great on a half tank, but I can't get it to do the whole thing.

<Are your fuel lines hooked up correctly?Muffler pressure tap to your fuel tank is fine?needle valve adjusted for break in?no leaks at the fuel tank?fresh fuel?>

I installed a header tank, but it just feeds right through it giving me crappy starting, and a super rich mixture. Is this a common problem and whats the best fix?
<assuming your throttle curves and pitch curves are close,have you tried to adjust the "idle" or "low end screw"/"needle" on your carburetor?,

Just some ideas,its kind of hard to diagnose a lot of things without being able to see the machine or hear it.If theres some experienced heli pilots near you, you may want to catch up with them, and find some experienced help.Most heli guys are usually more than happy to help each other out.It can save you a lot of time,and will help you learn more about heli setup that the manuals wont show.
Check out the pilot locator site,and have fun!

Mitch, thanks for the suggestions, but none apply to the problem. My problem is a gravity or siphon feed. I fuel through the intake line, so it's not even hooked up when I fuel. All the lines are hooked up correctly and I've adjusted the low end needle both on the bench and in the heli. It's clearly the works of a tank thats mounted higher than the carb and thus giving a siphon action. I know this because when I attach the line to the carb, fuel comes pouring back out as I lower it. I figured this might be a common problem since it's an arf.

looking at my raptor, the top odf the tank is level with the carb, the clunk inside the tank is almost an inch below the carb fuel nipple, is your tank sitting on the frame, close to the landing gear?
here´s a pic....

http://communities.msn.com/fedeperro...oto&PhotoID=66

dang pepito, your rappy looks much better tank wise than mine!!
my tank and engine are both mounted as per factory on the frame! but your tank looks much lower. I wonder if your engine holes are higher... or better yet, does it matter which way you put the engine in the mount. I have had that apart a time or two.

Thanks for the picture its wierd how close they both look, but yet the tank-carb distance is a big difference!

that is how it came, no difference at all. the engine mount is the same, except that is a webra instead of the TT engine, does your tank sit in that same position?

diego.