dirtkiller

My Feedback: (36)

I just got a byron f16 and a byron a4 I need help I have my engine (Rossi 90) set up upright so the carb is lower than the inverted setup when I fill the tanks that are placed like the setup in the plans I fill the tanks and they will siphon thrue the carb until both tanks are empty. is this normal? Do I need to use hemostats to stop the fuel flow? and will the gravity feed cause a problem for inverted flight? I do have 2 11oz DF tanks from sullivan would it be a better idea to use those and how do I set them in the fuse? Any help would be great.
DF Newbie Tom

EASYTIGER

My Feedback: (119)

I would switch to the saddle tanks, set at carb level or below. Add a pressure fitting to the pipe.
Put a regular dubro fuel fitting between the tanks and the carb, fill through there.
Add one of those big black fuelers between the tanks and the pipe. When you fill up the tanks, open that fueler and use it as an overflow.
You can then fill the tanks while upright...when fuel comes out the black filler, then you know the tanks are full...without filling up the pipe with fuel, which makes a big mess.
The regular dubro filler will let you fill up the tanks without flooding the engine...it shuts off fuel to the carb when the filler probe is put in.
Unless your tanks are above the carb, you will not get any siphoning into the carb and flooded engine.
No hemostats needed, and upright fueling. There are other ways to skin this cat, but this works the best for me.
Never had any luck with the gravity feed system.

Terry Holston

My Feedback: (1)

I used to mount the sullivan 11oz saddle tanks in the "Wing" lex in front of the landing gear bracket. With the curve of the tank following the curve of the fuselage. Kept the tanks out of the air flow. I also put hte tuned pipe unde rthe canopy out of the air flow. By cleaning up the airflow through the plane, both these mods were worth about 8 to 10 MPH top speed.

EASYTIGER

My Feedback: (119)

Good point. The cleaner the fuse is inside, airflow-wise, the better. The saddle tanks go a long way for that. The stacked Byron tanks are a huge obstruction.

Does anybody know if I put the engine upright on my sabre, if the pipe will clear everything? It's a standary byron pipe...

dirtkiller

My Feedback: (36)

I am wondering how do you mount the pipe up there and are there any worries about the fuse becoming to hot. Or do you make a cheater hole on the top to get air around the pipe. Does anyone have any pics of there setup? I am going to try putting the tanks at or below the carb.
Thanks Tom

Terry Holston

My Feedback: (1)

Heat on the pipe was a non issue in my F-16s. Got enought air around it to keep it cool with out any other "Cheater" holes.

dirtkiller

My Feedback: (36)

Terry,
Thanks a whole lot. Do you run a header tank?
Well I am off to the hobby room to make mods.
Tom

Terry Holston

My Feedback: (1)

Yes, actually, I forgot. I had a 4oz header in front of one of the saddle tanks. plumbing was as follows: Engine to header to 11oz tank on opposite side of fuse to 11 oz on same side as header, (Trying to keep better lateral balance)

Jack H

My Feedback: (2)

Tom : I suggest you go back to the original in vert engine set up with the chicken hopper tank and fuel manifold: Saddle tanks/ robart fuelers / The black fueler - all that stuff by the boxes was around and tried prior to the orignal byro set up- and we tried it all -- including the hemo- the end result was that none of it worked with reliabilty that would yeild customer satisfaction hence the creation of the fuel - manifold and custom tank was created - By deviating i sincerely feel your trying to re- invent the wheel. Lots and lots of the hassels your going thru was experienced and all the headachs were remidied. Those byro tanks are rare now-adays - They work - I know - especially when you have to light up three to four or more jets at once for a show on que in two or three miniutes- They can also set on the ground or in a trailer all day with out draining down and make it a charm when tuning or getting on the pipe.

One of the originals

Jack

EASYTIGER

My Feedback: (119)

No offense intended, but that whole byron hopper system and fuel manifold was very much reinventing the wheel....in an overly complicated and unreliable way.
FEW guys got it to work consistently. I would guess that 95% of people flying byron are using something else.
And the tanks are not rare. Everybody who had or has a byron plane has a few sitting in their junkbox, most of them unused!

I don't mean to start a fight, but there are very good reasons why you don't see ANY other planes that use the byron system of fueling, and if you walk down the flight line and spot a byron jet, chances are it won't have the byron fuel system. If it were so great, we would all be using it.

dirtkiller

My Feedback: (36)

Jack H,
after I started looking at the plane a little closer and trial fitting a few tank setups I think it will be easy to get this setup with the engine upright and no siphoning of the fuel. I also don't like the idea of having the tanks higher than the carb because there seems like there would be a big engine performance difference between inverted and upright flying, I may be wrong but I think I will give this idea of lowering the tanks a try.
Thanks for all the info guys. It is great to have this forum in order to get and share info, as I have no one near me that flies DF.
Tom

rcs1313

Dirtkiller,

I am another old Byron fan. I've used the fuel manifolds and they did work and work well, BUT, you did have to do mainanance on them and that is where most guy's drew the line, so to speak.

The manifold has a spool valve with , if I remember right, 3 'O' rings. They had to be replaced now and again but always leaked at exactly the wrong time and always when you didn't have any spares--Murphy's Law in action. If they sucked air, the engine would run lean and you could not richen it up.......

The piggyback tank was hot-glued together and would on occassion separate and suck air. It just took some mantanance to make sure it was kept in good working order.

The inverted engine did not seem to be too much of a problem as long as you ran the idle just a little higher to keep the engine from loading up.

As long as you place your header tank somewhere close to the centerline of the carb, it doesn't much matter if the main tanks are high or low. The header tank will regulate the head pressure to the carb and keep it constant

Rod

Jackjet

My Feedback: (1)

Pilots -
I use a Sprite soda bottle with a black Robart fueler in a Byron F-16/A-4-works great-NO header tank needed-32ozs. of fuel-this system will idle all day and when you throttle up-IT WILL NOT QUIT ! Buy a Sprite-get a free fuel tank.




Jackjet
760-956-1075
Hesperia,Ca.

EASYTIGER

My Feedback: (119)

I've used the soda bottle, works GREAT, a little less plumbing than saddle tanks. The only advantage of saddle tanks is more clear airflow to the engine.

rcs1313

Hey Jackjet,

Is that Diet Sprite or the real thing..?...If it ever happens we get to fly together, I'll bring a couple and we'll celebrate>>>>

Rod

dirtkiller

My Feedback: (36)

Jackjet,
do you have any pics of your tank (soda) setup? I wonder if coke,pepsi, or mountaindew will work as well as sprite lol


rcs1313,
I would try the origional setup but I have no place locally to buy the fuel manifolds.

Thanks to all that have replied to this and helping me with this problem
Tom

rrpech

My Feedback: (22)

I DONT KNOW HOW MANY PLANES AND HOW MUCH MONEY WENT INTO DEVELOPING THE WHOLE BYRON SYSTEM. IT JUST SEEMS STUPID TO CHANGE IT. AS FAR AS THE WHOLE HOPPER SYSTEM LOOKS EASY TO MAKE TO ME.

EASYTIGER, IF YOU DONT USE THE BYRON STUFF I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TAKE IT OFF YOUR HANDS AT THE PRICE OF SHIPPING.

DIRTKILLER, YOU GOT THE NET BUY OFF THE NET. MAYBE EASYTIGER HAVE A FEW THAT YOU COULD BUY.