Bladder replacement 182H time

benyflyguy

benyflyguy

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benyflyguy
What is the “rough” estimate of amount of man hours it takes to change a fuel bladder on a C182H? Our local mx shop that we have used for awhile is in turmoil- lost mechanics, parent company selling slowly. Went from 9 mechanics to 2. Stuff that took days now takes weeks. Our annual took a month.
Backstory:
Our 182H has fuel bladders 37 y/o bladders. We have been having some leaking fuel right wing for some time now only when tanks are topped. Gets below 3/4 full leak stops.
Into the shop it goes
The filler neck was loose. Tighten the screws. Still leaking.
The drain fuel. The gasket was wrong gasket installed awhile ago (In fact they guy who did the work put two gaskets in plac me of one. So the replaced with proper Cessna Gasket- top it off. Still leaks.
Determined that the worst fear is the upper part of bladder leaking. Now they are pricing and putting in new bladder.

I just want to get it done. I want to be prepared to know what the estimated normal time is. If they quote a to more might just need to goto another shop. I’ve heard they are a PITA the change.
 
I hear 10ish hours + the cost of the bladder (1AMU?). On most markets, about a 2AMU job all in. I presume that includes the removal of the old one and prepping the cavity, which is the most labor intensive part of the installation. The re-connection of the senders is not all that consuming. So a couple days at the most all in? Good luck!
 
Good to know. We are a bit frustrated with our shop. This leak was reported at annual- and first thought it was drain valve- replaced it. And here we are 5 months later.
 
Chasing gremlins on bladders can be a nickle and dime affair. You gotta fill em to the brim to find out though. At some point, it's just more economical (from a dispatch rate) to just replace the thing, if the usual easy fixes don't do it (gaskets, sump fittings et al). Looks like you need a more responsive shop though. Time is money, and time is one commodity we can't make more of.
 
It takes me 2 days each side, be certain they clean out all the old tape (padding) or it may chafe and then you get to do it again.
 
All of the advice given above is true, HOWEVER: do yourself (and your wallet) a favor and spend a few minutes trying to see exactly where the leak is coming from before you start yanking out the bladder. Remove the wing root fairing and take a good look around the fuel sender. It is very common for the gasket(s) in this location to fail and cause leaks. If so, you will see fuel stains in this area. It is much cheaper and easier to replace these gaskets than R&R the bladder. Yes, pinhole leaks from chafing (and just plain old age) are common, but leaks from other areas like the fuel sender gasket, the top filler gasket, and fuel feed and vent lines happen a lot also.

An experienced mechanic will check all of this first, but you never know.

Lastly, if you do need to R&R, console yourself with this info: a) a new one properly installed should last 10-20 years, and b) fixing a leak in a wet-wing Cessna is TEN TIMES WORSE.

C.
 
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camorton said:
All of the advice given above is true, HOWEVER: do yourself (and your wallet) a favor and spend a few minutes trying to see exactly where the leak is coming from before you start yanking out the bladder. Remove the wing root fairing and take a good look around the fuel sender. It is very common for the gasket(s) in this location to fail and cause leaks. If so, you will see fuel stains in this area. It is much cheaper and easier to replace these gaskets than R&R the bladder. Yes, pinhole leaks from chafing (and just plain old age) are common, but leaks from other areas like the fuel sender gasket, the top filler gasket, and fuel feed and vent lines happen a lot also.

An experienced mechanic will check all of this first, but you never know.
Click to expand...

Seems to me like that is what the mechanic is doing but the OP is complaining about repeated trips to the shop over several months.

Sometimes the leak takes time to find because you can’t see everything. I’ve been fighting with one for a while now which will probably require bladder replacement.
 
Update is gasket replacement didnt help. Only leaked when tanks are topped so I don’t think fuel sender was issue. Bladders are 37 years old. Had a good run heck, the left side is still
Having a good run.
I have heard the wet wing tanks are a nightmare to deal with leaks. If it’s a thing like what a friend of mine is going through with his lance then it sounds pricy.
 
benyflyguy said:
I have heard the wet wing tanks are a nightmare to deal with leaks. If it’s a thing like what a friend of mine is going through with his lance then it sounds pricy.
Click to expand...

The biggest problem with the wet wing planes I see is that nobody wants to do a full reseal, because it is “too expensive”. So people keep trying to patch up 30+ year old sealant and they will continue to do so for a long time with that approach. At some point it becomes penny wise and pound foolish. I had zero leak trouble with the wet wing Mooney I owned for a while which had fully stripped and sealed tanks.

As far as I know, the Lance is not a wet wing airplane. But the tanks are structural and do spring leaks which can lead to pulling the tanks and sending them in for repair.
 
Yeah, 37 years old doesn't owe you a thing. The old tape removal is definitely the worst part.

Put a swear jar on top of the wing and stack of dollar bills next to it. When you're done, take the jar to a bar and spend what you put in the jar.
 
722F12FB-DB18-407F-B9F5-93F86B401921.jpeg
Didn’t realize these things were so friggin big. God bless the guy that has to stuff a new one of those in those little holes.
 
Not so hard. Leave it out in the sun for a few minutes and they get soft and pliable. Then twist them into a cylinder and they slide right in.

Also, this is a long-range tank bladder. They are much easier to install because your have two access holes instead of just one with the standard tanks.

C.
 
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