Not in your list, remove old bladder. Haha. Sorry, just being a smart ass. Like Mark says retaking is the worst. 4x4 block works awesome fo leverage. There are 2 types of snaps. Some are like a Jean jacket snap button, some are more lik th upholstery spring clips. If you do retape, cut a hole in the tape where the snap go before putting th bladder in. Makes it easier to line them up.
There is a plastic vent line that goes from the cabin side nipple out to the outboard vent nipple, but that may just be on LR tanks. Can't remember right now. But it has to come out before the tank is removed.
Other then that, you are on the right track. Good luck and have fun!
David

BirdyinBOI wrote:….I’m going down to LA on a Friday to do the fuel bladders on the 1958 182 I just bought. …...
18. Re-attach fuel line and vent fittings in the wing root. 2 people required...one to hold the bladder from the inside and one to push the fitting in at the wing root. (not sure how the vent tube that enters the bottom of the wing next to the strut is routed).......!

Not sure where the vent is on a 58 182, but on the early 180's the vent is on top of the cabin.
There's an AD or SB requiring that you change that vent to the later style which vents adjacent to the wing strut,
if that LH bladder is replaced or even just removed.
I'd contact the bladder folks and/or otherwise find out if this mod is required for your 182, and if so, what parts are required to accomplish it.

Thanks hotrod180...
Hoping to start up today and fly home from Burbank to Boise tomorrow...Thursday. I’ll write a longer post next week about the experience but for now I’ll say...the vent tube IS next to the left strut, the plane had the original bladders built by US Rubber in 1958, and even after sitting for 15 years empty they looked really good. I’m 99% sure I could have flown them home and they would have lasted for a while unless some chemical change happens when you start putting fuel in the again that compromises their integrity. I couldn’t find anything wrong with them. My take-away...don’t change them if they aren’t leaking. There were other reasons however why I did it now. The original bladder had no clips on the bottom except one snap clip, that was half missing. The tape was excellent in the left wing and slightly falling down up high against the forward spar in the right one.. I removed and retapped over that area. If I had had to re-tape, I’m guessing the whole job would have taken 2 more difficult days. The old bladders were very stiff and the first one we cut into about 20 pieces as we pulled it out to get it through the hole. On the second we cut the fuel ring out of the top only and the rest pulled out fairly easily. The originals had baby powder on the bottom. We used that as well...powdered it then. shook off the excess. It’s the only thing I probably wouldn't do again. The new tanks slipped in very easily and now they slip around a lot. I know fueling them will make them stay put. Today I will smooth the wrinkles away from the quick-drains as much as possible before putting the fuel flanges and caps on. Bottom line..it was a bear of a job but if someone wants to give me $1000 I’d do it again. Oh...the vent tube on the left tank does not carry thru the tank. In on the left side with a nipple, open in the tank, then a nipple on the cabin side to an aluminum tube crossing over the pilots head to a nipple on the other tank.

More later...

Also...no one mentioned that there’s a check valve on the vent tube just inside of the left bladder at the top. We pulled quite a while thinking that it was just a plain tube inside the nipple. Finally I cut out a rubber tubing joint on the outboard side of the bladder so the whole tube could pull out with the bladder. Surprise! But, it’s in the manual. The only thing I questioned re-installing it is how critical is it the the hinge on the check-valve be at 12:00. In the pic you can see that the hinge points to about 1:00. No big deal I suppose. It just seems most important to install (the aluminum tube going out has a bend in it) so that it’s as high in the bladder as it can be.

Thoughts? (Well...I can’t figure out how to post a pic)

BirdyinBOI wrote:Also...no one mentioned that there’s a check valve on the vent tube just inside of the left bladder at the top. We pulled quite a while thinking that it was just a plain tube inside the nipple. Finally I cut out a rubber tubing joint on the outboard side of the bladder so the whole tube could pull out with the bladder. Surprise! But, it’s in the manual. The only thing I questioned re-installing it is how critical is it the the hinge on the check-valve be at 12:00. In the pic you can see that the hinge points to about 1:00. No big deal I suppose. It just seems most important to install (the aluminum tube going out has a bend in it) so that it’s as high in the bladder as it can be.

Thoughts? (Well...I can’t figure out how to post a pic)

Hinge should be at the top.

https://backcountrypilot.org/images/ori ... 4a9274.jpg


This look close enough?

BirdyinBOI wrote:https://backcountrypilot.org/images/originalphotos/3900/5913/6fda88cb1addd005014a9274.jpg


This look close enough?

Yup

Back in Boise for a month now and going through old paperwork I found that the original bladders had been repaired in the 80’s by the guys in Sante Fe Springs, CA. Can’t remember their name. They probably redid the tape too and that’s why it’s still in excellent shape.

After about 12 hours of flying all seems good with the new bladders. I did have to snug down the fuel sender unit gaskets as both were weeping very slightly after a few hours of flight. No more gas smell in the cockpit. The venting is still a little wonky and I will tweak the adjustment of the vent tube next week. Fuel burn seems to be about 30% more out of the right tank than the left when the selector is on both. I know my vent tube is slightly low and needs to be pushed back into the wing about 1/4”. I have also been told however that uneven venting is very common on these airplanes. JPI or EI fuel flow monitor is next on the list after new tires and fork tomorrow.

On a Cessna 182B, what is the best way to remove the screws holding the fuel filler? There are inner and outer screws. Which do what?
Do either have nuts? I would think not, I am about to replace the fuel bladder. The screws look painted and rusted in. Thanks

Use a very sharp pick to scratch the debris out of the screw head. Then use valve grinding compound on the tip of a very well fitting, not worn out screwdriver to break the screw loose. Use a significant amount of pressure, taking care not to let the screwdriver slip. I like a long handle screwdriver drive so I can use both hands to pull down on the screwdriver while working off a ladder. Good luck! I hate fuel bladders

It sometimes helps to soak the bolts down with some penetrating oil for a couple days before the job as well.

flyer wrote:On a Cessna 182B, what is the best way to remove the screws holding the fuel filler? There are inner and outer screws. Which do what?
Do either have nuts? I would think not, I am about to replace the fuel bladder. The screws look painted and rusted in. Thanks

Inner screws hold the bladder to the tank access lid (for lack of a better description)... Outer screws hold the access lid to the wing... Penetrating oil, valve grinding compound, possibly an impact driver if you got one... Last set I did i drilled off 4 of the outer screws and replaced the nut plates... Found out a Wify bore scope worked pretty good to see the upper snap locations on my cell phone screen. Just taped the end of the scope to the upper surface of the tank bay with it pointed to the snap hole...

You will curse, You will get bruises on your arms, you will walk away at least once or twice to cool off.... It is the one single job that I despise doing on a Cessna.

Good luck.

Brian.

For finding the holes for the snaps, I put a couple of fingers through the strap holding the snap and use my index finger to find the hole. Hand is on the outside of the bladder not inside. Start at the farthest out in the corners and work your way to the middle. Plenty of room for the fingers with Eagle bladders anyway.

180Marty wrote:For finding the holes for the snaps, I put a couple of fingers through the strap holding the snap and use my index finger to find the hole. Hand is on the outside of the bladder not inside. Start at the farthest out in the corners and work your way to the middle. Plenty of room for the fingers with Eagle bladders anyway.

Hartwig bladders as well. Some of the are angled the wrong way, but I do the same thing. A block of wood inside the bladder also helps gives leverage for snapping them up.

Thanks for the info on screw removal. When installing the new Eagle drain valves, does the drain outlet have to be shortened? How much torque is used on the drain valve clamp?

An 8' workbench makes an excellent staging to stand on in front of the wing instead of trying to do the job from a ladder. A little duct tape around the holes will prevent your arms from getting scuffed up on the sharp edges. You'll want a mirror just small enough to fit through the access hole. I found a folding one which works well. It's not my favorite of A/C maintenance jobs, but it's not that bad.

Second the BIG screwdriver recommendation.

A couple screws gave me grief when changing out fuel caps. A friend came along with a screwdriver that was massive. Probably 24-30” long with a big wooden handle. It was home brewed to hold an apex serrated bit. He removed a couple screws that I thought I’d have to drill.

I used an impact screwdriver for the few that were in there super tight...

https://www.mactools.com/en-us/Striking ... Driver-Kit

They're spendy but do a great job. No way I can imagine having removed them otherwise. I think there is a Craftsman version for $20 at Lowe's. Can't tell you how it works compared to the Mac tho.

Screw knocker coupled with a 2x rivet gun works like magic


https://www.yardstore.com/standard-scre ... -old-man-8

Thanks for all of the information. I just finished replacing my right wing fuel bladder. I installed an Eagle fuel bladder. The bladder that I removed was the original and has a date of March 1959. It was over 61 years old. It was starting to drip. The other bladder is also original but is still viable. I used an Easyout to get the 9 screws out. It worked well. I had to get a tall neighbor to fasten the farthest fastener. The new bladder is working well so far. Eagle was very helpful and I do recommend them. If anyone is planning on doing this, and has questions, contact me. Thanks again Dick