lesuther wrote:Perhaps the 172 version with the same capacity might get you close?

lesuther wrote:http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/fuelhawkfuelgaugeC17226.php

Mine is so variable, based on strut extension, etc. It took me 1.5 hours to do the fuel stick calibration. It wasn't my fave thing, but my marks are different than the ones already on the dip stick tube:

- Fly tanks down below half
- level in roll and ground level in pitch with 4" strut extension
- unfasten sump, drain left side, pour back unusable volume into empty left side
- pour rest into right side
- top off right side, mark full level on purchased dipstick tube
- siphon off to the nearest 5 gallon increment from the right side, then 5 gallon increments thereafter
- if the amount siphoned off the first time from the right side was less than 5 gals, add enough extra along with the amount taken to the left side
Continue in 5 gallon increments until half or more of the volume from the right side is siphoned.
- mark right side in decremented 5 gal steps, left side in incremented 5 gal steps.

This means you only have to do a few fuel transfers since you subtract on one side from full and add to the empty.

For example, I have 78 gals, so I actually marked off the full 39 on one side, siphoned off 4 gals to add to the left plus added another gallon to the left to make the next reading at 35/5 gals, then proceeded with 30/10, 25/15, and 20/20, for a total of four transfers plus empty/full. Most folks seem dead set on filling up their tanks from zero 5 gallons at a time. Life isn't that hard.

Over half of my time was spent safety wiring and filling the 5-gallon marks I made with a hack saw in the dip stick with black nail polish.

29singlespeed wrote:I know there is a J-Air universal dipstick as well the way to make a wooden stick calibration. All that said, why is it no one has made a dip stick for all the various 182's out there? Any where in the wide world that might have documented the appropriate measurements to mark on a stick?

Seems there are plenty of 182 straight tails out there..

Really don't want to go through the empty tank adding 5 gallons at a time.

~Travis

kevbert wrote:Set your tank selector on the tank you want to drain, then take the fuel hose loose by the gascolator to drain. It will drain all usable fuel, and leave all of the unusable fuel. Much easier than trying to drain from the sumps.

Go to Walmart kitchen section and get a kitchen timer -

Littlecub wrote:

Go to Walmart kitchen section and get a kitchen timer -

Yes, a good idea, but aren't you already carrying a smart phone? They have good timer apps for them. Count up, count down- multiple timers.

And I agree with 'Do NOT trust your fuel gauges', especially since/if they are the old Cessna type that came with your airplane. Some planes (non Cessna) somewhere might be different (better), and newer ones might be actually accurate (hopefully), but I wouldn't trust what you/we have-at all. Period. For consistency either.

lc