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firewall rivet sealing

E

EastCoastFlyer

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I'm at the step that I'm supposed to seal all the rivet heads on the firewall with tank sealant. Does anybody have a suggestion on how to to this so it looks neat and clean? That stuff sticks to everything you don't want it to stick to....
 
I bought a 3/8" hole punch from amazon. I punched a hole in a piece of tape and put it around the rivet heads. I stripped the tape right after applying the proseal. looks pretty good.
 
I have to admit that I've never really understood why sealing the rivets is a big deal when you have that big cabin heat door in the firewall. It's kind of like "spitting on a fire". I'm not saying don't do it, but I get enough leakage through the cabin heat door that I'm not too worried about the rivet heads.
 
f1rocket said:
I have to admit that I've never really understood why sealing the rivets is a big deal when you have that big cabin heat door in the firewall. It's kind of like "spitting on a fire". I'm not saying don't do it, but I get enough leakage through the cabin heat door that I'm not too worried about the rivet heads.
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The type of blind rivets used are not a liquid seal.
Sealing the rivets helps reduce the level of mess should there ever be a coolant or oil leak.
 
Fuel tank sealant is flammable and gives off noxious smoke when burning. There should be something better to use to seal a firewall.
 
masking holes with electrical tape

That's what I did.
It took quite some time, but I like the result, after I have discovered how messy tank sealant can be.
Basically it sticks to anywhere but where it actually should :D

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I did what Chris did. Just remember to remove the tape before the sealant firms up. Ask me how I know.:mad:

Fortunately I realized this pretty quickly.
 
Mich48041 said:
Fuel tank sealant is flammable and gives off noxious smoke when burning. There should be something better to use to seal a firewall.
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Do a search on posts here by DanH for a really good education on firewall sealing. In his flame test posts he makes specific recommendations for firewall sealants which have passed his torture test.
 
I used the little punch hole donuts that are for fixing papers in binders. Very happy with the results. The hole fits the rivet perfectly and they really don't stick that well. You should already have some for your kit build book:)

My conclusion for the sealing is that oil will eventually blow through the firewall as it makes it's way around the engine compartment through general use. Not sure how much the Rotax will blow out but the Lycoming does enough to warrant a solvent cleaning firewall forward every couple years.
 
I asked Van's about the importance of sealing them and they replied that it was, in fact, important and that it was to keep out any possibility of gases getting to the cabin.
 
waterboy2110 said:
I used the little punch hole donuts that are for fixing papers in binders. Very happy with the results. The hole fits the rivet perfectly and they really don't stick that well. You should already have some for your kit build book:)

My conclusion for the sealing is that oil will eventually blow through the firewall as it makes it's way around the engine compartment through general use. Not sure how much the Rotax will blow out but the Lycoming does enough to warrant a solvent cleaning firewall forward every couple years.
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That's one of the most significant differences between a lycoming and a rotax. My engine does not drip a single ounce of any kind of fluid. My firewall is as clean now (245 hrs) as it was new.
 
Another solution

I tried the paper a**hole method and decided that I didn't need a perfect solution - so I took a 6" piece of 3/8"doweling, used a drill bit (cautiously) and drilled out the faces of both ends about 3/16" deep. This leaves a concave depression in the faces of the dowel.

You place the 'right amount' of your chosen fire resistant sealant into the concave end of the dowel. Then, gently place the dowel over the rivet - give it a little spin as you remove the dowel. This gives you a fairly fast and easy way to hopefully force some sealant into the rivet and cover the head completely.

Hope that this helps - it worked great for me - but I am not a perfectionist - just want a seal as Van's described - and this looks fairly good.
 
f1rocket said:
That's one of the most significant differences between a lycoming and a rotax. My engine does not drip a single ounce of any kind of fluid. My firewall is as clean now (245 hrs) as it was new.
Click to expand...

This is of course true with a properly functioning 912, but some times things happen.
Sometimes pilots even spill oil while adding.
 
Firewall diagonal brace and pressings

Does anyone know when the diagonal brace and pressings on the firewall were introduced and why they were added?

Noise, Structural, oil canning or ??
 
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