Up until a few months ago the handles of my fuel caps (’76 Tiger) were generally aligned with the long axis of the airplane. Then the one on the pilot’s side wing became slightly angled. It was minor and I attributed it to wear. But then yesterday when I recapped the tank after a flight the alignment was much further off. About 45 degrees to the airplane’s axis. It is securely attached and engages over a similar range of arc as it used to and the other cap does, just in a different position.

You can see this in the top two images in the attached photo sheet. The cap on the right wing (the left image since these were taken looking backwards) is aligned front to back while the one on the left wing is at 45 degrees.

The lower images show the uncapped filler openings. You can see the difference in alignment of the filler assemblies. What you can’t see but will have to trust me on is that the hardware inside the openings is in similar good condition between the two wings (other than the alignment). The stops are there and not worn either narrower or rounded. Nor are they bent. The one on the left wing just seems to have rotated.

It isn’t the cap. Both caps are in good shape (other than their paint). I swapped caps between the two openings and the one from the right wing is misaligned on the left wing, and the one from the left wing is well aligned on the right wing.

What could be going on? The scupper and filler opening can’t be rotating on the wing. It is bonded in place. It would have fallen into the tank if it were loose enough to rotate. And the one on the left wing is rock solid (as you can see from the rivets on the right wing, I am familiar with a delaminating scupper/filler).

Is the filler an assembly where the piece that holds the gas cap is bonded to the scupper assembly so that the gas cap holder can rotate in the scupper portion of the assembly if the bonding fails? This is the only explanation I can see. But I see no evidence of looseness other than the now-different position. I never felt it slide. And I can’t make it slide either back or further. I can’t even wiggle it.

Help.

Barry Speronello