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Took me 11 hours to chase down a fuel leak on a 172 because of one dumb o-ring
So I had a Cessna 172 in the shop a few weeks back for what looked like a simple fuel stain under the left wing. I figured it was a loose B-nut, maybe 30 minutes tops. Nope. I pulled the inspection panel, cleaned everything up, ran the boost pump, and nothing showed. Did that same dance three times over two days. Finally I pressurized the tank with a little shop air and watched with a flashlight, and there it was, a tiny weep coming off the sender gasket. Not the fitting at all. Ordered a $4 o-ring, waited on it, swapped it in 15 minutes, and the leak was gone. Eleven hours of my life for a part that costs less than a fast food lunch. Has anybody else been fooled by a sender gasket that only leaks under pressure?
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anthony42420d ago
Did you try the soapy water trick on the sender flange itself? I fought a 182 last winter with the same ghost leak and what finally got me was wrapping the whole sender base in paper towels then taping a sandwich bag over it. Let it sit overnight with fuel in the tank and a full load on the wing. Next morning the bag was foggy and the towel had one wet spot right at the gasket, nowhere near the fitting I'd been staring at for two days. After that I started hitting every suspect joint with kid's bubble solution before I even pull a panel. Bubbles show a weep under pressure way faster than my eyes ever will.
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