Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

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Ddunwoody
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Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Ddunwoody »

Gentleman,
I'm very new to this so forgive me if this is covered ground.
I need new fuel gauge wing tank gaskets. Cessna does not have.
In middle of an annual !
Could you help me find, buy , locate some please.
Email call or text me please.
THANK YOU!
Dru

Dunwoody@usfamily.net
612 963 8861
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Dru there are sources of these which don't come to mind. Do a search and you should come up with those.

One of the sources of course is cutting them yourself out of readily available gasket material. I've taken the time to create a template that you could download and print then use to cut your own making this simple, fast and CHEAP. If I recall the price of the gaskets and whether your doing one or two tanks, you would save the cost ($45) of membership to the TIC170A which is required before you can get these and other things from our maintenance library.

I only mention this membership thing because your forum records don't indicate you are a member. If you are email or PM me with your member number and we'll set you up here as a member and then you can get the templates and get on with your annual.
CAUTION - My forum posts may be worth what you paid for them!

Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
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GAHorn
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by GAHorn »

Hello, Dru!
As we discussed on the phone, the gaskets, as well as the gauges are made by Rochester who made the originals for Scott and who also still make similar gauges and are sold thru Aircraft Spruce 877-477-7823: ROCHESTER GAuge 05-16700 ,
ROCHESTER GASKET, Spruce PN 15-4, for less than $4.
They also handle new-style floats which are more durable in modern fuels : ROCHESTER RPLCMNT FUEL FLOAT 05-03395 ...
and since you will have your gauge out for repair it's a good time to replace that original cork with the new, plastic float, as it only costs about $3.

If you purchase the gauge itself, it will not have the exact same "wire" length/shape and will have to be reshaped for your tanks...not too difficult at all....considering the entire gauge cost is only about $70.

Hope this helps.

Image
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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n2582d
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by n2582d »

Spruce p/n 15-4 is made from Buna-N rubber. A gasket made from Viton will last longer. One can make the gasket from a sheet of Viton using Bruce's template. Rochester has Bulletin 155-793 on replacing gaskets.
Last edited by n2582d on Fri Sep 08, 2023 5:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Gary
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Abe
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Abe »

Well, it's annual time and I'm taking care of a few problems that have come up since the last one. I've done a bit of research on fuel gauge gaskets here on the forum and it sounds like the gasket to get for a replacement is the Viton type and use Bruce's pattern. But what's interesting is that my old cork gaskets began to leak in the same time period that I began running non-ethanol 92 oct. fuel 50/50 with avgas. Could it be that this mogas was the culprit in causing both my fuel gauges to begin to leak as they both started leaking at nearly the same time? I'm wondering if any of you folks have had this same problem. I sure like the price of the mogas vs the avgas.
Bill
'52 170B
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blueldr
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by blueldr »

Abe,
You'll ruin that mogas by adding avgas to it.
BL
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Abe
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Abe »

I've thought of that too, and it would cause the cost of operation to go down even further! And it seems to run better on the mogas. What's interesting is that at the same I started running mogas, I put a set of 29" Bushwheels and if I lost any airspeed, it was not noticable! You got it, the mogas price difference is helping pay for the new tires.
Bill
'52 170B
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blueldr
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by blueldr »

Abe,
I was just spoofing, but as you may or may not know, I am the resident pariah mogas advocate on this club forum. I have been told countless times over the last sixty five years about how I'm going to die a thousand gruesome deaths trying to fly an airplane on mogas. Fotunately, for me, at age ninety I have finally outlived the majority of the naysayers though there are a few left.
Please be advised that the exclusive use of mogas will exempt you forever from cleaning lead bromide clogged spark plugs, and the super hi-tec Continental O-300 simlpy loves and thrives on it. ----- enen when it contains 5% ethanol as it does here in California.
BL
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GAHorn
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by GAHorn »

Abe wrote:... But what's interesting is that my old cork gaskets began to leak in the same time period that I began running non-ethanol 92 oct. fuel 50/50 with avgas. Could it be that this mogas was the culprit in causing both my fuel gauges to begin to leak as they both started leaking at nearly the same time? I'm wondering if any of you folks have had this same problem. I sure like the price of the mogas vs the avgas.
What do you hope to accomplish by mixing mogas with avgas?? Do you prefer your mogas ruined by the addition of the lead in avgas?? Or is it that you like to ruin avgas, gascolators, gaskets and carburetors by adding mogas with ethanol?? :?

Think you are saving a bunch running mogas? Have you priced carb overhauls lately? And did you notice the prohibition on the front page of your aircraft's type certificate data sheet against alcohol-fuels?
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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Abe
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Abe »

What do you hope to accomplish by mixing mogas with avgas?? Do you prefer your mogas ruined by the addition of the lead in avgas?? Or is it that you like to ruin avgas, gascolators, gaskets and carburetors by adding mogas with ethanol?? :?
Saving a few $$. But I hear you say (and others) that I should run straight mogas to get the full benefit and not go half way. I will say that the plugs looked great when we pulled them during this annual as blueldr eluded to.

George, I "think" I understand the consequences of mogas with ethanol, but the gas I'm referring to is non-ethanol and we have a STC to run car gas in 04D. Sounds like I just should run straight auto fuel in her (non-ethanol of course). Or are you eluding to running only 100ll? But my original question was if anyone here has had a problem with the proper mogas doing damage to the cork (or any other type) gaskets in their fuel systems.
Bill
'52 170B
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blueldr
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by blueldr »

George is absolutely right, Abe. If there's any ethanol in that mogas it will absolutely raise hell with gascolators, gaskets, and carburetors. I was just lucky over all the years because my airplanes had all those parts specially protected from the filthy stuff.
I only had experience with three different C-170s so I don't have the experience of the vast majority of the naysayers.
BL
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Abe I don't think your leaks have anything to do with running legal MOGAS. I did when I could get it and would again if it becomes available.

I would be surprised to find ethanol caused the gaskets to leak but I experienced other issues with it in my airplane, my lawn mower, my snow blower, my chainsaw, my motorcycle and anything else it sat in for any period more than a few weeks.
CAUTION - My forum posts may be worth what you paid for them!

Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
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Abe
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Abe »

Thanks gentlemen, I respect all your comments and really appreciate this forum.
Bill
'52 170B
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GAHorn
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by GAHorn »

Abe,...I was speaking only of the ills of using ethanol-laced fuel. "Legal" mogas has merit in many cases and I'm not as hard-headed about it as some of our friends seem to think...as long as you can confirm it is FRESH and meets all the other requirements of your STC. Unfortunately...most mogas users don't bother to actually TEST their mo-fuels and don't have a clue what ASTM or other standard it should/would/could meet.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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Seafeye
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Re: Fuel gauge gaskets 1954

Post by Seafeye »

Only dumb questions are the ones not asked...

Here is mine. How low does the fuel in the tanks have to be to remove the gauge? So I don't create a volatile mess.
1950 Cessna 170A
N5793C
Serial 19837
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