The International Cessna 170 Association

It's been very cold up here lately and since we've had this cold weather I noticed a drip on my quickdrain on the gascolator. so i tried to get it to seat properly but in the end i had to remove it (the quickdrain) to inspect it. sure enough, bad gasket. so i borrowed another one (1550) from a local to try it out and it too leaked. anyway i have a new one on the way... will replace when it shows.
so the real problem now the gascolator only partially fills up when i turn on the fuel. why would the gascolator only partially fill, it never did this before? when i removed the old quickdrain, i had the fuel off of course.... and left it off for about a week while i sourced that borrowed one. if i hold that quickdrain open, fuel will pour out continuously but doesn't fill the gascolator up when i release the quickdrain. is there pressure inside it that won't allow it to fill?
any insight would be great!

I just replaced my quick drain last month with a new one because mine was leaking. My only thought is the one you borrowed might be bad too. When you get the new one buy some silicon thread lube to put on the threads and tighten down. My new one fixed my problem, the gascolator not filling up is a new one to me. Someone else will have to chime in with a solution for that one. Hope this helps a little.

Air in the line between gascolator and carb, will fill up when you start engine.

@Ed, so you just stroll along and read this thread and boom, you alleviate my worries!
thank you

Ed beat me to it.

Beat me too! I like teflon tape to seal threads. Just don't get it inside as particles can float around and possibly cause carburetor problems.

Yes..beat me too.
Bruce B,.. don't ever use Teflon tape anywhere in the fuel system. Even if you think no particles got in there during installation, they can enter when the part is removed. (Permatex #2 is OK tho'.)

@gh, what about #3? I've been using this one.

Sure, or any good,non-hardening thread sealant which is gasoline proof.

You bet... I think there was a bit of tape on the old QD threads when I removed it but will definitely be using some #3 whenever my new QD arrives! It has finally warmed a little so I won't freeze as fast putting it back together. I had to move the bail out of the way to remove the QD so it made me nervous being that cold tightening that back up.

gahorn wrote:Sure, or any good,non-hardening thread sealant which is gasoline proof.

To round out the list, Tite-Seal Medium is another good one you can use. But Permatex 2 and 3 are less expensive if you are buying new. On the other hand, a can of Tite-Seal will last forever. And because it's sticky, it's great for holding nuts and bolts on your wrench in hard to reach areas.

+1

installed and drip free now:) i also grabbed a few o-rings to see if i can create a spare 1550 for the next occurrence. also received a couple Drains for the tank as well.

got me thinking of replacing the glassbowl with a Steve's. when i read the cross-ref chart they show a 152 and the 180 running the larger SA3-10.http://www.stevesaircraft.com/amllist.php?make=Cessna
170b's show the SA3-00-B. is that right for the 152? just curious is all really. i am behind a 180hp and don't think mine have been changed to the larger lines(1/2")

I have a "Steves gasalator"on my 180hp 170A and it's worked great. No issues what so ever . So easy to clean and drain . "Steves" is STC for our 170range .

thanks Ghost... using the SA3-00-B?