Cessna 172 fuel selector

[Ross]

I am in the throws of my annual on the aircraft. This year I have
several things needing fixing and one is the leaky fuel selector. Well,
let me tell you that is no easy job. I had to take a lot of the plane
apart to get to it. What was Cessna thinking when they designed the
placement of the fuel selector. I finally got it out and the A&P is
going to replace all the o-rings, etc. I guess it will be fun again for
the re-installation process. Anyone else go through this? You have to
have small hands and stubby wrenches.
--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Robert M. Gary]

On Jan 28, 9:37*am, Ross > wrote:
> I am in the throws of my annual on the aircraft. This year I have
> several things needing fixing and one is the leaky fuel selector. Well,
> let me tell you that is no easy job. I had to take a lot of the plane
> apart to get to it. What was Cessna thinking when they designed the
> placement of the fuel selector. I finally got it out and the A&P is
> going to replace all the o-rings, etc. I guess it will be fun again for
> the re-installation process. Anyone else go through this? You have to
> have small hands and stubby wrenches.

Hehehe, in my Mooney removing the fuel selector was probably the only
"easy" thing I've ever done on the plane!! I often envy the 172 owners
at annual. It takes me about 2 hours to decowl my Mooney, then another
4 to remove the inspection plates.

-Robert

[nrp]

My trick in close quarters is to consider wrenches expendable and use
a band saw to cut them down. Virtually all wrench handles are too
long. I don't know why the tool manufacturers don't wise up.........

[[email protected]]

On Jan 28, 6:10 pm, nrp > wrote:
> My trick in close quarters is to consider wrenches expendable and use
> a band saw to cut them down. Virtually all wrench handles are too
> long. I don't know why the tool manufacturers don't wise up.........

Buy a couple of sets of cheap wrenches from Harbor Freight
(US) or Princess Auto (Canada). Chop and heat and bend to suit special
applications like that fuel selector.
The 172's selector ain't really all that bad to get in and
out. Some are worse. The worst thing about it is the need to
completely defuel the tanks to do it. Some airplanes, before
manufacturers got cheap, had shutoff cocks at the tank outlets,
safety-wired open, and closeable for such maintenance as fuel valve
repairs.

Dan

[Ross]

wrote:
> On Jan 28, 6:10 pm, nrp > wrote:
>
>>My trick in close quarters is to consider wrenches expendable and use
>>a band saw to cut them down. Virtually all wrench handles are too
>>long. I don't know why the tool manufacturers don't wise up.........
>
>
> Buy a couple of sets of cheap wrenches from Harbor Freight
> (US) or Princess Auto (Canada). Chop and heat and bend to suit special
> applications like that fuel selector.
> The 172's selector ain't really all that bad to get in and
> out. Some are worse. The worst thing about it is the need to
> completely defuel the tanks to do it. Some airplanes, before
> manufacturers got cheap, had shutoff cocks at the tank outlets,
> safety-wired open, and closeable for such maintenance as fuel valve
> repairs.
>
> Dan

Yep, I had burned about half the fuel out of them but still a messy
process. I got some 100LL down my sleeve and got a rash from it. We
pulled the drains and let it go into a funnel and gas can. Drained fine
until it started to run out then fluid dynamics took over and there was
not a clean smooth flow.

It was rather difficult given the two small inspection plates you had to
work though. Then the fact that we had to take the handle position side
off the pedestal to get the whole thing out. After this it should be
good for another 40 years.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Robert M. Gary]

On Jan 29, 2:09*pm, Ross > wrote:
> wrote:
> > On Jan 28, 6:10 pm, nrp > wrote:
>
> >>My trick in close quarters is to consider wrenches expendable and use
> >>a band saw to cut them down. *Virtually all wrench handles are too
> >>long. *I don't know why the tool manufacturers don't wise up.........
>
> > * * * * * Buy a couple of sets of cheap wrenches from Harbor Freight
> > (US) or Princess Auto (Canada). Chop and heat and bend to suit special
> > applications like that fuel selector.
> > * * * * The 172's selector ain't really all that bad to get in and
> > out. Some are worse. The worst thing about it is the need to
> > completely defuel the tanks to do it. Some airplanes, before
> > manufacturers got cheap, had shutoff cocks at the tank outlets,
> > safety-wired open, and closeable for such maintenance as fuel valve
> > repairs.
>
> > * * * * * *Dan
>
> Yep, I had burned about half the fuel out of them but still a messy
> process. I got some 100LL down my sleeve and got a rash from it. We
> pulled the drains and let it go into a funnel and gas can. Drained fine
> until it started to run out then fluid dynamics took over and there was
> not a clean smooth flow.
>
> It was rather difficult given the two small inspection plates you had to
> work though. Then the fact that we had to take the handle position side
> off the pedestal to get the whole thing out. After this it should be
> good for another 40 years.

In the Mooney community there were a few reports of selectors
sticking. That's why I decided to remove mine at annual. $300 later I
got the selector back fully overhauled. Probably the cheapest yellow
tag I ever bought.

-Robert

[[email protected]]

On Jan 29, 3:09 pm, Ross > wrote:

> It was rather difficult given the two small inspection plates you had to
> work though. Then the fact that we had to take the handle position side
> off the pedestal to get the whole thing out. After this it should be
> good for another 40 years.

Actually, Cessna's 200-hour inspection requirements call for
removal of all those inspection plates in the floor, among many other
things, so that cables and pulleys and fuel and brake lines and the
structure and that valve can be inspected. Every time we buy another
used 172 we find that none of this stuff has been looked at, sometimes
in 30 years. The amount of gunk in the belly, wear and damage that's
obviously been there a long time, and corroded fasteners all tell the
story. We've found fuel strainers that appear to have never been
apart. That's a 100-hour thing. We find cracked rudder hinge brackets,
a common 172 fault, and cracked stabilizer forward spars, another
common problem caused by people pushing the tail down to turn the
airplane. The bottom end of the aft doorposts will crack, too,
especially if operated off rougher strips, and you can't find that
without taking the interior out. We find the bulkhead at the aft end
of the baggage compartment cracked. We find the aluminum fuel tubing
chafed halfway through above the doors and in the aft doorpost, caused
by rubbing on the structure. If that starts leaking in flight you
can't stop it. On those same tubes as well as the vent crossover line
there are short pieces of rubber hose that need replacing every ten
years or sooner. We find those rotten and ready to split. We very
often find cracked exhaust components, something there's no excuse for
whatever, since the cowling's off anyway to change the oil.
We've found crossed trim and elevator cables in Citabrias that
were installed like that, one at the factory, one after a major
rebuild, and all frayed because they were rubbing on each other.
That's a 100-hour requirement, looking at that stuff, and in neither
airplane were they caught before we bought them.
Good maintenance costs money. But it pays off in the end by
avoiding having to replace badly-worn or damaged stuff that could have
been caught and quickly remedied years earlier. It's like cancer:
catch it soon enough and you might live a long life.

Dan

[Ross]

wrote:
> On Jan 29, 3:09 pm, Ross > wrote:
>
>
>>It was rather difficult given the two small inspection plates you had to
>>work though. Then the fact that we had to take the handle position side
>>off the pedestal to get the whole thing out. After this it should be
>>good for another 40 years.


> snip


> Good maintenance costs money. But it pays off in the end by
> avoiding having to replace badly-worn or damaged stuff that could have
> been caught and quickly remedied years earlier. It's like cancer:
> catch it soon enough and you might live a long life.
>
> Dan

My A&P/IA requires all the floor plates at each annual. When I first
took it to him the plane was almost gutted for inpection. I cleaned up
all those things you talked about. It was a eye opener. He is very thorough.
--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[B A R R Y[_2_]]

Ross wrote:
>
>
> My A&P/IA requires all the floor plates at each annual.

So does mine. I thought everyone did.

[Tom Cummings]

Yes, I went through that. The fuel selector would not shut off the fuel. A
new selector was price around $1000 ! I could not believe it. The
replacement parts were very expensive but a lot cheaper than getting a new
selector. I remember the tiny "retainers" were $60 each. The valve was over
30 years old. Things will wear out. Maybe now it is good for another 30 !
Tom Cummings
1973 Cessna 172M
"Ross" > wrote in message
...
>I am in the throws of my annual on the aircraft. This year I have several
>things needing fixing and one is the leaky fuel selector. Well, let me tell
>you that is no easy job. I had to take a lot of the plane apart to get to
>it. What was Cessna thinking when they designed the placement of the fuel
>selector. I finally got it out and the A&P is going to replace all the
>o-rings, etc. I guess it will be fun again for the re-installation process.
>Anyone else go through this? You have to have small hands and stubby
>wrenches.
> --
>
> Regards, Ross
> C-172F 180HP
> KSWI

[Ross]

Tom Cummings wrote:
> Yes, I went through that. The fuel selector would not shut off the fuel. A
> new selector was price around $1000 ! I could not believe it. The
> replacement parts were very expensive but a lot cheaper than getting a new
> selector. I remember the tiny "retainers" were $60 each. The valve was over
> 30 years old. Things will wear out. Maybe now it is good for another 30 !
> Tom Cummings
> 1973 Cessna 172M
> "Ross" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I am in the throws of my annual on the aircraft. This year I have several
>>things needing fixing and one is the leaky fuel selector. Well, let me tell
>>you that is no easy job. I had to take a lot of the plane apart to get to
>>it. What was Cessna thinking when they designed the placement of the fuel
>>selector. I finally got it out and the A&P is going to replace all the
>>o-rings, etc. I guess it will be fun again for the re-installation process.
>>Anyone else go through this? You have to have small hands and stubby
>>wrenches.
>>--
>>
>>Regards, Ross
>>C-172F 180HP
>>KSWI
>
>
>

Just finished annual and the overhauled fuel selector works fine. We
bought the overhaul kit from McFarland. discovered them in the Cessan
Pilots Association magazine. I guess I need to find what this costs? It
was just several o rings and a cork gasket.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[daveInDenver]

I got a chuckle out of the mention of having small hands and arms to
replace the Cessna 172 fuel slector. I replaced one on my C170 and I
have neither small hands or arms, so I DID have scarred ones when I was
complete. My current C172 has an inspection plate on the belly just in
front of the fuel inspection plate. It also had an upgrade to the fuel
selector that added a fuel drain at the bottom. I am in the process of
replacing the o-ring in that drain. By the way, your probably done,
but if not, considering removing all your drains while you have your
tank empty and at the very least replace the o-rings in those. Also, I
found it a great time to add 5 gal at a time to the tanks and mark a
stick to get a good calibration of the tanks instead of just eyeballing
the tanks. when you don't want to go with full tanks.
Have fun!!!


--
daveInDenver
Message Origin: TRAVEL.com

[Ross]

daveInDenver wrote:
> I got a chuckle out of the mention of having small hands and arms to
> replace the Cessna 172 fuel slector. I replaced one on my C170 and I
> have neither small hands or arms, so I DID have scarred ones when I was
> complete. My current C172 has an inspection plate on the belly just in
> front of the fuel inspection plate. It also had an upgrade to the fuel
> selector that added a fuel drain at the bottom. I am in the process of
> replacing the o-ring in that drain. By the way, your probably done,
> but if not, considering removing all your drains while you have your
> tank empty and at the very least replace the o-rings in those. Also, I
> found it a great time to add 5 gal at a time to the tanks and mark a
> stick to get a good calibration of the tanks instead of just eyeballing
> the tanks. when you don't want to go with full tanks.
> Have fun!!!
>
>

At my last annual we overhauled the my 172 fuel selector. It is no easy
task, but doable. What was Cessna thinking? At the same time we replace
both wing drains. The year before that we serviced the gasolator. That
one is pretty easy. McFarlan had the o ring kit for the fuel selector.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI