Alright you 170 guys the newbie needs help. I got some water in my gascolator and it froze over night causing 40 gallons of 100ll to make its way back to mother nature. Does any body know of a direct replacement for the bowl? Glass or aluminium would be fine , I'm just hoping not to have to replace the whole gascolator. Thanks guys any suggestions would be great

Holy crap! I'm just glad you didn't end up with a big crater where your airplane/hangar used to be!

I'm gonna add that to my list of reasons why I turn the fuel selector OFF after shutdown. That, and a stuck float in the carburetor will end up with the same "dust to dust" scenario for the liquid dinosaurs. Just glad the "ashes" part didn't come true!

I don't think there is any other solution for that problem, other than turning the fuel selector off. I have a metal gascolator on mine (Franklin 220 STC), but I don't think it would be any less susceptible.

Matt

PS. What actually caused the leak? Frozen sump valve expansion letting fuel flow by? So much water in the gascolater that it froze and cracked the glass? Never heard of either one happening before, actually...

Apparently the airplane wasn't flown much last year and was able to build up quite a bit of condensation in the tanks. I've been draining them like crazy since I got it. Just filled em up to help keep the condensation down in this mild weather we've been having in Md. And we got cold snap the other night. It wasn't until the guys at the local airport tried to turn the fuel selector to off that I found out it doesn't stop the flow just impedes it a bit. The icicles under the cowling were a dead giveaway of the problem. The glass bowl just split like a seen from day after tomorrow. Gonna totally drain it down tommorrow tank sumps and all then overhaul the selector valve. By the way we had a hanger catch on fire a few years back when a stuck carb float flooded it then the mechanic dropped his wrench making a small spark. Whoops!

I guess the fuel selector needs an overhaul too... It should completely STOP the flow of fuel. If you ever have an engine fire in flight, you need to be able to remove the source right away. Being several thousand feet up, on fire, and no way to put it out definitely sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before! I'll bet all the rubber fuel line sections between the tanks and the carb could use replacement as well.

Glad it was just the cost of the gas escaping the airplane and nothing more!

M

Check out Steve's aircraft at Beagle north of Medford. MFR
www.stevesaircraft.com

He makes awesome aftermarket gascolators.

Yeah punkin, It's hard to complain when I was able to catch a condensation problem, fuel selector valve problem and possibly never have to mow my tie down spot again. All for a $100 diagnostic charge( at least until the EPA finds out)

Your probably right Jr. and the silence defiately wouldn't have been golden. The last owner didn't keep it full I noticed that three weeks ago when I first saw it in his hanger (only had half tanks) Should have paid more attention to that. The guys on the 170 site said they 've flown them w/ 2/3 of gascolator filled with water and didn't notice until they landed! So I guess its possible I got it here with all that water in it. It was only a 30 minute flight and Ive only gotten to put 4 hours on it since , and I sump it every time.