Next obstacle to flying - Fuel Strainer

[Fearless Tower]

Looks like my fuel strainer is in need of replacement (main body is badly corroded). Having trouble finding a suitable replacement and based on the parts manual, I'm not even sure I know what the correct part number is. The illustration does not show a number for the main body of the strainer, just all of the other accessory parts.

I circled the part in question in the diagram attached.

Any ideas?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

What you need is a new gascolator. That is what this is and since that part is the main body you probably won't find a part # for it.

Steve's Aircraft has new metal gascolators approved for the A and B model but they don't list the '48. They also have one approved for the 120/140 which is probably the same as the one in your '48. If they have a PMA to make the Cessna 120/140 part and it is the same part as the ''48 you could use it with out further approval. http://www.stevesaircraft.com/gascolator.php

There are other gascolator sources, legally using them is the question.

When you say this part is corroded what do you mean? Is it pitted so bad it leaks or is it corroded so bad it will fall apart? Or does it just look ugly? Looking ugly doesn't mean it's not airworthy.

[BeeMan]

Fearless,

I may have exactly what you need. My gascolator glass was broken recently and I wound up replacing the entire unit with a Steve's Gascolator. I have the remaining parts of my original gascolator as surplus. PM me with an address and an offer and I will send it your way.

Bill
N2575D

[Fearless Tower]

When you say this part is corroded what do you mean? Is it pitted so bad it leaks or is it corroded so bad it will fall apart?

It is pitted bad enough that it leaks.

Thanks for the link.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Your gascolator (fuel strainer) is a Koehler part number 0450013-4

Here is a thread with some more info. Pay close attention to the references to tractor parts. It could be the ticket to finding the part your need.
http://www.cessna170.org/forums/viewtop ... f=2&t=4924

Here is another thread. Pay close attention to the 4th, 5th and specially the 6th post.
http://cessna170.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... 76&start=0

[Fearless Tower]

Fearless,

I may have exactly what you need. My gascolator glass was broken recently and I wound up replacing the entire unit with a Steve's Gascolator. I have the remaining parts of my original gascolator as surplus. PM me with an address and an offer and I will send it your way.

Bill
N2575D

Bill,

Is your's for a '48? Your N-number shows as a B model which has what appears to be a very different gascolator than the '48. The '48 looks like it is the same as the 140, although some of the part numbers are different.

[Fearless Tower]

Owning a '48 is turning out to be a royal pain in the butt.

FWIW, I talked to the guys at Steve's Aircraft - the SA3-00-B is approved for the 170 A and 170 B. The SA3-00 is approved for the 140. They do not have approval for the ragwing. Now, from everything I've read on the forum and comparison of the parts manuals, I'm pretty sure that the gascolator in the '48 is the same as what is in the 140, but without approval, looks like I'll need a 337, unless I can find a proper replacement. Any other ideas?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Owning a '48 is turning out to be a royal pain in the butt.
..... Any other ideas?

I don't know about all '48s but maybe yours is a pain.

Other ideas? Yes I'd get a hold of Bill who posted above and either buy his good parts or ask him what approval he used to get the Steve's Aircraft one approved.

You didn't answer these questions. Are the 140 and the 170 parts the SAME part number. Does Steve's have a PMA to make that part. If you answer yes to these two questions you have all the approvals you need to use Steve's gascolator regardless what Steve's STCs cover.

[Fearless Tower]

Other ideas? Yes I'd get a hold of Bill who posted above and either buy his good parts or ask him what approval he used to get the Steve's Aircraft one approved.

Problem with Bill's is that unless he was talking about a different plane, I believe his is a B model - not the same gascolator.

You didn't answer these questions. Are the 140 and the 170 parts the SAME part number. Does Steve's have a PMA to make that part. If you answer yes to these two questions you have all the approvals you need to use Steve's gascolator regardless what Steve's STCs cover.

Some of the part numbers in the assembly are the same and some are not - I believe it was in one of the other gascolator threads that mentioned Cessna used Koehler part numbers on the 140, but started renumbering them to the Cessna convention with the 170. FWIW, the overall strainer assy is a different part number, but the body itself (K2201B) is indeed same. I just registered on the 140 Association and am going to look there.

As I mentioned earlier, Steve has the PMA for the 140. He has the PMA for the 170A and B. But even though the gascolator appears to be the same in the 140 and '48 170, it is not PMA'd for the '48 (that is exactly what Steve's Aircraft told me). And since it is an actual alteration of the original, it is not like I can slap it in and say that I found the right part number for my a/c.

[Fearless Tower]

I don't know about all '48s but maybe yours is a pain.

It's okay....I still love her. Problem is that I bought an airplane that I knew needed a lot of TLC (and I paid a fair price accordingly). It is turning out to be a little more of a fixer-upper than I had planned, but still not what I would call a restoration.

Fortunately, this plane isn't so much of a money pit as it is a matter of needing alot of hard to find parts.

[Fearless Tower]

You didn't answer these questions. Are the 140 and the 170 parts the SAME part number. Does Steve's have a PMA to make that part. If you answer yes to these two questions you have all the approvals you need to use Steve's gascolator regardless what Steve's STCs cover.

Re-reading your post, Bruce, I think I see what you are saying, but I'm still not sure how the part can be replaced without a model specific PMA since it is a modification to the original design.

Comparing the 140 to the 170 parts manuals, shows this:

The part number for the whole strainers are:
C-140 : K2200B-3/8 - Fuel Strainer - Koehler
C-170: 0450013-4 - Fuel Strainer - Koehler

While the main strainer part numbers are different, all of the sub-parts for both strainers are exactly identical.

Additionally, the fittings to connect the strainer to the system are not identical between the two aircraft FWIW.

[wingnut]

I think what Bruce is saying (correct me if I'm wrong Bruce), is that if the 'Steve's' gascolater assembly , that is approved for the 140, and the part of that assembly that you need is the same PN# (IPC#) for your 170, then you can use it. You're not replacing an entire gascolator assy with an STD'd unit, you're replacing a part with a PMA'd part. Is that right Bruce?

[Fearless Tower]

You're not replacing an entire gascolator assy with an STD'd unit, you're replacing a part with a PMA'd part. Is that right Bruce?

But, the Steve's unit is a whole assembly - and since it is a newer all aluminum design, I doubt that the individual parts are interchangeable. I don't think that I can take the body of the SA3-00 from Steve's and use it in place of the corroded part I have.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Lets see if I can say it different.

First the entire gascolator has a part number. We are talking about finding an entire unit that will work and be legal. For the 140 Fearless has provided that it is a K2200B-3/8 - Fuel Strainer - Koehler. Now K2200B-3/8 doesn't sound like a Cessna part number, it sounds like a Koehler number but I'll go on. If Steve's has a PMA to make a K2200B-3/8 - Koehler then it really doesn't matter that it doesn't look the same or the parts are interchangeable with the original. Steve's version of a K2200B-3/8 has received a PMA as a replacement part. They're interchangeable in the FAA eyes.

Now if you found that a K2200B-3/8 is also a 0450013-4 which is the part for a 170 then you could use Steve's version of a K2200B-3/8 because in the FAA eyes it is the same part.

So the questions remain. Does Steve's have a PMA to make a K2200B-3/8?
Is the Cessna part number K2200B-3/8 or is it another number?
If it is another number does it happen to be 0450013-4?
If K2200B-3/8 is Cessna's 140 part number, then what Koehler strainer is 0450013-4? Could it be a K2200B-3/8?

If it quacks like a Duck, flies like a duck, it just might be a Duck. Of course it in this case it might be Steve's idea what a Duck looks like and it's been blessed by the FAA to in fact be, a Duck.

[wingnut]

Bruce,
I get what you're saying now. I think I was mixing up all the info. Not unusual for me. I agree that if it can be determined the Cessna# and the Koehler# are indeed the same part, no additional approval would be needed. Oftentimes an STC holder fails to be all inclusive, and/or fails to extend their approvals to other models.