Leaky gascolator valve

I have a leaky drain sump on my gascolator. It's sort of glued in with a type of dark brownish stuff that is just a bit tacky, I can dent it with a thumbnail.

What sort of sealant should I use on the replacement valve, and does anybody have any suggestions for getting the old valve out? The old valve is in there pretty tight and I'm worried about using to much force on it, I don't want to deform the bottom of the gascolator.

It sounds like somebody put permatex on the threads, sometimes a little heat will soften and loosen stuff up, not enough to melt the aluminum bowl but hotter than you can stand to touch. On the new drain I would use Fuel Lube if you have some or know someone at the airport with it. Tapered pipe threads don't really need a sealant, it's there mostly as a lube so dissimilar metals don't gall after being assembled over the years.

Remember when we could buy "O" rings for those drains for a quarter, some clown screwed that up and now they won't sell the orings for any of the fuel or oil drains and we all get to buy new stuff for fifteen bucks a pop.

good luck
db

I agree on using Fuel Lube (Tight Seal). I use a flare tubing wrench which usually requires breaking the ears off or a socket to get stuck ones out. It helps if you can mount the bottom in some soft jaws in a vice. Soak in Aerokroil and heat on the really stuck ones.

Ok, thanks guys.

I am not real big on replacing stuff just because I can - I don't change landing gear bolts and batteries on a biennial schedule - but rumor is that the place where that O ring goes can get corroded, and then the little button on top sort of falls off. Then, as I understand it, the body of the thing shoots out the bottom, followed immediately by all the gasoline in that tank. Not a big deal, if the other tank has sufficient gas, but that's not the way it works.

So the Curtis quick drain is one thing that I replace after a couple decades or so . . .

howdy,
hate to not agree with the other post,but the stock piper gacolator is one items i replace on every cub i've owned or have rebuilt.
see steve's aircraft on this web site,shell out $ 200.00 green ones and a new curtis valve,and you won't have to worry about the bail being knocked off if you ever crunch your cub,and possibly being involved in a fire situation.

jr.

p.s. nope i never had any ties to steve's just belive in his product!

What jr. said.

Steve's has saved >one shop hour every inspection on the PA-25. Wouldn't be as bad on the -18, but still worth the money.

Thanks. cubscout

If you have flush drains for the wings, I recommend getting the flush drain for Steve's gascolator too. Only thing I didn't like about steve's gascolator was the way the curtis drain valve sticks down so far.