Had a Cessna 172 with a fuel gauge that kept reading empty

The float in the right tank was stuck, and the manual said to drop the whole tank. I was in a rush at a small field in Boise, so I tried something dumb. I got a long piece of fuel line, taped it to a coat hanger, and gently poked the float from the filler neck. It popped free and the gauge jumped to half full. Has anyone else fixed a stuck float without pulling the tank? I feel like I got lucky.

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3 Comments

jake_hall885mo ago

That's actually a pretty common field fix.

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cooper.viola4mo ago

@jake_hall88 you're right that band-aids get normalized until they leave someone stranded.

9

tara_palmer5mo ago

Seen that fix fail three times on the old 5.9 Powerstrokes. It might get you home, but calling it common makes it sound like a real solution. It's a band-aid that often hides a bigger problem with the fuel system. People end up stranded later because they thought it was fixed for good.

4