Safety wire fuel filter bail?

birdus

birdus

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Jay Williams
How many of you safety wire the top ends of the fuel filter bail? Mine had one on it before, but then another A&P who was helping me with a fuel leak ridiculed that, saying all you need to do is bend the bail ends in before reinstalling it.

EDIT: I went ahead and ran over to the airport and did it. I'm not an experienced safety wirer, but I think this is okay. I redid the one on the nut at the bottom while I was at it, as I wasn't happy with it before. There was only like one twist on the end. By the way, don't shove a safety wire directly up your thumb under the cuticle. It hurts like an SOB!!!!!!!!! Also, it bleeds all over the place.
 
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Type aircraft?

Are you referring to the Gascolator ( Fuel Strainer ) with the bail and a

Star Wheel?

If so; on some aircraft ( Maule?) there is an AD to safety the top

of the Bail. IMHO it’s a good idea and I use it on similar types.

fyi. Tell him you heard of folks that use a belt and suspenders!
 
Magman said:
Type aircraft?

Are you referring to the Gascolator ( Fuel Strainer ) with the bail and a

Star Wheel?

If so; on some aircraft ( Maule?) there is an AD to safety the top

of the Bail. IMHO it’s a good idea and I use it on similar types.

fyi. Tell him you heard of folks that use a belt and suspenders!
Click to expand...
It's a Luscombe.
 
Photo?
Haven’t heard of ‘fuel filter bail’
 
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If it threads together and doesn’t have a prescrobed torque value? I’d safety wire it. My strainer has a tad for a cotter pin to prevent movement.

Do you safety oil filters? Why?
 
Have to see it to comment clearly. Some of those "bails" that hold items on are designed to lock "over-center." But I'm with the belt & suspenders crowd, if it makes you feel safer to safety wire it ...
 
birdus said:
How many of you safety wire the top ends of the fuel filter bail? Mine had one on it before, but then another A&P who was helping me with a fuel leak ridiculed that, saying all you need to do is bend the bail ends in before reinstalling it.

EDIT: I went ahead and ran over to the airport and did it. I'm not an experienced safety wirer, but I think this is okay. I redid the one on the nut at the bottom while I was at it, as I wasn't happy with it before. There was only like one twist on the end. By the way, don't shove a safety wire directly up your thumb under the cuticle. It hurts like an SOB!!!!!!!!! Also, it bleeds all over the place.
Click to expand...
Replace it with a Steve's Aircraft gascolator and forget about needing to safety wire it. https://www.stevesaircraft.com/amllist.php?aml=aml
 
Those old strainers were from tractors and vehicles of the day. Tractors and cars don't crash if a bail end pops out and the bowl falls off. I used to have one on the Jodel and I wired it.

Steve's gascolators are far better.
 
Further: Those old strainers have an upper body made mostly of zinc. It's soft and it gradually distorts as the bail nut tightens the bowl against the gasket. The body curves upward on either side of the bail and now the straight bowl doesn't want to seal against the curved body even with a new gasket, so the nut gets tightened even further to get the seal but that adds even more distortion. If you try to straighten it, it usually cracks.
 
Agree with Dan. You can put bowl in place sans gasket and may feel

the rocking. As said; it does not get better.

The owner may want to consider what would happen if the unit decides to

suddenly start leaking 10 months after Annual at the place of it‘s choosing.

Can you get a Tech there and replace another new gasket for the price

of Steve unit? I’m dealing with one right now.
 
These old ones still work and you do need to maintain them. Yes to the bail wire safety wire. I used a simple wrap less complicated, it’s just enough to keep the bail from spreading.
 
Piper has a service letter, SL1141, that addresses the need for safety wire on the gascolator bail.
 

Attachments

  • pip-sl1141.pdf
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Steve’s strainer uses a cotter pin to keep the bowl from moving.
 
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