I had to pick between a 10mm socket and a 1/4 inch wrench for a job on a Cessna 172

I was working on an oil filter housing on a 172 last Tuesday and couldn't find either tool in my box after 5 minutes of digging. The 10mm was my first pick because it's standard on those engines, but the 1/4 inch was all I had left sitting on the bench. I went with the socket because it had a better grip on the nut, and it worked fine until I realized the housing was cross-threaded from the last guy. Has anyone else dealt with chasing threads on those old Lycoming engines?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_jones4d ago

Makes you wonder why Lycoming didn't just stick with SAE threads on those fittings to begin with.

lindaowens4d ago

Yeah, cross-threaded oil housings are the worst... I had one on a 172 last year that was so bad we had to helicoil it. Took forever to get the shavings out of the oil galleys too. Nothing like finding a surprise mess from the previous guy...