The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Don't you just hate when you think you understand a situation but really don't. Then you give advice based on what you believe to be true.



All this time I believed Keystone did Air Parts gauge work. Just amazing that you would have two companies that do quality gauge work at one small airport in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. BTW nowhere (Lock Haven) is a GREAT place. My apologies to Air Parts.

This would explain why in the past people have said they went to the repair place in Lock Haven and they won't fix their gauge or the price was different than I'd been told. Then later when quarried Keystone Instruments would say, sure we can fix that or perhaps visa versa it was Air Parts that would do the repair and not Keystone.

Well I still stand behind my experience with Keystone Instruments which repairs and restores gauges and instruments of all kinds.

Good news for us we know have two shops to call regarding these repairs.

I sent the following message to Keystone:

"I talked to someone from your company on the phone a couple of years ago about repairing oil temp and oil pressure gauges from Cessna 170's - Cessna part #'s 0411016-2 and 0411017-3. They are round gauges used in early 50's 170's. If I recall correctly they were made by Rochester and when we talked I was told the gauges were not repairable. I am doing some research for the 170 Association and wanted to get the straight scoop from you as to the repair-ability of those gauges. I am also wondering about the possibility of putting a face from an original gauge on a new gauge. Thank you for your help and I will pass on any information to the 170 Association.
John"

And I received this response from Ken Stover at Keystone (quoted in it's entirety):

"we can still make theses gauges"


Well..... Airparts of Lock Haven wins hands down on eloquence

John

I don't know Ken other than from my visits but this sounds just like him. As I said they are a second generation family run business in the middle of the Appalachian mountians of Pa where life is just a little simpler than most places these days. They do instruments (gauges) that's what they do

What I would interpolate from his response and my visits and conversations with him is that if you have a gauge that doesn't work and you want one that looks just like it that does, he can do that.

It might be a new one with your face, it might be a new one with a face like the original he's duplicated or it might be your gauge repaired. You probably won't know the difference.

Like many things it's hard to say what the best course of action would be with out seeing the actual gauge in question.

Plane Captain wrote:My gauge seems to be a little "sticky", since it never returns to the peg when there is no oil pressure. Pressure is normal on the gauge after start-up & at opperating temp. If I need to replace this Cessna gauge, can anyone tell me where I can find a new one? I've looked at a few of the obvious places like Aircraft Spruce, etc.

Mr. McKinney (of Air Parts of Lock Haven) apparently visited our website, and read these posts, as today I rec'd an unsolicited email from him.

He offers the following advice regarding "sticky" gauges:

"...remove the line from back of the gauge and at the engine. Blow the line out (from the instrument panel to the engine if not you will have oil all over the inside of your a/c) using shop air no more than 100 psi. Then run MEK or Natpha down the line to remove any left over oil. At this point you can put the line back on the gauge and at the engine. Make shore (sic) the line is tight. This Gauge was made to work off a column of air. With the oil in the line the bellows in side the gauge can't push the oil back down the line. Oil in the line will also show low press til the engine heats the oil up (in) the line and thins it out... then it seems to work right for the rest of that flight till the next flight then it starts all over. In the winter months you will see more of this sticking. "

Mr. McKinney...if you read this...Thank you for your input. Feel free to sign-up with a username and join the discussions here at our website! Your comments and advice are welcome! - George Horn

it will float george!!
iowa