Found a better way to pull old fuel lines without wrecking the fittings

Last month I was swapping a fuel line on a Cessna 172 and kept rounding off the flare nuts. Tried the standard line wrench, then vice grips out of frustration, nothing. Ended up using a heat gun on the fitting for about 90 seconds, not the hose, and it came loose clean. The soft aluminum just needed enough warmth to break the corrosion bond. Has anyone else tried heating fittings like that, or do you have a different trick for stubborn lines?

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angelab6216d ago

Did you have any trouble with the heat affecting nearby stuff, like rubber hoses or wire bundles? I used to be dead set against heat on anything near fuel, figured it was asking for trouble. But last spring I fought a rusted brake line fitting on an old tractor for two hours, finally gave up and hit it with a torch for a minute. Came right off, no damage to anything else. Now I keep a small heat gun in the toolbox right next to my line wrenches. Still respect the fire risk, but it beats cussing and stripping nuts all day.