Chasing a fuel leak that took 3 days to find

Worked on a Cessna 172 down in Phoenix last month, fuel weeping from the left wing root. Checked the lines, the drain valve, even the sender gasket, nothing. Finally pulled the access panel on day 3 and found a pinhole in the fuel line right where it rubbed against a zip tie clamp. Has anyone else had a tiny rub mark turn into a full troubleshooting marathon? What's your record for the dumbest simple fix behind a long hunt?

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hugo_coleman281mo ago

Man, I bet that zip tie was the culprit the whole time, right? Not to nitpick, but a pinhole in the line usually means the clamp was too tight or the line wasn't routed with enough slack, not just the rub itself. I had a similar thing once on a Cherokee where a tie strap wore through a brake line, took me two weekends to spot it.

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