Last week while changing the oil (owner maintenance) we took the upper tail
cone off to examine ours more carefully, since I had noticed some
significant looseness during preflight a few weeks ago. It had not been
changed at annual a couple of months ago, but now has major play. Once we
had the tailcone open, we could see that the jackscrew moves at least an
eighth of an inch fore and aft, changing its angle relative to the tail by
several degrees. On addition, you can move the screw laterally inside the
drum almost half of the thread depth. When we saw that it was not just a
bit of axial play, we decided to change it ASAP. We were a bit cross that
it wasn't caught at annual, but the A&P said that if they had seen that much
play, they would have replaced it. He speculated that it might have been in
a "tight" point in its travel when they checked it. I'm not convinced, but
it's not worth arguing about. We might try and get some relief on the labor
to put it in. I understand that the replacement comes as a kit with drum,
screw, and new cables. If they had done it at the annual, the floor would
already have been up. We haven't had a price yet, but I don't expect it to
be cheap.
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America
"Jay Masino" wrote in message
...
Mike Noel wrote:
I would like to survey the experiece of the group before ordering the
jack
screw. Is the screw more likely to wear than the cable drum, or do they
both tend to add equally to a loose fit?
I just did mine at the last annual. Mine had been wiggling for a while,
and my mechanic felt it had gotten too severe. I can't honestly remember
which parts had the most wear. I think everything had some. We basically
replaced everything, because my mechanic happened to have everthing in
stock. We even had to replace one of the steel plates that the bushing is
pressed into. It's a good feeling to know everything's perfect, now.
--- Jay (67 Cherokee)
--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
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