You speak of a filler plug with safety wire. My two sets of struts have an old time spring cap like was used on oil holes a long time ago, must be a change along somewhere. I opted to use only new O rings, and the red aviation hydraulic fluid, nice and oily. After seeing what brake fluid did to my other set, no brake fluid for me.
.--- In [email protected], ALAN FAIRCLOUGH <texasavia...@...> wrote: > > How to and what not to do... > > I have found there are several things to watch out for. > > > First of all, jack up the plane so the weel extends all the way down. > Push the wheel up and down to feel the current hydraulic damping. > > If it is good, your sysyem is working and may just need topping off. > If it is not you will feel it when pushing the wheel up. > > First thing to check is the bumpers. these are little rubber stops on the > landing gear leg and on the strut. When the wheel drops down, the motion is > stopped by a rubber bumper that is attached to this little arm. If it is > missing, which is quite common, you are in trouble. > The wheel has been dropping too far down, the filler hole has a rough edge on > the inside of the > cylinder and it destroys the seal. if you have a seal cup version. If you > have the O'ring version, you need to take it off and get a seal cup kit from > Skyport. > The O'ring version was made to last 10 years at best and none will last long. > It was a great idea at the time but there is better now. > > When you take the cylinder apart, you will see if you have the cup or the > O'ring. You can leave the O'ring on as it will not harm anything. You will > have to wash out the cylinder which is made of steel and probably has rust on > the inside. Go to the auto parts store and buy a small 3 blade fine ctlinder > hone that will fit inside. ( take the cylinder with you to test if it fits or > make a second trip). You then hone out the inside surface with this device in > a power drill and with diesel or kerosene in the cylinder. If you don't do > this, the rust will eat up your cup seal. > Wash it out well. Clean up the piston surface with sandpaper and diesel or > with a wire wheel brush and install the cup kit as instructed. > I find it is easier to fill the cylinder before installing it on the plane. > Just pour the fluid into the cylinder and inser the piston seal and slowly > push it down. Any excess fluid will come out the fill hole. inser the plug > into the fill hole and safety wire. > Put it on the plane and test the damping motion. > > If you need to top off the fluid, remove the rubber bumper and inspect it. > Drop the wheel as low as it will go and add fluid through the filler hole. I > use that syringe the dentist gave me to irrigate my wisdom tooth hole. An old > oil can also works. > The U cup seal is now above the filler hole. Do not push the wheel up now. > Fill with fluid until it runs over and then push a wooden chopstick into the > hole to carefully help the cup lip over the filler hole inside surface while > slowly pushing the wheel up. Once the U cup seal is below the filler hole, > prop the wheel up so it does not drop again and re-install the filler plug > with safety wire and re-install rubber bumper. > > With the rubber bumper installed, you can now drop the wheel all the way down > again and the U cup seal will remain below the filler hole. Now test the > damping. >
