Hi! Alan,
Lots of advice from all quarters. However if you use loctite on an assembly
with existing slop AND IF you re-reem the holes make sure that BOTH
stabilators are fixed completely NEUTRAL POSITION. Otherwise you will have
a hard to fly aircraft.
Regards
Bob Harrison
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Bud Yerly
Sent: 15 October 2012 06:33
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Re: Mod 73
Alan,
I have done the Loctite over Loctite.
Just get the cleaning agent sold and recommended by Loctite and it will work
if properly cleaned and prepped. It is necessary to allow the Loctite to
wick in. Use the activator to speed setup if the weather is cool. I once
tried to blow the Loctite into the gap with compressed air. However that
air pushed the Loctite into the stab bearing. The next day I can say the
stabs were very rigid. I glued the whole thing solid. Other tricks are
after a very good cleaning, tape off the stab and use a vacuum cleaner to
suck air and Loctite from the tube junction into the pin holes and help the
wicking process... I also put the Loctite into the outside of the tube slip
joint (outside of the TP12 to TP4 tube) as well as the inside. Be sure to
clean up any leftover Loctite. It will stay wet for a while in free air,
and you will glue your stabs on if you don't use Loctite activator. Even if
the tube is lubed with oil/grease.
The thing is to do the SB first and see if that works. If you decide to do
your own fix, heat the tube (See the Loctite Product sheets )to just too hot
to touch (about 100C) and the Loctite will release and allow disassembly if
you want to do that...
You must do what makes you feel the best about the fix.
I prefer to take out the whole assembly and fix it mechanically and use the
Loctite on top of that. As far as clamping, I am aware of a person in
Australia who machined a piece of steel to the inner contour and reamed the
existing hole to the bolt diameter and clamped the assembly that way. Bob
and others have machined clamps as well that work also. But don't go into
those without knowing your dimensions of your tube. There are to my
knowledge minor variations in the older Classic tube, the early XS and now
our latest XS stab parts and each vary by a small amount. Should you decide
to make a clamping fixture, measure first please so they are sized properly
and don't crush the tube.
I have worked on many aircraft and made, and corrected, many mistakes
(including my own). Many of the jobs are just nasty time consuming tasks.
It takes 3-5 times longer to do the job over, rather than doing it right the
first time... The Loctite will work unless your pins spin like tops in the
hole. How do I know, I removed a set of 1/4 inch pins and replaced them
with 5/16 pins. In my haste I tried to do the job with the mechanism in the
tail through a 4 inch access hole. I really plumbered the job bad as the
pins were under 5/16 inch. Then I had the opportunity to remove the whole
stab mechanism and decided to remake not only the holes in the stab tube to
a P size (0.323 inches) and machined pins to match, I also made the access
holes larger and added another to the bottom on the opposite side. Total
time to pull the stab and remake the access holes was three days. The
machine shop took a week to make new holes and pins to spec. Install was
another day. Now it's perfect. Like I said, I am anal at times.
Regards,
Bud
----- Original Message -----
From: Alan Carter <mailto:alancarteresq@onetel.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2012 8:19 PM
Subject: Europa-List: Re: Mod 73
Hi Bud,
Glad to see you back on the forum.
Mod 73 has been done on my Europa, but the Loctite repair has failed.
Movement is at the moment within Europa guide lines.
So what happens when Loctite is applied over Loctite ??
this would be a very quick and very easy fix, would it work.??
I have seen clamps with 3/8" pins going through the tube also grips the
joint.
They look well made and will hold all firmly together so removing all play.
But will obviously be a pig of a job to do properly, as the tube has to be
removed the the hole re drilled ( Reamed) by machine to zero tolerance. All
this will cost quite a bit of money,
I purchased the aircraft about 3 months age, it has 350 hours on the
airframe, One should not be having to do this, and i am not blaming the
builder he made a good job of the aircraft, but many many Europa,s are or
will be having to do this.
Its just not good enough, that we should be expected to accept this as the
norm.
Its got to be repaired, i will feel a lot happier with zero play, so when i
have it inspected i get a
:D Inspector
Alan
PS i also note that there is a Mod on the Drive Pins, 1/4"pins increased to
3/8" pins locating into the Stabs.
No good having re enforced one bit , and get a failure here,
Is 1/4" OK , it does not appear to be Mandatory
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=385330#385330
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