Steve1300

I you try to service the struts according to the technical order, you are going to improperly service your struts - even when on jacks. The writers failed to take into account the trapped air or nitrogen in the struts, but you will be confident that you did it correctly. Back when we had SOAP sample kits, we taught the new guys to slowly turn that curved tube while running it up and own inside the strut through the filler port. We also told them to get ready to duck - when they hit an air pocket, it was going to come up the filler port quickly and usually got someone wet with fluid. After doing that, we could usually add at least a half quart more fluid. I found a method that seems to work well - if you are on jacks. I'd lower the strut about six inches and pour in another quart of fluid. Using a disassembled shrader valve with a clear hose attached, screw the valve into the strut and drop the other end into a bucket, I'd slowly raise the strut again until the fluid comes out. I can get much more even servicing of the stuts doing it that way. The next technique that works better is to use a "Y" house with one gauge to service the nitrogen. That eliminates gauge error from causing uneven struts. I'll try the soft-faced mallet next time.

Your aircraft should have an inspection program. If you look for the Special Inspections or Structural Inspections, you should find one in there that references overtorque conditions and what the inspection items are.

From your short description, I'd say that you have yellow boxed the new amp, have checked out the response of your TD valve, and still have a problem. Did you use your yellow box to check to see if the TIT indicator in the flight deck is accurate? It could be that, in null, you are running higher than you think but it only appears to be good. You may actually be running at the correct TIT, but your indicator makes it only seem to be running too cold. If your indicator is good, I would next use an ohmmeter and check the potentiometer inside the coordinator to make sure it is still good. If it is not good, many other problems would appear to rise up and you'll spend a lot of time chasing things that aren't there. If you still have the problem, look for a reason for the amplifier thinking your TIT is one thing while the indicator thinks it is another. Now you are getting into the area of faulty thermocouples, t-blocks, wiring, and harnesses.

You may have a failed relay box. There is a support beam under and behind your engine oil tank. On the back side of that beam is a relay box that is part of the TD system. One of the relays in there can be causing your problem.

When we first got them, we called 'em "Bionic E's" in honor of the Bionic Man. When Dyess got the aircart with the 70-pound packs and the APU, we knew that we were the inferior breed. I never knew that the '74s were called H1s until now.

You know, over the years; I have seen questions come up like this from guys and wondered how the request ever got generated. Sometimes, it is because the technician wanted to know. Most times, it was because an "incident" happened at work where the technician was asked. Since I was USAF and spent time maintaining an aircraft for a training sqadron, I have seen some really rediculous "incidents" come up. Between sudent pilots, student engineers, and student loadmasters; the pettiness of questions knew no bounds. Perhaps, we old farts should make an effort to consider that when we see questions that make our eyes roll back into our heads. We were all students at one time too, right?

No, it is simply that people don't want to have to pick up heavy weights. We are very "safety conscious" now, and our ability to be on disability is all related to how we percieve pain. We must avoid strain at work so that we can become members of a gymnasium so we can go lift weights.

I have fought this same type of problem before, and it can be very tough to isolate. Do you get an error code on your GCU when this happens? When you say you replaced the line contactor, shall I guess you mean the generator-to-bus contactor K53C? While that one does connect that generator to the switching system, it is not always the one that is causing the problem. Without a contactor tester, it is a tedious and time-consuming thing to test the individual switches in the contactors. Then again, if you are lucky, you might try running the engine and watch the generator light while someone "taps" on the other contactors to see when the generator comes back on line.

Assumptions: (1)you have good bleed air manifold pressure; (2) you visually verified that your engine bleed air regulator valve goes open when the switch is placed to override; (3) your starter switch works each and every time, and (4) you disassembled the backshell on all the electrical connectors to see that you can't be experiencing intermittent "opens." At that point, I'd look at the engine start interlock system to make sure that my oil shutoff valve circuit breaker is not complicating the mess. Have you also looked at the start control CB? It is a good thing you are "electrics" as this sure looks like an electrical problem to me.

Are you using a different part number thermostat? There are new solid state units out that behave differently than what we are used to.

You are not likely to blow a tire during a normal landings. If you watch your anti-skid lights, they seldom come on during a normal landing on a standard day. Only with slick runways, short runways, or unusual circumstances would the system ever take over.

Sometimes the conflict in terminology causes problems.

A few times now, while speaking with the guys who teach the engine maintenance course for Allison (now Rolls Royce), I would get told about how long the 501D (T56) engines last when used as electrical generator power plants. While it is true that varying the temps constantly creates problems and that higher temps have more impact on shortening the life of the hot sections, the fact still remains that operating this engine at 850 TIT allows the engines to last 30,000 hours. Now, I know my memory isn't perfect, but the number that they gave me up at the Allison school stuck with me. Compare 30,000 hours versus 5000 hours when used as a Herk engine! The people who manufacture these engines say that lower temps are better and that "thermal shock" is destructive. I believe them. Sure wish we could get 30,000 hours on our engines......

I would imagine that the military manual is more up-to-date than my copy of the Allison Operating Manual which states: PUBLICATION NO. 4RC1 Operating Manual Allison Engine Company MODELS 501-022, and -022A Before moving the lew-speed ground idle' switch from LOW to NORMAL or NORMAL to LOW, observe the following precautions: (1) Discontinue use of compressor bleed air from the first engine to be shifted. (2) Set power at or as near minimum torque as practicable (between 9° and 30° power lever position). (3) Reduce forward velocity to normal taxi speed (less than 5O knots). Press low-speed ground idle switch if taxiing at low-speed condition is desired.

There are still questions to be answered. When volts and freqs came back on, were they within limits on all three phases? How long did it take for the generator out light to come back on after the reset? Was it on long enough to see what the loadmeter indicated? Do you have GCUs or do you still have voltage regulators, control panels, and underfreq relays?

OK, just came back from the plane. With the utility pressure at 3000 PSI, the lever is pushed to the right. Turning the pumps off releases the lever. When the flaps lock up, the lever will be pushed to the right as well. The difference is that when the pumps are turned off, but pressure is not bled down, the lever stays "hard right." However, is you bleed off the hydraulic pressure after turning the pumps off, the lever releases and the flaps will move again. The only way to know, in flight, if your assymetry brakes locked up the flaps is to have the co-pilot turn off the pump switches and see if the lever moves easily. If they are locked, the lever stays "hard right." Once on the ground, if you happen to bleed off the utility system pressure, you cannot prove that they were locked when you landed. If it were my problem, I'd reindex the brake switches at that point if the flaps appear to be good.

The FAA publishes a guide each year that gives information on hold times and uses of the various deicing fluids. It can be freely downloaded from the FAA. It is not mystical or magic at all, but I can see how people might be apprehensive during their first deicing procedure. Please be sure that you get ALL the ice and snow off the flight surfaces and flight controls and get off the ground before the hold time expires. It is a wonderful idea of shutdown the APU before you deice as well.

May I suggest a simple test in order to clarify the issue? Aircraft power applied, ground test valve tied, flaps operating normally. Check the brake valve lever to see how it feels. (on an aircraft other than the one in question). Up behind the aileron boost pack at the testing terminal board, while flaps are moving, jumper the test terminals as the maintenance manual states and trip the assemetry brakes. When the flaps stop, remove the jumper wire and go back and check the brake valve lever. See if it now feels different and actually reset it. Notice the difference. That will hopefully clear up any questions that you may have. Only takes a couple minutes to do, and it will leave all interpretations of schematics and system diagrams out of the equation.

I'd say that your assemetry brake was engaged. It may appear to be in the same position, but when it is "hard right," it is locked.

There is so much that affects the torque readings on the engines, but so many people just ignore torque indication and treat it as a meaningless gauge. Of course, if you don't bother to ensure that it is accute, it becomes a meaningless gauge. the same goes with verifying the accuracy of the TIT indicators. None of those excuses help when trying to discuss the apparent problem with your engineer who just got out of the simulator. If we maintain our systems correctly, it can save many hours of chasing a problem that never existed.

Gentlemen, nobody has mentioned it yet, and it deserves to be acknowledged. When everything else works OK and you still have a shimmy, you should pay attention to the mechanical side of things. The shimmy dampeners are there to take the shimmy out of minor problems, but once the minor problems grow large enough; you can start experiencing them again. Everyone seems to have their own pet "fix" for shimmies, and I'm afraid that we spend a lot of money on needless tire changes because it is quick and visible. It can be something as simple and worn scissors bushings compounded by bad bearing or tire balance. It also can be that someone previously disconnected a hydraulic line in the nosewheel sterring systems and didn't bleed the air out, so now the shimmy dampeners are attempting to eliminate a shimmy with air in the system.

For what it is worth, and you "older gentlemen" already know, it used to be the Aero Repair and hydraulics was a separate responsibility area. AR schools taught electrics, hydraulics, and mechanical systems that we required to work doors, flight controls, and landing gear. However, I've been out for 20 years now, and I've been told that all that has changed.

It takes a lot of fluid loss to cripple a prop. If you start out with a fully service prop, you will lave to lose 3 and a half quarts to get a prop low oil light. At that point, you'd have to lose another 3 and a half quarts to have an empty pressurized sump. The amount of time spent spent going from full to pitchlocked prop depends on leak rate, and if the leak rate on the right wing is small enough that the gearbox scupper and contain it and drain it out invisibly can be a long one. A dangerous leak will be visible unless it goes down the propeller shaft, and an observant crew will see the gallon increase in oil quantity. Anyone know of a crew that experienced a pitchlock caused by actual prop leakage? If seen it from malfunctioning pitchlock regualators and blown quad seals (resulting in excessive RPM), but never from an external leak.

WWW.bauerct.com, Model # 1019003

Well, I have to guess that your temp control valve actually says "HOT" when you are attempting to pressurize. If you care to check and see if both butterflies move, it may save you time later. If they are moving and the rest of your description is accurate, then I would suspect that your GTC is giving you "some air," but it is not giving you as much as it should. Since your pressure is staying at 35 PSI, that is where I'd look. We have a GTC checkout workcard that requires that the GTC - with both packs running - drop to a much lower valuve. The CC has the bigger pack, so I'd guess your GTC should be dropping to about 30 PSI. I wish you luck.