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Sticking yoke


PaulB

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Recently I've been having some issues with my yoke sticking a little bit when making very small pitch adjustments.  Its like I'm trying to make such a small adjustment and I'm not pushing/pulling hard enough so I increase the pressure a little, and a little more and then it pops and I get a pretty abrupt pitch change.  Nothing that affects the safety of flight but I do loose a few style points when I do this. I'm not limited in range of motion at all.  Its like the force needed to overcome the friction is just a little too high.  

 

I believe that the yoke column needs some lube.  Any suggestions on what I should use to lube the yoke?  Will Triflow do it?  I can't seem to find anything in the maintenance manual.  

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I've had luck with TriFlow. But, it doesn't last long - reapply as needed. The summer heat seems to be the culprit. You and I are both in southern states, and Summer really heats up the plane's interior, and the yoke shaft has increased friction against the rubbing blocks.

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You could try some graphite...it could become a safety issue, mine was hanging up for over a year the past annual did not help, I thought I forgot how to land the plane, i had my last annual at DMax and he told me during the flight test he almost rolled it up, he dropped the belly and re adjusted all the stuff in the tail section (btw I'm not a mechanic and close to clueless) after the adjustment Don test flew it again and still had problems, it was in the yoke, he said there was some adjustments needed and told me it flew like new and for me to be careful since I most likely picked up some bad habits over the last yr. trying to land it with the yoke hanging up,he was right ...after a few stop and goes it handles properly again. Therefore I'd try some graphite and it supposedly could get messy and loosen up the two adjustment's on the yoke just behind the panel. If you still encounter problems I'd give Don a call and he'd give you details on how to adjust it, keep in mind your getting advice from an accountant and have limited mechanical knowledge ...good luck..

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+1 also for Tri-Flow LPS.  It absorbs into the surfaces you need to lubricate and last for months.  Depending on temperature and humidity in your cockpit environment, and whether you keep the plane in a hangar or not, you may need to wipe the affected surfaces and reapply as frequently as every couple of months, or as infrequently as a year or more later.  I've been using it on all non-sealed hinges during and between annuals for several years.  Recommended by the factory, it protects really well.

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Before using the graphite, spray some electronics cleaner spray (mostly alcohol) in the ball to clean out the shaft hole. Over the years, people spray TriFlow or LPS or WD40 and it picks up dirt and crud. Spray and wipe until it's clean.

Most importantly, you should get a flashlight and lay on your back and move your yoke in and out. Make absolutely sure the yoke, it's attachments, or its hardware aren't catching on anything like wire bundles or any of your push/pull controls like vent, heat, parking brake, etc.

Make sure you check both sides, and clean both sides.

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I've seen a bent control column shaft cause the same sticking. I believe they can be bent by maintenance people using the column to support themselves while they crawl under the instrument panel.

Clarence

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I've seen a bent control column shaft cause the same sticking. I believe they can be bent by maintenance people using the column to support themselves while they crawl under the instrument panel.

Clarence

This makes me wonder. Is it normal for the yokes to move slightly upwards when pulled all the way out? That's the opposite direction that I would expect them to move if bent by someone working under the panel.

I apply graphite today around the column in and around where it goes through the panel. Didn't seem to make much of a difference. Going to try TriFlow tomorrow.

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Paul if you don't get your desired result DMax a very nice knowledgable man would be more than happy to offer suggestions based on his decades of wisdom.he seems to know most everything everyone Mooney..a wonderful reference for us..

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Paul if you don't get your desired result DMax a very nice knowledgable man would be more than happy to offer suggestions based on his decades of wisdom.he seems to know most everything everyone Mooney..a wonderful reference for us..

Well acquainted with him.  I'm based at KGGG.  Just trying to see if I can fix it myself as he's super busy right now.  You should see his ramp.  It's out of control.  If not, it's going across the field to his shop in a few weeks anyway.  

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Well acquainted with him. I'm based at KGGG. Just trying to see if I can fix it myself as he's super busy right now. You should see his ramp. It's out of control. If not, it's going across the field to his shop in a few weeks anyway.

We got to stop talking good things about him...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I had the same problem last year with my new-to-me M20F.   Lubing the shafts made little to no difference.  Clarence and his guys did a thorough lube of all the the control spherical joints with special attention to the dual bungee assemblies. 

One additional item Clarence noted creating some friction was the orientation of the washers on the bungee assembly (there's a flat on the washers that have to be rotated correctly to avoid binding).

 

When we started, lifting or depressing the elevator and letting go would have the elevator almost but not quite return to neutral.

After the lube/fix, the elevator does 2-3 bounces and always settles to neutral.

My landings improved immediately.

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It is normal for the yokes to move up and down with travel...The only planes that I have seen that don't are the single shaft Beech models , and if you saw the mechanics behind the panel , you would understand why Beech are so expensive....

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Well acquainted with him. I'm based at KGGG. Just trying to see if I can fix it myself as he's super busy right now. You should see his ramp. It's out of control. If not, it's going across the field to his shop in a few weeks anyway.

Yes please don't bother him anymore than needed, he's doing a prebuy for me and I'm walking on pins and needles for it to finish up.....;)

Hope you do get the sticking problem figured out though.

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