Looking for Technique or Tool to Run wire in the wing?

[Gary0747]

Trying to run a couple of wires through the grommets in the leading edge of the wing. Neither I or my mechanic can reach the grommets due to our arms not fitting through the access panel. Either need a trick or a tool or someone with small forearms.  Any suggestions?

[gsxrpilot]

Yeah, Laura at SWTA. 

[Andy95W]

Keep working at it, sometimes it's a matter of finding the right bending and twisting of shoulders/elbows/wrists.

[MikeOH]

If there are already wires running through the grommet, then disconnect one of them, attach the new wire to the end, pull back through the grommet, then pull them both back.  Just need enough extra length of the new wire to make this work.

[MB65E]

Sharpened Fishing rods, taped with a lead chase wire. 

-Matt

[Hank]

2 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

If there are already wires running through the grommet, then disconnect one of them, attach the new wire to the end, pull back through the grommet, then pull them both back.  Just need enough extra length of the new wire to make this work.

This works well with string. Disconnect the existing wire, securely tape a piece of strong string to it, pull the wire back out. Securely tape the second wire to the bundle, pull the string to bring both wires back to the end point. A wing's worth of extra wire is not needed.

[Bryan]

This is what we used to snake the sync wire of my last airplane’s LED install. We snaked this thru the wing grommets.

Cen-Tech 65327 3/16" x 11' Fiberglass Wire Running Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RV4T3U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_c7FaBb9DNZ2JX

[Guest]

I have run wires through a number of planes, Mooney aren’t  too difficult.  Tape your new wire to a 6’ length of Mil spec piano hinge pin and use it like a giant sewing needle.  With little effort you can run it from tip to belly through every grommet.

Clarence

Edited May 20, 2018 by M20Doc

[Gary0747]

 

I have run wires through a number of planes, Mooney aren’t  too difficult.  Tape your new wire to a 6’ length of Mil spec piano hinge pin and use it like a giant sewing needle.  With little effort you can run it from tip to belly through every grommet.

 Clarence

 

Do you do this using mirrors or by feel?  I can only reach the piano wire with a long hemostat.  We were able to do the lead wire trick on the right wing for the last 5 ribs using the nav light wire. At that point a number of other wires intersect the bundle and they are all tied together. The left wing is worse with pitot tube and stall vane all joining the bundle and being tied together. No good way to separate a leader wire. 

I also have that same set of fiberglass rods Bryan linked to but found the brass ends a little too big for some of the grommets that are already full. 

[Cyril Gibb]

Clarence, using his long piano wire managed (quite easily) to get synch wires for my LED wingtip strobes through the existing grommets using a borescope I was holding through the access panels as he went.

Surprised the heck out of me.

[Mooneymite]

I'm not sure, but I think @M20Doc may be a proctologist in his spare time.  

[kortopates]

Clarence's Piano hinge wire works really well. But you have to real careful pushing the wire through holes with lots of other wires because the sharp wire can damage the insulation on wires and cause shorts. So instead I use Poly Flo tubing (same stuff used for your Pitot and Static lines) to fish wires. Its blunt and will not damage anything and is much easier to pull through everywhere you encounter bends unlike the piano hinge wire. But you'll need to stiffen the first 6' or so by heating with a heat gun. Then you'll have the required stiffness to push the front through a hole from several feet back.

You still need to remove all the inspection panels along the wire run path, and then snake the Poly Flo tubing through in sections. (I was actually able to skip a few inspection panels on the second wing since I knew the topography after doing the first wing.) Before I begin I push a knotted end of the wire into the end of the  Poly Flo tubing so that its wedged in there tightly and will pull the wire through behind it without the wire slipping back out. Works really fast and doesn't damage anything.  

[Gary0747]

Thanks for all the good ideas but I am still confused as to how or what tool you use to guide the piano wire, or tubing or fiber pole if you can not get your fore arm through the access hole?  It takes some kind of a tool to guide things and to either feel or see the grommets ?  I do not have weight lifter arms but may be bigger than some. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Gary0747

[kortopates]

36 minutes ago, Gary0747 said:

Thanks for all the good ideas but I am still confused as to how or what tool you use to guide the piano wire, or tubing or fiber pole if you can not get your fore arm through the access hole?  It takes some kind of a tool to guide things and to either feel or see the grommets ?  I do not have weight lifter arms but may be bigger than some. 

The whole point of the stiff tubing or piano wire is that you don't need to reach any further than the tubing or wire  - just to grab it and push it forward aiming for next hole you want it pass through using a light to see it.  Continue to push it through till its at least over the next removed inspection panel where you will move to next, and grabbing it so that you can push it through the next hole. You'll start at one end - either from inside the cockpit going out to the leading edge of the wing or from the wing root where the old power supply was mounted on an inspection panel.  

[Jim Peace]

24 minutes ago, kortopates said:

  - just to grab it and push it forward aiming for next hole

I am feeling a bit uncomfortable reading this. 

[Gary0747]

Maybe my wing access panel design is different from other models, but the access panel hole is nowhere near the grommet.  Someone with a smal forearm will have to get their arm in the access panel past their elbow to reach the grommet.  You can not even seethe grommet from he access hole directly. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Gary0747

[Jim Peace]

5 minutes ago, Gary0747 said:

Someone with a small forearm will have to get their arm in

Where is this thread going?

[kortopates]

Maybe my wing access panel design is different from other models, but the access panel hole is nowhere near the grommet.  Someone with a smal forearm will have to get their arm in the access panel past their elbow to reach the grommet.  You can not even seethe grommet from he access hole directly. 

Pretty much the same wing in all models. Your hand stays at the access panel, often a foot or two away from the rib with the hole you are lining up the stiff tubing to push through. Correct that you typically can't see the hole you are aiming for while your hand is in the hole. I never needed to use an inspection mirror to see where the grommet was - but that is an option. So you'll push it till you hit a stop and then remove hand to peer in to see what kind of correction to make next till you've got it. It's not that hard and you sure don't need to make impossible reaches to the ribs.


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[Hank]

If you don't have one of your own, see if you can hire a 12 year old for the afternoon. They generally have skinny arms.

[RLCarter]

Like others have said, Piano wire works really well, round the end and it won't damage the insulation on the other wires. You don't need much more than your hand in the inspection hole. Flashlight & Mirror (Borescope if you have one) so you can see the end of the piano wire and the grommet you're wanting to go through, Moonies are fairly easy due to all the inspection panels. 

[Shiny moose]

I used my daughters arms, first side took 30 min and lots of complaining, second wing she said “I got this” and it 10 min later wire was ran. Find a skinny kid pay them some spending money. 

[1964-M20E]

23 minutes ago, Shiny moose said:

I used my daughters arms, first side took 30 min and lots of complaining, second wing she said “I got this” and it 10 min later wire was ran. Find a skinny kid pay them some spending money. 

hopefully you left the arms connected to your daughter otherwise that would explain the complaining.

[Shiny moose]

14 hours ago, 1964-M20E said:

hopefully you left the arms connected to your daughter otherwise that would explain the complaining.

HAHA yes she still in possession of them 

[bradp]

 

My method is a pair of mechanics fingers with bits of duct tape taped on to make a “mitt” to grab an end of wire.  I use a borescope to aim it.  Then I just push the wire through the grommet and grab it from the other side of the rib.  For the last grommet one rib outboard from the wing root i used a glow in the dark plastic wire runner from HD; it’s flexible so it will fit well.  Takes about 30 min per wing once the panels are pulled off.  

 

[thinwing]

I use a very flexible outer broken off piece of fly fishing rod.A little blob of plastidip at the end to push thru without damaging wires.