Seeking a source: PC System Nyla-Flow Lines

[Pasturepilot]

Hey friends, 

Came back from a little jaunt to the training center to get my three bounces in the Airbus (sim) and had to pull the button in the yoke. Had a slow pull to the left that overpowered the roll trim knob. 

As I had the seats out to refresh the seat bottom (Highly endorse this action and will post a separate thread in a day or two), I popped the sidewall off (again, just had it off for annual/refinishing and feared I'd put a screw through a vacuum line). No joy there. Figured the failure was a red line leak out to the left wing after I'd checked all five of the actuators. Yep. The line passing through the left gear well is cracked where it passes through a rib. I'm fairly certain this brittle old line got bumped while I was doing my repaint of the gear well and cleanup in there. I wrapped it in electrical tape and hooked up the shop vac. Works like a champ. 

Here's my question: Is there a source for the colored nyla-flow lines? I see Spruce has clear ones. Is everyone running clear lines and marking them with colored bands or something? I'd be fine with that route, but if I can track down the properly pigmented lines, that'd be preferable. I need all the help I can get to keep from crossing up those lines. 

Anyone got sources? Thanks. 

 

[Ross Taylor]

Great timing...I'd posted about this eBay listing just a few weeks ago and it's still there...80 feet of the red 3/8" Poly-Flo for less than a buck a foot.  Seems like a decent deal and it's the same stuff you're looking for.  Good thing you didn't need the green - I've seen none of that.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/IMPERIAL-EASTMAN-Poly-Flo-3-8-Tubing-66-P-APPROXIMATELY-80-FEET/303141791684?hash=item4694a8a7c4:g:LNEAAOSwJEpcyvhC

[cliffy]

As a temporary measure I've seen 1/2 inch vinyl tubing from the A/C parts Depot  that slides right over the OD of the Nyla-flow with a tight enough fit to be usable. I've seen people using 3M tape to further seal the ends of the Nyla-flow

Might be a good trouble shooting method  

[Yetti]

Per Brittian the red seems to break more than the other lines.

[carusoam]

You can always check with the source of the PC system... we have a Brittain person around here...

I believe she sells the proper color tubing for the system...

Find Celia @.CSmith 

Best regards,

-a-

[Pasturepilot]

On 8/2/2020 at 11:32 PM, carusoam said:

You can always check with the source of the PC system... we have a Brittain person around here...

I believe she sells the proper color tubing for the system...

Find Celia @.CSmith 

Best regards,

-a-

I emailed Cecilia. She's a godsend. Got a quick reply. Here's her response: 

"The tubing is manufactured by Parker, now called "poly-tite".  The 3/8 part number has changed to E64 and I believe the 1/4 is now part number E43.  I used to purchase it from Fluid Specialties of Tulsa, Oklahoma, maybe give them a try."

I searched the Parker website and came up with this: https://www.parker.com/parkerimages/schrader/cat/english/FRL4J004.pdf

Page one, that table on the right is what you're after. 

In case the link is broken one day, here's the part numbers you're after: 

1/4 tubing: 
E-43-R is red 

E-43-G is green 

EB-43 is black. 

 

3/8" tubing: 
E-43-R is red

E-64-G is green 

EB-64 is black  

The catalog has -0100 after all the above part numbers to denote a 100-foot length. I thought I was gonna end up with spools of the stuff, but the Parker stores will sell it in whatever length you need. 

We have a network of Colliflower/Parker stores here in Atlanta. https://www.colliflower.com/  I dropped by the store in Douglasville yesterday, and the guys there were great. They had plenty of black hose but not the colored lines, so that's on order and will be waiting on me when I get home from the present trip. It's all like 20-40 cents a foot.Looking forward to my plumbing project soon! 

Hope this helps in case someone else wants/needs to patch up their bird. I know I've got the one leak in the wheel well, I figure I'll end up finding a few others as I begin replacing the whole collection of lines. 

[carusoam]

Nice sleuthing, Pp!

Thanks for sharing the details...

Best regards,

-a-

[Pasturepilot]

Quick follow up. Picked up my tubing yesterday finally. Work got all sorts of in the way of my projects. 
 

Replaced the red line from the baggage bin, through the left wheel well, and out to the actuator on the aileron. It had two cracks I noticed as work began (one was the one I saw and taped for test before) I found more splits as I worked, but whether they’d been there all along or I was just tearing the line to pieces as I tried to replace it, doesn’t matter I suppose.  
 

Tip for anyone replacing their wing line: a dowel or drill bit inserted into the line and given a good wrap of electrical tape can serve as a snake to pull through part of the wing and save opening panels. My wing had no clamps or tight grommets between the actuator and where it passes into the gear well. I could have performed this trick opening the inspection panel just outboard of the gear well and the one at the actuator. Instead, I gave my screwdriver a good workout. 
 

Once you’ve got it to the gear well, you can pull through easily and then use the snake method again to make the first turn as it enters the belly. 
 

I can’t save anyone much labor from the gear well inward. Turning the corner as it exits the wing into the belly, that line turns aft, and then up into the baggage bin. You’ll want access to the line wherever you can get to it  

I’ll eventually get all the lines changed over. Quick hop to the nearby concrete runway showed the wing leveler acting with a lot more authority in light turbulence than ever before. Trim knob on the yoke can certainly affect a turn in either direction.  
 

Slowly but surely, we’ll get there. (Projects, I mean. When the engine is running, we get wherever we’re going right quickly). 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Pasturepilot
Removed drill/dowel size. You’ll need to use the ID of the tube, not the OD. And I’ll need to get another cup of coffee.

[Browncbr1]

Thanks for sharing/documenting the source here!

[Pasturepilot]

16 minutes ago, Browncbr1 said:

Thanks for sharing/documenting the source here!

Isn’t that what this forum is for? I mean, other than armchair quarterbacking Mooney’s business choices and making amazing claims at speed and efficiency? 

[MBDiagMan]

On 8/6/2020 at 10:12 AM, Pasturepilot said:

I emailed Cecilia. She's a godsend. Got a quick reply. Here's her response: 

"The tubing is manufactured by Parker, now called "poly-tite".  The 3/8 part number has changed to E64 and I believe the 1/4 is now part number E43.  I used to purchase it from Fluid Specialties of Tulsa, Oklahoma, maybe give them a try."

I searched the Parker website and came up with this: https://www.parker.com/parkerimages/schrader/cat/english/FRL4J004.pdf

Page one, that table on the right is what you're after. 

In case the link is broken one day, here's the part numbers you're after: 

1/4 tubing: 
E-43-R is red 

E-43-G is green 

EB-43 is black. 

 

3/8" tubing: 
E-43-R is red

E-64-G is green 

EB-64 is black  

The catalog has -0100 after all the above part numbers to denote a 100-foot length. I thought I was gonna end up with spools of the stuff, but the Parker stores will sell it in whatever length you need. 

We have a network of Colliflower/Parker stores here in Atlanta. https://www.colliflower.com/  I dropped by the store in Douglasville yesterday, and the guys there were great. They had plenty of black hose but not the colored lines, so that's on order and will be waiting on me when I get home from the present trip. It's all like 20-40 cents a foot.Looking forward to my plumbing project soon! 

Hope this helps in case someone else wants/needs to patch up their bird. I know I've got the one leak in the wheel well, I figure I'll end up finding a few others as I begin replacing the whole collection of lines. 

Yes, Cecilia is a treasured resource for the Mooney community.