Gear lever difficult to unlock

[M20 Ogler]

Flew my Mooney today for the first time in several months. Due to waiting for parts etc…

The sleeve to unlock the gear was very difficult to slide in both directions. I think it just needs some lube. Has anyone tried WD40 for this? What would you do? Thx 

[ShuRugal]

Triflow. WD-40 is NOT a lubricant, it's a solvent.

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[PT20J]

WD-40 claims to be a penetrant, lubricant and rust preventative. A review of the SDS shows it to be around a third light oil. https://www.wd40.com/products/ez-reach/

However, there are much better penetrants, lubricants and corrosion inhibitors.

Sometimes, however, lubricating things is just a temporary fix because the lubricant can attract dirt and eventually things get gummed up. I would check the service manual. It might be that a good cleaning is all that's needed.

Skip

[carusoam]

+1 for cleaning 50 years of dirt, corrosion, and whatever else is hiding in there…

My M20C got a few things washed with WD40… then lubricated.

be on the look out for the nut coming loose… visible though the small hole in the side… it holds the handle in place…

If we are only discussing the locking mechanism… it’s a push button… if everything is in the right location, clean and lubricated… it is pretty easy to push.

Best regards,

-a-

[ShuRugal]

WD-40 claims to be a penetrant, lubricant and rust preventative. A review of the SDS shows it to be around a third light oil. https://www.wd40.com/products/ez-reach/
However, there are much better penetrants, lubricants and corrosion inhibitors.
Sometimes, however, lubricating things is just a temporary fix because the lubricant can attract dirt and eventually things get gummed up. I would check the service manual. It might be that a good cleaning is all that's needed.
Skip

The manufacturer is welcome to claim whatever they wish, the fact remains that its lubricating qualities rank somewhere in the vicinity of water, and many a mechanical device has been destroyed by galling after an application of WD-40.

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[M20F-1968]

I would have your A&P put the airplane up on jacks and really find out what is going on.  You want that handle to operate easily and lock without restrictions.  

It sounds like there may be more to the story.

John Breda

[201Steve]

Wait, curious- are you talking about a Johnson bar? I was thinking the spring loaded switch on an electric- which also has “sleeve” to “unlock” the switch. 

[M20 Ogler]

 

14 minutes ago, 201Steve said:

Wait, curious- are you talking about a Johnson bar? I was thinking the spring loaded switch on an electric- which also has “sleeve” to “unlock” the switch. 

Yes, Johnson Bar. 

[BDPetersen]

Take a look inside the down lock (on jacks or airborne)to see if there is a groove worn in the bore. A common wear condition. New locks are available, obviously. Also revisit the gear down tensions. When I got my “C” I had both issues making gear operation unpleasant. Now I just have a bit of arthritis in my thumb that often makes unlatching unpleasant.

[M20 Ogler]

Sprayed some silicone lube on the mechanisms, much better now. Will ask my IA to clean and inspect everything next time I got the plane his shop. 

[carusoam]

BDP brings up a good point above…

Anyone new to the J-Bar landing gear should immediately become familiar with the down lock block….under the panel….

The hole is supposed to be a nice round smooth bore…

Wear occurs continuously on the bore when the gear is down….

When the bore wears it becomes egg shaped, and a step wears into the side making goofy challenges to locking the gear down….

 

It is easy for a new owner to not recognize the problem coming….

There is a something called the thumbnail test to know if the gear is down and locked….

 

Take a pic up inside the block when the gear is up…. See if it is egg shaped or round….

Getting a replacement is a really smart idea….

Best regards,

-a-

[BDPetersen]

Like this . . .

[M20 Ogler]

Mine looks like this. 

[carusoam]

Ogler,

Have a look at BDP’s pic above yours…

His is showing a lot of wear….   Starting with…

the ramp into the hole… has a groove dug in it…

The hole is also worn egg shaped….

The ridge is apparent deeper up inside the hole…

 

The angle of your pic, seems to be somewhat hiding the details….

The hole is supposed to be a cylinder…. Not an egg, not with a ridge, the ramp rut isn’t supposed to be there either….

There is a type of exam for this… it was invented by Dr. turnandkov…. if the pic can’t be taken clear enough to see what you have… you can reach in with a finger to sense the ridge…. Sort of a digital examination…. 

 

You might take a bunch of pics to get a good one….

PP humor only, not a mechanic…

-a-

[hammdo]

What new ones look like:

-Don

[BDPetersen]

Now will someone please invent a device to assist the thumb latch. Maybe using a grip motion to activate. The combination of thumb squeeze and sliding the whatcha ma call it out of the downlock sometimes makes for amusing aerial displays as my sore arthritic thumb struggles to do its job. 
Didn’t the early Mooneys not have the thumb button?

[M20 Ogler]

Looks like this is what I need.

https://lasar.com/chassis/manual-gear-down-lock-block-la560006-003

[Skates97]

On 1/23/2022 at 5:38 PM, M20 Ogler said:

Sprayed some silicone lube on the mechanisms, much better now. Will ask my IA to clean and inspect everything next time I got the plane his shop. 

Put it up on jacks, unlatch the gear, remove the thumb lock, clean it well, re-lube and re-assemble. The lock is easy to remove by unscrewing the button you push on.

7 minutes ago, M20 Ogler said:

Looks like this is what I need.

https://lasar.com/chassis/manual-gear-down-lock-block-la560006-003

Yes, I would replace that down lock block. After it is replaced be sure that the pre-loads are checked. The bar will be a little further forward when locked into place which will change the gear pre-loads slightly.

[47U]

6 hours ago, BDPetersen said:

The combination of thumb squeeze and sliding the whatcha ma call it out of the downlock

Try pushing the Johnson bar forward, towards the panel, as you squeeze the button with your thumb.  That may help overcome some of the preload tension which holds the gear linkage over-center.