Yoke Removal. Anybody pull them? What are tricks to make it easier?

[Echo]

Need to pull my yokes off my 65 E for powder coating.  How did the process go when you completed?  I have a functional PC system with cut-off in Pilot yoke, but NO push to talk beyond a velcro so no issue there except PC.  How tough is it to get tubing "re-connected" when remounting?  Did you use an anti-seize spray on bolts?  What tools did you use?  What is process for removing bolt through yoke?  Thanks for your replies.  Scott

[LOCOLJ]

I have had success using a rivet gun and gently coercing the taper bolt out from below.

[cliffy]

When you have it off you might do the AD on it  (77-17-04) so you don't have to do it all over again 

Its a 500 hr AD for cracks.  IIRC

[Andrei Caldararu]

I don't have any information to offer, but have the same question for J-style (later style) yokes. I don't know how they come out, but would like to get them out to powder coat them. (My plane is an E model, but previous owner installed the late style yokes.)

[LANCECASPER]

34 minutes ago, Andrei Caldararu said:

I don't have any information to offer, but have the same question for J-style (later style) yokes. I don't know how they come out, but would like to get them out to powder coat them. (My plane is an E model, but previous owner installed the late style yokes.)

The J and newer I'm familiar with. It's not hard removing the yoke itself, it's the all of the wires in the pilot's side that makes it difficult. I've had an avionics shop do that both times.

On one, the airplane had to stay in the shop for a week while the yokes were covered by AeroComfort. The other time I bought a set already covered which meant just one trip to the avionics shop to swap them out.

One possibility would be to take off the co-pilot's and have it covered or powdercoated, etc and bring it to the avionics shop and have them put that on the pilots side and do the wiring in one operation and then go get the other one covered or powdercoated after. The co-pilot's usually just has a push-to-talk which is easy.

[N201MKTurbo]

What @LANCECASPER said.

There is a set screw and a tapered bolt. The set screw keeps it from moving on the shaft if the bolt gets wallowed out. Don’t over or under torque either one or it will make your life a living hell down the road.

[Echo]

Sigh.  There is just NOTHING straight forward in aviation maintenance...  

[Echo]

[JoeM]

I have removed both sides on my 65E. It had vacuum tubes on pilot side which I replaced with a PTT switch (I installed an off-on switch in the panel for the wing leveler.) Remove set screw, remove nut, and tap bolt from bottom. Then twist yoke off shaft. I have not re-attached vacuum tubes, but it looked easy with needle nose pliers.. 

[Echo]

1 hour ago, JoeM said:

I have removed both sides on my 65E. It had vacuum tubes on pilot side which I replaced with a PTT switch (I installed an off-on switch in the panel for the wing leveler.) Remove set screw, remove nut, and tap bolt from bottom. Then twist yoke off shaft. I have not re-attached vacuum tubes, but it looked easy with needle nose pliers.. 

Thanks Joe. Made my day with straight talk. 

[Echo]

I. Had a wonderful yoke switch with J yoke’s tied to a Brittain solenoid to defeat wing leveler. Good old days…Sigh

[Andrei Caldararu]

Any advice on how the yokes can be sandblasted to clean off the old coating/what is ok to do to powdercoat them? In the past I did the same process on a pair of Cherokee yokes, and cleaning off the old stuff was hard — the guy doing it was worried sandblasting may damage the yokes, so I had to do it myself, patiently picking at the the old coating. 

[Echo]

I have the co pilot yoke completely stripped except at bolt area. Mine peel right off when started. 

[bcg]

Just a heads up, if you have the original factory coating on them, it's a total BITCH to get off. I spent 8+ hours taking the coating off my C yokes, nothing worked except for a wire wheel and then finishing it up with a little heat and a scraper. I doubt know that I'd have done it if I'd known how much work it was going to be. They look great but, I'm not sure it was worth the effort.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[Echo]

I am mot living in that world at all EZ peezee…

[47U]

3 hours ago, bcg said:

They look great but, I'm not sure it was worth the effort.

They do look great. Nice job.  

But, thinking back more than 10 years ago now, I didn’t remember that removing the plastic (?) covering on the yokes was all that bad.  I think it just kind of peeled off in chunks.  Like peeling an orange?  On mine, something had to be done.  The copilot’s side wasn’t too bad, but the pilot’s side was in bad shape and getting worse.

 

[bcg]

They do look great. Nice job.  
But, thinking back more than 10 years ago now, I didn’t remember that removing the plastic (?) covering on the yokes was all that bad.  I think it just kind of peeled off in chunks.  Like peeling an orange?  On mine, something had to be done.  The copilot’s side wasn’t too bad, but the pilot’s side was in bad shape and getting worse.

 

Mine definitely did not peel off in chunks. I tried and blasting them, it just took the shine off enough to commit me to the job. Tried soaking them in aviation paint stripper and it didn't even soften the plastic. I tried burning it off with a torch like powder coat and it just melted it and made it more difficult to remove. Ultimately, the only thing that worked was the wire wheel and mechanical removal.

I spent most of a week trying different options to avoid having to do it with the wire wheel.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[bcg]

Oh, to the original question, I didn't have the PC but the removal wasn't bad. Loosen the set screw, remove the through bolt (at some point the pins were replaced with a nut and bolt in mine) and turn the yoke the stop to "unscrew" them. Installation was basically the reverse, although I did put a little bit of tri-flow in them before reinstalling.

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[47U]

4 hours ago, bcg said:

I spent most of a week trying different options to avoid having to do it with the wire wheel.

That does not sound like any fun at all.  Our serial numbers are not that far apart, yours maybe only about 40 tails after mine on the production line?  I wonder if Mooney changed their process?

Here’s my yokes after stripping.  Copilot’s yoke on top.  Even though the covering was in better shape than the pilot’s side, there was more evidence of corrosion.

Here’s the ‘after’ picture.  The local trophy/engraving shop replicated the Mooney logo.  It’s plastic, but has held up well after more than 10 years (airplane is hangared).  The leather covers are a chopped up RV steering wheel cover, certainly not to Aero Comfort quality (or aesthetics), but they are functional on a chilly morning.  Like many, I’m looking to upgrade the yokes and shaft to eliminate the 500 hr AD (someday).

  

[Echo]

On 10/27/2023 at 5:59 PM, JoeM said:

I have removed both sides on my 65E. It had vacuum tubes on pilot side which I replaced with a PTT switch (I installed an off-on switch in the panel for the wing leveler.) Remove set screw, remove nut, and tap bolt from bottom. Then twist yoke off shaft. I have not re-attached vacuum tubes, but it looked easy with needle nose pliers.. 

I tried "tapping from bottom" (with a rubber hammer) and that was a no go.  I don't want to damage the yoke so had hoped to not be striking it that hard to remove the bolt.  Phase 2 will be with a "real hammer" I guess.  I have a hammer drill, not a rivet gun, but that just seems like overkill for this.  How tight was that bolt for you?  What level of "tapping" was required to remove?

[LOCOLJ]

3 hours ago, Echo said:

I tried "tapping from bottom" (with a rubber hammer) and that was a no go.  I don't want to damage the yoke so had hoped to not be striking it that hard to remove the bolt.  Phase 2 will be with a "real hammer" I guess.  I have a hammer drill, not a rivet gun, but that just seems like overkill for this.  How tight was that bolt for you?  What level of "tapping" was required to remove?

This is why I recommended a rivet gun; I put a piece of wood under the bolt and buck the gun a couple of times and they pop out easily. 

[47U]

3 hours ago, Echo said:

I don't want to damage the yoke so had hoped to not be striking it that hard to remove the bolt.

To avoid hammer blows… place a socket over the top of the head of the bolt.  Put a C-clamp on the threaded end of the bolt and on top of the socket.  Screwing the C-clamp closed will push the head of the bolt into the socket without hammering.  

I think it’s worth a try.

Good luck.

[Echo]

Success!  Extracted yokes frm their nearly 60 years on shafts.  Dropped off at local powdercoater.  Said finished in a week.  I am also having inside door handle done in same matt black as the tan coating was failing on it as well.  A little over $200 was estimate.  I find that reasonable.  Hope they go back on uneventfully.  

I was thinking about replacing those bolts.  I wonder if Laser stocks them?  I will give a call.  Thanks for all the help.  Scott

[Echo]

Laser DOES stock the bolts and nuts for the vintage yokes.  Heather did a wonderful job!  Shipping was actually more expensive than parts.  Yokes should be finished in a couple of days.  Looking forward to getting them mounted.

[hammdo]

@Echo, Got part #s for the bolt kits?

Thanks!

-Don