RAM AIR DOOR CABLE ATTACHMENT - HARDWARE ?

[DCarlton]

I discovered that the cable that controls my ram air door was disconnected (likely the result of the lower cowl being removed).  I referenced the parts manual to check the hardware.  The parts manual is sketchy; there's no detailed drawing; I don't even see a nut listed for the screw.  I see a cotter pin but there were no cotter pins visible on my ram door mechanism.  

Should the cable have an eyelet on the end?  Or is the 90 deg hook correct?  

If the hook on the cable will fit through the hole in the screw, which is difficult to see when installed, should the nut (or a new lock nut) just be tightened against the cable enough to hold it in place?  It seems like the washer would need to have tabs to hold the cable in the hole; otherwise you rely on friction between the washer and cable.  

No clue what the safety wire is doing if anything.  

Anybody know how to use this hardware correctly per the original design?  Thanks! 

[Aerodon]

macfarlane have some neat bolts for attaching wire pulls.

 

Aerodon

[Shadrach]

Carl,

I will take a picture of mine when I return from vacation. It’ll probably be a week before I get to the airport.

There is no eyelet. The nut locks the cable to the arm coming off the door shaft. There should be a clamp[s] that hold the cable sheath in place.

it’s not a sophisticated set up but it works well once properly rigged.

 

[Matthew P]

I just redid mine last weekend, my setup looks a little different than yours, I have a 65E, but at the scoop end was a pin that went through the cable end and on the knob end the wire wrapped around the post and was secured with a pressure fit washer...I ran new wire as well as mine would only open 1/2"

Edited July 21 by Matthew P

[DCarlton]

4 hours ago, Matthew P said:

I just redid mine last weekend, my setup looks a little different than yours, I have a 65E, but at the scoop end was a pin that went through the cable end and on the knob end the wire wrapped around the post and was secured with a pressure fit washer...I ran new wire as well as mine would only open 1/2"

If I understand, it sounds like you have a fitting of some sort on the forward end of your cable; not a bare cable.  

[Matthew P]

3 minutes ago, DCarlton said:

If I understand, it sounds like you have a fitting of some sort on the forward end of your cable; not a bare cable.  

No, on each end I had to coil the stainless steel cable so that on the vent end a small bolt with a cotter pin could go through it and on the knob side there is a small metal post that goes through the other end of the cable and is secured with the lock washer..will try to find pictures.

[TaildraggerPilot]

There are few reasons to drop the lower cowl on a pre-J, and the intake coupling isn’t one of them. 

[DCarlton]

27 minutes ago, TaildraggerPilot said:

There are few reasons to drop the lower cowl on a pre-J, and the intake coupling isn’t one of them. 

You don't miss much do you?  I agree.  I cringe every time I see that someone has removed it during an annual.  For my next annual, I'm going to put a 3" wide piece of tape on the cowl "DO NOT REMOVE".  If it needs to be removed, we can discuss it first.  [Note:  I corrected my original post and just said the lower cowl was removed].  

[Matthew P]

On 7/21/2025 at 12:04 PM, DCarlton said:

If I understand, it sounds like you have a fitting of some sort on the forward end of your cable; not a bare cable.  

disregard ALL, I was thinking the outside air scoop and not what you wrote, RAM AIR DOOR...my mistake

[BillyT0020]

The cable slides thru the hole in the AN bolt, and is wedged between the washers holding it in place. The safety wire you see goes thru the roll pin on the other side of the shaft bracket to keep it from coming out in flight. Here are a few pics of that style mechanism.

I’ve had had my lower cowl off more times than I can count, the boost door cable is always the hardest part, especially on install, but the more you do it the easier it gets. I’m up to Nascar pit crew speeds now, and can now get it on and off by myself pretty quick. Sometimes when I’m bored and have nothing to do on the plane, I drop the lower cowl for fun. j/k

If you can manage to find the over center boost door arm, it’s a much nicer mechanism, and pushes the cable attachment back 3-4 inches, which aids in its removal. Here’s a few pics of that as well with the part number. You will need to drop the lower cowl, pull the roll pin on the shaft arm, and trim off the arm where the adel clamps mount the cable sheath, and then it will bolt right in. 

Billy

[N201MKTurbo]

I found that removing the flex coupling at the servo is much less traumatic than removing it at the cowling. And easier too.

[BillyT0020]

10 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I found that removing the flex coupling at the servo is much less traumatic than removing it at the cowling. And easier too.

Interesting, I may try that next time. I thought the servo side was safety wired, but I usually remove the cowl side so could be wrong. I increased the length of the bolts in the 4 corners, which makes getting the cowl side lined up a breeze. 

Billy 

[N201MKTurbo]

6 minutes ago, BillyT0020 said:

Interesting, I may try that next time. I thought the servo side was safety wired, but I usually remove the cowl side so could be wrong. I increased the length of the bolts in the 4 corners, which makes getting the cowl side lined up a breeze. 

Billy 

There are 6 bolts on the cowl side. The wrench and bolts spin on the fabric of the coupling wearing it out. The bolts or nuts on the servo side are easier to get to and don't ware on the coupling, and there are only 4 of them. Putting on new lock wire is easy too.

[BillyT0020]

5 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

There are 6 bolts on the cowl side. The wrench and bolts spin on the fabric of the coupling wearing it out. The bolts or nuts on the servo side are easier to get to and don't ware on the coupling, and there are only 4 of them. Putting on new lock wire is easy too.

On my intake boot there is a square metal spacer between the bolts and intake boot that the head of the bolts sit on, same on the servo side. If you're talking about the bolts spinning the rubber between the spacer and the cowl, they would so the same thing on the servo side. 

Billy 

[N201MKTurbo]

No the heads of the bolts rub on the boot as you are backing them out.

[DCarlton]

12 hours ago, BillyT0020 said:

The cable slides thru the hole in the AN bolt, and is wedged between the washers holding it in place. The safety wire you see goes thru the roll pin on the other side of the shaft bracket to keep it from coming out in flight. Here are a few pics of that style mechanism.

I’ve had had my lower cowl off more times than I can count, the boost door cable is always the hardest part, especially on install, but the more you do it the easier it gets. I’m up to Nascar pit crew speeds now, and can now get it on and off by myself pretty quick. Sometimes when I’m bored and have nothing to do on the plane, I drop the lower cowl for fun. j/k

If you can manage to find the over center boost door arm, it’s a much nicer mechanism, and pushes the cable attachment back 3-4 inches, which aids in its removal. Here’s a few pics of that as well with the part number. You will need to drop the lower cowl, pull the roll pin on the shaft arm, and trim off the arm where the adel clamps mount the cable sheath, and then it will bolt right in. 

Billy

That over-center hardware is a lotta stuff just to improve functioning of the door.  Someone let the engineers loose on that one.  I'll bet the door stays closed nice and tight though.  

Side step.  How do you like GEU?  A better option than DVT for going to the Sun City area?   Been to FFZ many time over the years.  

[BillyT0020]

2 hours ago, DCarlton said:

That over-center hardware is a lotta stuff just to improve functioning of the door.  Someone let the engineers loose on that one.  I'll bet the door stays closed nice and tight though.  

Side step.  How do you like GEU?  A better option than DVT for going to the Sun City area?   Been to FFZ many time over the years.  

I love GEU, I will probably always stay there. It’s gotten a little more busy lately with the new LSA time building school, but no where near as bad as GYR with Aviate. DVT is also not my favorite airport, I always get beat up in the pattern there with the wind coming off the mountains but it may be a little closer to you from Sun City. 
 

Billy 

[N201MKTurbo]

I learned to fly at the original Glendale airport P37. It was a fun busy airport.