skyfarer Posted February 25 Report Posted February 25 Hi, I'd like to hear from the hive mind here, thoughts on an issue that we just discovered on my Bravo during it's annual. The upper left engine mount bolt is loose. The right mount is secure but there's crack in the firewall next to it. I'm added a photo of the crack here. I've reached out to Don Maxwell's shop for an opinion they did my annual in 2025. FWIW, the airplane is grounded until we sort this out. Jeremy
KSMooniac Posted February 25 Report Posted February 25 The bigger question is why was the bolt loose IMO. The firewall is not structural. The engine mount is bolted to the steel cage behind the firewall. Hopefully you don't have any damage there.
skyfarer Posted February 26 Author Report Posted February 26 Thanks, I thought the firewall would not be, but good to hear that. And yes, why did that bolt come loose is a big question in my head. My AP/IA is going to inspect it on the inside of the firewall too. 1
Fritz1 Posted February 26 Report Posted February 26 that ding or crack in the firewall looks like it was done by the engine mount when it was removed / installed, non-structural, firewall sealant will fix that, bigger question is why did that bolt come loose, maybe never tightened correctly, does not look like the bolt is broken, engine mount would otherwise be all over the place
skyfarer Posted February 26 Author Report Posted February 26 You know I wondered the same thing about that crack. For all I know it's always been there and I never noticed it. It looks like a small dent with a crack not related to the loose bolt on the other side of the engine. Hoping Maxwell will get back to me and tell me not to worry about the firewall, focus on the mounting bolts.
skyfarer Posted February 26 Author Report Posted February 26 The nuts and bolts have some rust, so I'm buying new hardware all around for the engine mounts.
N201MKTurbo Posted February 26 Report Posted February 26 Sometimes changing that hardware can be challenging. The mounts are sometimes not perfectly aligned with the airframe and need to be sprung a bit to get the bolts through. So be prepared for that possibility. Having the biggest guy you know help, is helpful.
Fly Boomer Posted February 26 Report Posted February 26 3 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said: Sometimes changing that hardware can be challenging. The mounts are sometimes not perfectly aligned with the airframe and need to be sprung a bit to get the bolts through. So be prepared for that possibility. Having the biggest guy you know help, is helpful. Had this happen to me, and it makes getting an accurate torque reading difficult (if you are into that kind of thing).
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