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- Oct 14, 2017
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Greetings All,
I just joined, I have been a Piper owner (PA-30) for the past few decades, but I just picked up a '77 Lance and I need of a little local knowledge regarding the workings of the gear.
This plane had spent the last couple years sitting in a hanger due to financial difficulties of the previous owner. Everything appeared to wake-up normally with the exception of the gear. When I attempted to do a gear swing the system wouldn't pressure up on the upstroke. Pump sounds fine but is running with little if any load. You can manually move the gear so there isn't a hydraulic lock in the down circuit, it acts as if the pump is in by-pass.
When gear down is selected the gear acts and sounds normal, a quick return to fully extended, the motor sound changes as the system pressures up and then shuts off. I thought it may have been the emergency extension valve being stuck down, but actuating the valve unloaded the pump slightly but had no effect on the movement of the gear.
The manuals are a bit vague on the theory of operation, at least to me, but there is a little shuttle valve in the mounting base/manifold that appears to have something to do with the release of fluid from the opposite side of the actuation cylinders and perhaps the re-direction of pressure side?
I managed to get the little 1/8" pipe plug removed and attempted to remove the shuttle without any success. I can't say for sure it is stuck due to the access issues involved with trying to remove it in situ, I think I got a hold of it with a little pair of needle-nose pliers but other than making a mess on the ground I didn't accomplish anything.
At this point, I decided to simply stiff-leg it down to my AZ home where I could put it up on jacks and investigate it further when I was closer to tools, parts, and the beer fridge...
This was my first time in a Lance, nice flying plane even with the gear hanging out. With full gas, me and a pile of junk in the back the best I could get out of the old gal was about 11,500' and 120kts. Made getting over the rocks west of Denver a little interesting.
Any insight would be appreciated.
Jeff
I just joined, I have been a Piper owner (PA-30) for the past few decades, but I just picked up a '77 Lance and I need of a little local knowledge regarding the workings of the gear.
This plane had spent the last couple years sitting in a hanger due to financial difficulties of the previous owner. Everything appeared to wake-up normally with the exception of the gear. When I attempted to do a gear swing the system wouldn't pressure up on the upstroke. Pump sounds fine but is running with little if any load. You can manually move the gear so there isn't a hydraulic lock in the down circuit, it acts as if the pump is in by-pass.
When gear down is selected the gear acts and sounds normal, a quick return to fully extended, the motor sound changes as the system pressures up and then shuts off. I thought it may have been the emergency extension valve being stuck down, but actuating the valve unloaded the pump slightly but had no effect on the movement of the gear.
The manuals are a bit vague on the theory of operation, at least to me, but there is a little shuttle valve in the mounting base/manifold that appears to have something to do with the release of fluid from the opposite side of the actuation cylinders and perhaps the re-direction of pressure side?
I managed to get the little 1/8" pipe plug removed and attempted to remove the shuttle without any success. I can't say for sure it is stuck due to the access issues involved with trying to remove it in situ, I think I got a hold of it with a little pair of needle-nose pliers but other than making a mess on the ground I didn't accomplish anything.
At this point, I decided to simply stiff-leg it down to my AZ home where I could put it up on jacks and investigate it further when I was closer to tools, parts, and the beer fridge...
This was my first time in a Lance, nice flying plane even with the gear hanging out. With full gas, me and a pile of junk in the back the best I could get out of the old gal was about 11,500' and 120kts. Made getting over the rocks west of Denver a little interesting.
Any insight would be appreciated.
Jeff
