netsurfr
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The right strut in my Dakota is lower than the left. I am doing an owner assisted annual and both struts were drained of fluid and refilled and the nitrogen was added and they both showed 4.5 inches of piston when done so all good (so I thought). I noticed when I stepped on the wing that the strut compressed and stayed compressed even when I stepped down. I checked today and the right strut no longer is at the 4.5 inches of clearance it showed when we did the service so now I'm trying to sort out what's going on.
A&P tells me sticking struts in pipers is common/normal but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on this. I read the service manual and there are 4 steps that I see a&p did not follow exactly to the letter but not sure if they would make a difference they are:
1- manual says to release one of the 3 torque link bolts after jacking up plane and i gather this is to ensure we get at least 10" but no more than 12" of piston to show when fully extending the strut while filling it up with fluid to make sure fluid makes it into all chambers. We did not release any of the link bolts.
2- manual said to apply thread lubricant to filler valve before installing it back. We didn't
3- manual says to torque filler valve to 350-400 pounds-inches. We didn't torque to any set value.
4- manual says to add nitrogen while plane is under static load with no passengers and with full tanks. We added nitrogen with plane with about 50% fuel.
So could skipping any of the above create an issue?
From my reading I believe it's the nitrogen that determines the height of the strut while in the ground so assuming struts are full with fluid would my problem be that nitrogen is leaking out? I find it strange that the strut would compress from a person stepping on the wing so guessing there is not enough nitrogen pressure...
Thoughts???
A&P tells me sticking struts in pipers is common/normal but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on this. I read the service manual and there are 4 steps that I see a&p did not follow exactly to the letter but not sure if they would make a difference they are:
1- manual says to release one of the 3 torque link bolts after jacking up plane and i gather this is to ensure we get at least 10" but no more than 12" of piston to show when fully extending the strut while filling it up with fluid to make sure fluid makes it into all chambers. We did not release any of the link bolts.
2- manual said to apply thread lubricant to filler valve before installing it back. We didn't
3- manual says to torque filler valve to 350-400 pounds-inches. We didn't torque to any set value.
4- manual says to add nitrogen while plane is under static load with no passengers and with full tanks. We added nitrogen with plane with about 50% fuel.
So could skipping any of the above create an issue?
From my reading I believe it's the nitrogen that determines the height of the strut while in the ground so assuming struts are full with fluid would my problem be that nitrogen is leaking out? I find it strange that the strut would compress from a person stepping on the wing so guessing there is not enough nitrogen pressure...
Thoughts???
