Pietenpol-List: Right angle tach drive
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:38 am
Original Posted By: Rick Schreiber
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Right angle tach driveIt looks like I'm having to replace the right angle drive for the tach on my Piet, after only about 75 hours of operation. The first drive never worked well - the needle would jump and the male square drive end from the tachcable seems to have been loose enough in the female fitting on the drive that it wallowed out the female end quite a bit. The replacement failed on a flight back from Suffolk, Va. yesterday. The female recepticle for the cable was completely rounded out inside, and there is a lot of resistance in the drive gears. I greased both these drives with white lithium grease beforeI installed them. I've also lubricated the cable with a NAPA speedometer cabe lube which is a light machine oil with graphite in it. Dirty stuff but good cable lube, I'm told. Both of these right angle drives were from Aircraft Spruce. Wicks has a different model drive, a bit more expensive, but if I keep replacing these ACS drives, I'd rather pay once and be done for a while. Anyone have experience like this, and anyone using the Wicks angle tach drive? Any thoughts on lubricating the angle drive itself. I wondered if the grease is getting too firm at low temperatures. It was in the 50s in flight yesterday and it failed when I started it up after a fuel stop. I'd been flying for about 1.7 hours prior to the fuel stop. I'm wondering if I should try the oil and graphite lube in the angle drive. I notice that the Wicks angle drive has a zerk fitting to allow it to be greased. Any ideas what type grease is recommended?Matt PaxtonNX629ML________________________________________________________________________________Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:05:57 -0500
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Right angle tach driveIt looks like I'm having to replace the right angle drive for the tach on my Piet, after only about 75 hours of operation. The first drive never worked well - the needle would jump and the male square drive end from the tachcable seems to have been loose enough in the female fitting on the drive that it wallowed out the female end quite a bit. The replacement failed on a flight back from Suffolk, Va. yesterday. The female recepticle for the cable was completely rounded out inside, and there is a lot of resistance in the drive gears. I greased both these drives with white lithium grease beforeI installed them. I've also lubricated the cable with a NAPA speedometer cabe lube which is a light machine oil with graphite in it. Dirty stuff but good cable lube, I'm told. Both of these right angle drives were from Aircraft Spruce. Wicks has a different model drive, a bit more expensive, but if I keep replacing these ACS drives, I'd rather pay once and be done for a while. Anyone have experience like this, and anyone using the Wicks angle tach drive? Any thoughts on lubricating the angle drive itself. I wondered if the grease is getting too firm at low temperatures. It was in the 50s in flight yesterday and it failed when I started it up after a fuel stop. I'd been flying for about 1.7 hours prior to the fuel stop. I'm wondering if I should try the oil and graphite lube in the angle drive. I notice that the Wicks angle drive has a zerk fitting to allow it to be greased. Any ideas what type grease is recommended?Matt PaxtonNX629ML________________________________________________________________________________Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:05:57 -0500