ORIGINAL: Timo44
Hello F18 Community - the last flights i was recognizing a leaking of my gear ''air system''
pressure was decreasing about 1 bar within 5 Minutes
after checking the air - pipe system of the gear I noticed, that the left main gear circle
was leaking somewhere - due the gear was ''in''.
Today I disassembled the left gear - seems that the nipple is not sealed properly -
due to pressure with my fingures to the nipple it seems to leak as soon the system is pressurised.
Couldn't find out if the nipple is screwed or something . ..anyway now I added some
uhu 300 24 hour epoxy glue at the bottom of the nipple - hoping it's going to seal....
Does anyone of you can give me a hint how to seal the existing nipple ? - it seems there
is leaking between the nipple and the cylinder housing...
Timo, the nipples are crewed/glued. If your's leaking I would suggest that you unscrew it and replace it for a new one. You should have a couple of them coming in the accessory package.
Here is how to proceed.
1. remove the retracts from the plane.
2. take the retract apart. You will have to work on the piston. Place the ram pushrod so that the piston will be to the opposite end of the nipple to be removed.
2. heat up the nipple slowly and gradually with a mini torch.
3. When you see the blue glue smoking it is the sign for stopping. Since the piston is in the opposite end of the ram, it should not get overheated and damaged from the heating process.
4. Use a vice to unscrew slowly the nipple, making sure that you actually work on the hex base and not the tip. CAREFUL HERE: if you rotate the nipple from the tip, you'll brake it and be in more trouble since you'll have to drill/retap. This is why I like to use a vice that is very stable and "grabby" for this job.
5. remove all the glue excess from the hole with a tap of the proper dimensions. If you believe that some crap has fallen inside the ram, just open it and clean it.
6. replace the nipple with the new one and a bead of hysol to make the securing and sealing
7. Enjoy your plane again...