I had an Easy Sport with an O.S. 46AXI that I drove into the ground a few weeks ago. I put the plane in a trash bag and the engine in a crock pot with anti-freeze for a couple of days. I cleaned then engine up and replaced the broken prop with a new APC prop. I put an aluminum spinner on it with a hole drilled thru the spinner for tightening. Now I have to hold the back plate behind the prop with Vise Grips to tighten the spinner. Before I crashed it, all I had to do was to hand tighten the spinner, then hold the prop while I finished tightening the spinner. Any thoughts on why I have to hold the back plate? I have checked the hub, and the notches are facing forward which should catch the prop notches.

Thanks

If your first spinner was plastic then that could be the reason. Plastic will let the flywheel grooves grab the back of the spinner. If your first spinner was also aluminum, then I don't know.[&o]

I'm unsure if I understand your problem. Here is the method for tightening prop and spinner. Spinner backplate put on, prop put on and prop nut tightened VERY securely, spinner put on, screw for spinner tightened. You should not be trying to tighten spinner screw to tighten prop which from what I read is what you're doing?

Sounds like there is some dirt inside your "spinner nut". Two suggestions: 1) Take the orginal prop nut and screw all the all down the prop shaft 2) Take your WD-40 with the thin "straw" and insert that into the spinner nut threads and flush.

Happy Landings!

That would be for a 2 piece plastic spinner. This is a one piece aluminum spinner almost like a higby hub only lighter.

I think you are assembling something wrong to the crankshaft. If the hardened steel washer is being put behind the prop then this will happen. I don't use the hardened steel washer when I use a large aluminum nut/spinner. The back of the prop must bear against a surface that has a lot of sharp dimples that will grip the prop after the nut is slightly tightened.

Maybe you are using some kind of this nut:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXE161&P=0

If you are using this kind of nut you also have to use the washer that came with your engine. This kind of spinner nuts has a relative shorter thread, so maybe you are experiencing a lack of thigtness regarding the longer crankcase bolt.

Hi Greg, great catch. I sprayed brake cleaner into the threaded part of the hub and and the cleaner poured out of the holes used for tightening the spinner. Then I put some after run oil on the threads of the spinner. I put the spinner on the prop shaft and and I was able to hold the prop and tighten the spinner. Thanks a bunch. by the way, it was a Dubro spinner.