Xtreme Jets Dragon Brakes.
06-18-2015, 09:29 AM
#1
Xtreme Jets Dragon Brakes.
Hi,
I was in the process of preparing my XJ Dragon to make certain it was ready
to take to the Plum Island Jet rally this weekend and I've noticed a problem with the brakes.
They simply don't hold air hardly at all. I opened them up and they are disk type brakes
with a basic seal that pushes out on a stationary brake disk. I was expecting that they should hold air pretty well when
fully applied (parking brake), etc, but they currently leak the entire air tank in just a few seconds. I removed the seal
on one of the units and made sure everything was clean and reassembled. I then used a syringe to add a couple of
drops of BVM thin lube to the air intake in hopes it would seal things up a bit better but no luck.. Nothing looks worn
or damaged. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting these to hold air well enough to be usable this weekend?
Thanks
Wayne
I was in the process of preparing my XJ Dragon to make certain it was ready
to take to the Plum Island Jet rally this weekend and I've noticed a problem with the brakes.
They simply don't hold air hardly at all. I opened them up and they are disk type brakes
with a basic seal that pushes out on a stationary brake disk. I was expecting that they should hold air pretty well when
fully applied (parking brake), etc, but they currently leak the entire air tank in just a few seconds. I removed the seal
on one of the units and made sure everything was clean and reassembled. I then used a syringe to add a couple of
drops of BVM thin lube to the air intake in hopes it would seal things up a bit better but no luck.. Nothing looks worn
or damaged. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting these to hold air well enough to be usable this weekend?
Thanks
Wayne
06-18-2015, 10:42 AM
#2
Ok, I guess the desire to fly and the looming deadline to get everything sorted got the best of me.
There were actually TWO problems and that is what confused me. First, one of the brake cylinders
WAS leaking, a simple cleaning, lubrication with a couple of drops of thin lube and reassembly was all that was needed to
solve that issue.
Since I cleaned and lubed both assemblies and I was still leaking air, I assumed I was still leaking air at the brake assemblies.
In reality, there was also a hole in one of the brake lines caused by the gear strut over compressing and cutting the line about half way through.
After replacing the cut line, a good cleaning and a bit of lubrication the brakes are holding 100 psi with no signs of a leak. I should be good to go for the weekend.
Moral of the story, just because you find one problem, don't assume it's the ONLY problem.
Wayne
There were actually TWO problems and that is what confused me. First, one of the brake cylinders
WAS leaking, a simple cleaning, lubrication with a couple of drops of thin lube and reassembly was all that was needed to
solve that issue.
Since I cleaned and lubed both assemblies and I was still leaking air, I assumed I was still leaking air at the brake assemblies.
In reality, there was also a hole in one of the brake lines caused by the gear strut over compressing and cutting the line about half way through.
After replacing the cut line, a good cleaning and a bit of lubrication the brakes are holding 100 psi with no signs of a leak. I should be good to go for the weekend.
Moral of the story, just because you find one problem, don't assume it's the ONLY problem.
Wayne
