oleo struts

[crjguy]

Does anyone know who can rebuild oleo struts? I put new packings in mine but one is still leaky and sets lower than the other.
Thanks,
Tim Patrick

[Ron Babos]

CRJGUY: Mine leak also, and after tearing them appart decided to rebuild them next year. What I have discovered about them is this. If the piston rod is scored ,and it probably is , the seal will never do it's job. If the bushing hole at the top of the piston rod (tube) is loose and has elongated the hole a clunking sound occures when the plane is taxied. Oil has no bearing on how high it sits as it only transfers from one side of the piston to the other. That provides the shock effect. Then there's the fill it up completely with oil thing (standard oleo). If it's filled in cold weather, it will push some oil out when the weather is hot due to expansion. It is an extremely powerfull force. When the weather cools off again, the oleo will no longer be full. If you have already done the packings, you should be able to rebuild them yourself. Check the rods for scoring, and get new springs for sure. Also the case frame bushings should not be too sloppy as this will effect how well the sealing will work.Hope this helps if you decide to rebuild yourself, and I believe Wagaero may have the parts you need. Good luck. Ron

[Mikek]

Does anyone know who can rebuild oleo struts? I put new packings in mine but one is still leaky and sets lower than the other.
Thanks,
Tim Patrick

If your looking for someone to repair them, you might call SAR or there might be someone on the list that can do it for a few $ less.

http://www.safeairrepair.com

Safeair Repair
401 Airport Road
Albert Lea, MN 56007
Phone: 507-373-7129
Fax: 507-373-6673

Mike Kne

[visitor]

I sent mine to Safe Air Repair after having Buzz Wagner work on them and leave them in a mess. SAR did a magnificant job and they are basically new struts. Kinda pricey, but for what they had to do, it was worth it and now I know what I have and know they are done right. They will talk to you in advance and you can expect the price to run in the neighborhood of about $450 per side, either more or less. Mine were more but only because the last person that worked on them did more to screw them up than he did to fix them. I second the motion on using SAR. Someone else may be able to do it cheaper, but with SAR, you will have the satisfaction of knowing everything is correct. I am sure there are others also that can do a good job, but I just don't know who to recommend. I can sure as heck tell you who not to send them to.

Bob

[Mikek]

"Now I know what I have ---" Bob
That is worth alot, I believe that Safeair being pricey is more due to the fact you get a complete rebuild of the the Oelo Strut not just springs and packing.

Mike Kne

[MikeB]

I agree......send them to SAFE AIR. Mine cost $762 for the pair. I suppose you can get by cheaper if you're able to do the work yourself and have the tools and ability to ream the bushings, etc. Looking at the invoice, I see the labor amounted to 4 hrs @ $50/hr or $200 (this was a couple of years ago) I felt it was well worth the price and I'm a mechanic by trade.

[Nathan K. Hammond]

If you feel like doing it yourself, it’s not that hard and only $150 +/-. Check out John Baker's site, it gives some really good info and a walk-though of the rebuild. http://www.hangar9aeroworks.com/Aeronca ... strut.html

When I rebuilt mine over the summer, we also replaced the bronze bushing in the case frame. That’s not very hard either, only a little time consuming, because we used a brake cylinder hone to get a proper fit on the oleo.

In the end it became a completely different ship on the ground.

nkh

[crjguy]

Thanks alot for the help. Univair has all the parts that I need and this msg board gave me most of the info. I'm going to rebuild them myself, and will let you all know how it goes.
tim Patrick