Q: Hi Steve,
Couple of questions for you. I own a 1975 Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II Turbo. I have air leaks through the pilot entrance door. We’ve put in a new seal and adjusted it, but it still leaks. We think if we replaced the windlace with a new, more supple one that it would take care of the problem. Can you tell me where I could purchase this product?
I also have a fuel gauge problem on the right engine. It does not indicate accurately and will vary between full and empty and anywhere between. What would be the best way to repair this problem? I read in your October 2016 issue on the Seneca II that Michael has had problems with this also. (See Resources for a link to the story. —Ed.)
I live in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and fly out of Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport (KGWS). The runway is 3,300 feet by 50 feet, at 5,916 feet msl. The Seneca II operates very well here. Love this PA-34; it performs everything
I ask of it.
I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Darwin
A: Hi Darwin,
Glad you like your Seneca. I wish I had one.
The two companies that sell a variety of door seals are Brown Aircraft in Jacksonville, Florida, and Aircraft Door Seals in Wisconsin. I don’t have enough experience with these companies to recommend one over the other, but I believe both will send you a sample of the seal they recommend for your airplane so you can take a look at it. (Aircraft Door Seals is a Piper Flyer supporter. —Ed.)
I do know that Dennis Wolter of Air Mod, who is now writing for Piper Flyer, sometimes has to “build up” the surface behind the seal to get the seal he wants. Wolter uses flat rubber sheets in different thicknesses. He and his staff trim and adjust to get the proper build up. That tells me that you can have a very good length of seal, but you may still have to spend time tuning the installation to get the sealing you want.
As far as your bouncing fuel gauge, it can be a couple of things.
It can be problems with the gauge itself. Remove the signal wire at the sender and, while watching the gauge, touch the signal wire to the body of the fuel sender assembly. If the gauge is good, the needle should move smoothly from empty to full. If there’s hesitation or nonlinear needle movement, it’s probably a malfunction in the gauge.
If that looks good, you can test the fuel level sender by flying until the fuel level is below half so you can look inside the tank to locate the sender float.
Remove the signal wire from the sender. Then, by reaching in through the filler, use a safe tool to move the float on the sender arm up and down while an ohmmeter is attached to the signal stud on the sender. The varying resistance seen on the meter should be smooth and linear as the float is moved. I’ve used a long, smooth wooden dowel to move the float.
Other than visually inspecting the signal wire for bare spots—which is impossible in some installations—if you can find no other explanation for the bouncy needle, replacing the wire is probably the best solution.
One option if you determine it’s the sender is to order new senders from CiES. They are much better and more accurate than the original Piper senders, and are FAA approved for installation on your Seneca. The CiES fuel level senders rely on a magnetic connection between the float arm and the signal arm. This type of connection eliminates corrosion and wear problems in the senders and provides a very linear signal. CiES senders are compatible with a wide variety of gauges and engine monitors.
Happy flying,
Steve
Q: Hi Steve,
Every 500 hours, my 1971 PA-28R-200 Arrow requires a removal and inspection of the main sidebrace bracket assembly to comply with an AD. My time has come…and apparently, it’s a bit of a job to remove these brackets.
My A&P mentioned that if the brackets are replaced by those from a PA-32, then they will not require inspection again. The part numbers he provided me are: Part No. 95643-06/-07/-08/-09. I’ve found some new, but they are over $2,000 each! Any assistance locating some reasonably-priced alternatives would be greatly appreciated.
Pete
A: Hi Pete,
Your mechanic is referring to AD 97-01-01 R1. The title is “Main Gear Sidebrace Stud.” It calls for removal and inspection of the sidebrace studs.
The initial inspection does not require the purchase of anything.
I suggest you remove the sidebrace stud brackets. It’s an easy task in my PA-24 which is also affected by the same sidebrace stud inspection as your PA-28R.
After you remove the sidebrace stud brackets, remove the stud from the brackets and get your mechanic to find a shop near where you live that can do the fluorescent penetrant inspection or the magnaflux inspections called for in the AD. I believe all aircraft engine shops have the tooling to perform the magnaflux inspections.
If you don’t find any cracks, reinstall the stud in the brackets and reinstall the brackets in the aircraft. Fly for another 500 hours and repeat. When I did the inspection on my PA-24, there were no cracks in either of my studs.
The AD provides two ways to comply if cracks are found in either of your sidebrace studs.
First, since the original-sized stud is no longer available, owners have the option of installing a larger stud in the original bracket after installing a new bushing and machining the larger stud to work with the original bracket and new bushing.
Piper Flyer Association member Jason Williams added this on the www.piperflyer.com forum: “You can buy the new 5/8-inch stud (Piper Part No. 78717-02) and bushing (Piper Part No. 67026-12), along with the washers, roll pin and nut for around $700. A good machine shop should be able to ream and chamfer your bracket to accept the new parts.”
Thanks, Jason, your help is appreciated.
The second option is to buy new brackets, studs and bushings, and install these parts.
As far as buying less expensive parts, that’s not as easy as it once was. Piper now sells its parts through Aviall, a national parts house.
You may find the parts you need through an internet search or used from a salvage yard (see Resources for more information on how to locate parts and parts suppliers —Ed.) but they will have to be inspected in accordance with the AD prior to installation.
Let me know what the inspection turned up.
Happy flying,
Steve
Know your FAR/AIM and check with your mechanic before starting any work.
Steve Ells has been an A&P/IA for 44 years and is a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings. Ells also loves utility and bush-style airplanes and operations. He’s a former tech rep and editor for Cessna Pilots Association and served as associate editor for AOPA Pilot until 2008. Ells is the owner of Ells Aviation and the proud owner of a 1960 Piper Comanche. He lives in Templeton, California, with his wife Audrey. Send questions and comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
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