F
1

Vent: Found a cracked bushing on a Cessna 172 nose gear that looked fine from a distance

It was during a 100-hour inspection in Boise last month. The crack was hidden under a layer of old grease and only visible after a proper clean with some solvent. Anyone else run into sneaky wear on those oleo struts?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
river952
river95210d ago
Remember that post about the 172 nose gear? My buddy had a similar scare with a Piper's main gear strut. The seal looked okay until it started weeping fluid, and the whole piston was scored underneath. Those things can hide a lot of problems until you really dig in.
2
ray_williams
Always figured a clean seal meant it was fine, but guess you really gotta check under the surface.
4
grant478
grant47810d ago
Saw a video last week where a guy pulled a strut that looked perfect. The outer seal was intact and dry, but the inner bushing was completely worn out. Metal shavings were sitting in the bottom of the tube, just waiting to grind everything up. It's crazy how much damage can be hidden from a simple visual check. You really have to take things apart to know for sure.
2