Q - American Bonanza Society

arely will it snap into the drive jawsand properly crank.I am aware that over-torquing theaccessory jaw gear can cause enginefailure, but it is not even engaging.When it does engage, it seems to crankthe engine at a normal rotation speed. Ihave disassembled the starter drive andcleaned the sludge and carbon from thedrive jaw splines, cleaned and lubed therusty centrifugal drive shaft slots andpin , and inspected the motor end (commutator,brushes and bearings) of thestarter.On the bench, the starter dri vejumps out of the housing, what appearsto be enough to engage in the accessorygear jaws. I run a sealed battery,Concord RG-35AXC, replace it everytwo years (and just replaced it due totime last month), checked the cables(clean and tight), checked the generatorvoltage (reads 14.2 vdc). The bUllonalways engages the relay, but could theproblem be intermittent high resistancein the big terminals of the relay not lettingthe motor jump up to speed? Doyou have any other ideas?A: Any resistance in the relay orcrimp connections could be a problem.There is a dimension on the engagementthat is desired. Two good sources ofinformation and repair, if needed, areAircraft Systems (8 15-399-0225) andAero Accessories (3 16-946-070 I).Electrical problemsStephen MagieConway. ArkansasQ: I have a 1998 36 wi th 720 totalhours. At 494 hrs, I had to replace thevoltage regulator. The low bus lightwould come on, the alt load was 0 andthe bus voltage was 28 or so. I couldrecycle with the alt switch and it wouldwork for a while.I am now beginning to experiencethe same problem on an intermittentbasis. If I tum on all electrical equi p­ment, the alt load will read around 50 fora while before it drops to zero and thelow bus light illuminates. I have beenunable to get it to fail on the ground sowe could check the alternator output.Is this problem the result of thevoltage reg fai ling again? Has this beena problem noted in the past? Do youhave any suggestions other than waitingfor it to fai l completely so we could sortall of this out?A: You need to monitor bus voltagewhile this is happening. Terry Norris atAircraft Systems (815-399-0225) is thebest troubleshooter we know. He canprobably help you.Push-button start switchAI PolicanoErie, PennsylvaniaQ: The push-button start switch isintermittent in my '47 Bonanza and Ihave a quote for a "surplus new" switchfor $576. Can you suggest a repair shopor a reasonable supply house?A: Try Avstat (888-287-8283), Arrell(805-604-0439), Crossroads (972-239-0263) and Select (800-318-0010).Power converterJoe GreenChickasha. OklahomaQ: In my A36, the DC oudet(s) are24-volt. How can I step it down to 12-volt"A: Most of the items using powerfrom the oudets have a range of allowablevoltage. Check the data on yourairplane. The voltage can be droppedwith a resistor. This can be fairly largeand get quite hot. You need to have anA&P or good avionics shop help youwith this.Century autopilot repairMichael O 'NeillBirmingham. AlabamaQ: I am the new owner of a 1977B55. The plane has a Century I autopilot/turnand bank indicator as a singleunit, redundant to a Century IV. It seemsas if the Century I recently died. Since Ihave owned it for only a couple ofmonths, I am still learning about thiscraft. However, my fli ght instructor andI can only remember one time that theT/B indicator worked. We have examinedthe manual, spoken to the pastowner and all efforts are nil.I am guessing the gyro is ou~ butfrom there, it is anyone's guess to thecomplexity of the repair. The pastowner reca lls a past repair to this unit.But they also have no recollection of asituation where the Century I was ofbenefit to a fai led Century IV.Since I need a TIB for [FR, I amfacing a dilemma: (I) Fix the unit as anautopilot/T&B or (2) Scrap the currentunit and replace with just a T&B unit.What are your thoughts?A: Talk to Autopi lot Central (918-836-64 18). The tum and bank can berepaired by Cen tu ry (316-683-7571),Kelly (800-835- 1054) or Quad CityInstruments (309-507- 1280).Gear motor overhaulJohn CesnikRice Lake, WisconsinQ: The gear motor quit on my H35.Could you recommend someone for anoverhaul or an exchange.A: We hear good member commentsabout Aircraft Systems (8 15-399-0225)and Aero Accessories (3 16-946-0701).Leaky gear strutsTheodore LichtmanBowie, MarylandQ: My S35's left main gear strut willno longer stay up at 5 inches. 1 have hadmy mechanic replace the O-ring sealswith new ones. The gear still dropsdown, but shows leaked hydraulic fluidwhere it is tied down. Adding nitrogengives it a temporary fix. Do you thinkthere is wear of the piston? If so, what isthe recommended fi x and who do yourecommend to fi x it?A: Five inches seems high. It soundslike the bushings may be worn or thecorrect O-ring wasn't changed. The