Last month I had a Cessna 172 come in for a simple oil change and ended up finding metal chunks in the filter. Spent the next 3 days pulling the engine apart to find a cracked piston ring on cylinder 3. The owner kept asking why it took so long and I had to explain every step to him each morning. Then on Friday I dropped a 10mm socket into the intake on a different plane and had to fish it out with a scope for an hour. Has anyone else had a week where everything just snowballed like that?
Spent last Friday on a right engine oil cooler swap on a 737. Got everything torqued to spec, ran the pressure test, and it was fine. Went to lunch and came back to a puddle of oil on the hangar floor. Turns out the gasket surface had a hairline crack I missed in the dim lighting. Now I gotta pull the whole thing off again tomorrow morning. Anyone else had a part come back to haunt them after you thought you were done?
I bought a $40 borescope off Amazon to inspect a cylinder on a Cessna 172 last month. The picture was so blurry I couldn't tell carbon buildup from a crack. Ended up borrowing my buddy's Snap-on scope that costs 5 times as much and finished the job in 20 minutes. Has anyone else had luck with a decent budget borescope, or am I just cheap?
I've been working on this Cessna 210 for three days trying to figure out why it was running rough on the right mag. Checked timing, swapped harnesses, even pulled the mag and bench tested it. Nothing changed. Yesterday I finally decided to just pull all six spark plugs and clean them with a wire brush and some brake cleaner. The difference was insane. Went from a 150 RPM drop to maybe 20 RPM drop on the mag check. I guess the previous mechanic wasn't using anti-seize and they were just caked with lead deposits from the 100LL. Now I'm wondering how many other times I could have saved myself a headache by starting with the simplest thing. Have you guys ever spent way too long chasing an issue that was just dirty plugs?
I finally caved and bought a $120 borescope off Amazon to inspect some cylinder walls on a Cessna 172 we had in the shop. Figured it would save me from pulling the head off just to check for scoring. First use and the camera fogged up after 30 seconds, then the image started flickering like crazy. Ended up borrowing my buddy's Snap-on scope and saw the damage clear as day right away. Now I'm out $120 and still had to buy the good one anyway. Anyone else get burned by cheap inspection tools that just don't hold up? What borescope do you actually trust for real work?
I was working on a Cessna 172 cowling yesterday and this older mechanic kept telling me to just snug the bolts by feel instead of grabbing the torque wrench. He said he's been doing it for 25 years and never had one come loose. But I was taught you ALWAYS torque to spec, especially on anything flight critical. He laughed and said the spec is just a guide for new guys. Now I'm second guessing myself. Which side is actually right in the real world? Has anyone actually seen a bolt fail from not being torqued right on a small GA plane?
Had a guy at a hangar in Phoenix tell me safety wire is the only way to go, said cable is just lazy work. Then a mechanic I trust showed me a bird strike where cable held but wire snapped. Which do you guys lean toward for critical flight control bolts?
It was during a routine 100-hour inspection at my shop near Phoenix. The crack was hidden behind a bracket - anyone else find something scary on a plane that should have been caught sooner?
Sent it back for warranty and they said it was 'user abuse.' Never buying their overpriced tools again. Anyone else ditch Snap-On for something cheaper that actually holds up?
Old Hank kept insisting you could find metal shavings in an oil filter by rubbing a magnet on the outside, and I thought he was crazy. After I missed a fleck that grounded a King Air for 3 days, I tried it on my next filter and a tiny sliver jumped right to the can. Anyone else have a 'dumb trick' that actually saved them from a major headache?
I was doing a routine wheel bearing repack on a 172 this morning. Got everything torqued and safetied, but I used a used cotter pin instead of a fresh one. Taxi test felt fine, but on the run-up the wheel started wobbling. That pin sheared clean off. Spent 2 hours redoing it all with a new pin and checking the hub for damage. Anyone else ever cheap out on hardware and pay for it?
Always thought it was just extra fluff for the inspectors, but saw a loose bolt on a flap track that would've been caught if someone had marked it. Has anyone else had torque seal save them from a bad day mid-inspection?
He said anything within 10% is fine for most bolts, just move on. Saved me 20 minutes per job after that. Anyone else have a habit you had to break?.
I got tired of borrowing the shop's cheap scope that had a blurry screen and stiff cable. Picked up a Depstech with a 5 inch screen and dual cameras off Amazon. First job I used it on was a baffle check on a Cessna 172 where I spotted a cracked bracket I would have missed. Customer paid for the extra labor and parts easily covering the cost. Now I won't touch a bird without it. Anyone else got a tool that you bought for personal use but your boss ended up borrowing all the time?
I was doing a pre-flight inspection at KDVT in Phoenix and noticed a weird wet spot near the right wing root. Turned out the fuel drain valve O-ring was completely cracked, dripping about 3-4 drops a minute. Replaced it on the ramp with a $2 part from the parts bin before the flight even left. Anyone else had a small part like that almost ground you?
Old timer at my hangar in Tulsa told me I was wasting time using a torque wrench on spark plugs, so I stopped for a few months. Then I pulled one out during a 100 hour and found the threads were starting to gall from being too tight. Has anyone else had a seasoned mechanic give them bad habits?
I was down at a Southwest maintenance base in Phoenix and noticed a mechanic using a zip tie trick to hold fuel line clamps open during a filter swap. Never seen that before, it saved him like 20 minutes of wrestling. Has anyone else picked up a weird hangar hack from just wandering around other shops?
I had a 2005 Cessna 172 come through the shop last month with a loose baffle seal that was flapping around near the number 4 cylinder. The original safety wire was a nightmare to remove because it was rusted into the holes, and I spent 20 minutes just cutting and pulling it out. So I tried using high-temp zip ties rated for 200 degrees instead of the usual stainless safety wire approach. Honestly, the zip ties held just as tight after a run-up test and they took me 5 minutes per side instead of 25. I checked with my IA buddy in Bakersfield and he said as long as it's not a critical control cable area, the FAA's okay with it for baffles on a non-pressurized engine. Has anyone else gotten pushback from a lead mechanic about this swap? I'm curious if there's a specific AD or service bulletin I'm missing.
I stopped by a little GA hangar outside Memphis last month to drop off a part for a friend. This old mechanic had a Cessna with a weeping fuel line and instead of ordering the exact clamp he just used a heavy duty zip tie cinched tight. I laughed at first but he showed me how it held perfect pressure for 3 hours on a test run. Now I keep a pack of those big zip ties in my box for temporary holds before the proper part comes in. Anyone else ever see a field fix that made you question why you overthink stuff?
I was doing a post-flight inspection last Tuesday at KPAE after a guy complained the plane didn't want to stay level. Found the trim tab attachment screw had backed out about 3 full threads, making the whole tab rattle at cruise speed. Tightened it with a #1 Phillips and a dab of thread locker, then took it up for a test hop. Smooth as butter after that. Has anyone else had a trim issue trace back to something this simple?
I've been using the same old Craftsman click-type torque wrench for about 8 years on engine work. Yesterday I had to torque down some cylinder base nuts on a PT6 and my buddy handed me his Snap-on digital one instead. The difference in feel and accuracy was night and day... that thing clicked so cleanly I actually heard the difference. Has anyone else switched to a digital torque wrench and noticed a real improvement in your work?
I fixed a static port issue on a CRJ200 that had been grounding the plane for 3 days. The captain came down to the hangar after the test flight and handed me a handwritten note saying I saved their schedule. Stuck it on my toolbox lid, right next to a faded sticker from my first A&P. Anyone else keep little mementos from jobs that went right?
I was down in Tucson last month visiting a buddy who works at one of the boneyards out there. We were just walking through this old hangar full of parts and I look up and see a 747 wing with a literal plastic lawn chair duct taped right onto the leading edge near the fuel vent. I asked my friend what the hell that was about and he said some mechanic used it as a quick seat while fixing a leak and just left it there for three days because nobody said anything. The tape was already sun baked and cracking off. I couldnt believe nobody caught it during the walkaround. Has anyone else seen something this dumb just sitting on a plane that somehow got ignored?