PA 32 Landing Gear

[040hurts]

Wondering if anyone has any tips on Pipers PA 32 fixed - oleo style gear. Where they usualy crack, servicing tips. Been having a reccuring problem with pressure loss. Anything would help as Piper manuals suck. PM me if you wish

[twistedoldwrench]

Have you put a new aluminum washer under the valve fitting. I am assuming that you do not also have fluid leaking from the lower seals!

[040hurts]

There is no trace of any fluid from the lower seals, there is a new valve body installed with a new washer, both the valve body and core have been checked with sherlock leak check, not a single bubble.

[twistedoldwrench]

The only thing that is a bit out of the ordinary with these gear is the fluid replenishing side of things, If you check out the MM servicing section it shows that the leg is divided into an upper an lower chamber. In order to get the correct amount of fluid in the gear, you need to disconnect the sissor and get at least 10 inches of oleo exposed, in order to get fluid into that bottom section. After that filler up as usual, colapse the gear completely until no more fluid is expelled, then nitogen on top to specified extension. Extension dimensions are at full fuel, gross weight, or empty??makes a big differance- can remember at this point.
Good luck!

[86583]

I've had a PA-32 300 now for over 25 years, (1973 model) and your right the oleo's can be a pain....mine uses a quad ring as the main seal, don't know what years they went from an o-ring or when they went back to an o-ring, but the quad ring is a pain....what I've seen with mine is that it's not uncommon to find scoring in the chrome at the upper end of the strut that will allow slow air leakage but only in flight when the strut is fully extended, compressed on the ground it will hold all day long...