Broken rudder return spring

[Richgj3]

I had a suspicion this was a problem when I disconnected my tail wheel and saw the rudder pedals were not even and the rudder was slightly off to one side. I needed to hold a touch of right rudder in cruise. I’m not sure it hasn’t been that way since I’ve owned it. Now it’s

IMG_8613.jpeg

annual time and we looked through the inspection hole in the belly under the pedals found the broken spring. Univair has it. $$$$$

[mit]

paying the money is easier than getting it hooked up!

[170driver]

I am replacing my left one right now as well… Air Power Inc. had springs for both sides in stock. Not fun/easy to R&R..good luck

[GAHorn]

This used to be one of the Least-Expensive parts Cessna sells…. Univair: https://www.univair.com/cessna/cessna-1 ... ring-left/

https://www.univair.com/cessna/cessna-1 ... ing-right/

[DaveF]

Credit Dick Lemmon: the trick to replacing the springs is to disconnect the rudder cables at the rudder horn so you have plenty of slack to work with. After replacing the springs it’s fairly easy to reattach the cables to the horn.

[dstates]

Here is another thread about rudder return springs. I had good luck replacing them using some safety wire to pull back and to the side to get mine installed.
viewtopic.php?t=15024


Doug

[Richgj3]

Just to close out the thread, got the new spring installed today. Not too bad. My A&P buddy did the work. As he put it, it was a lot easier than getting that #$&@% back seat in.

[ghostflyer]

It wish I had met Dick Lemmon , he was a very interesting and knowledgeable person. Loved his logic on the forum. Actually i used to look forward to his forum inputs. I have used his method of replacing the rudder springs on Two occasions . The left side broke ,replaced it and inspected the RH side and it looked good . Two weeks later [6 hours of flying ]
guess which one broke ? Yep, the Rh side . I should have changed both .

[GAHorn]

It’s impossible to think of the Blueldr without a smile and a tear. Even a “corrective scolding” from that man was a humorous pleasure….(not that I’d know anything about that…)

I once (anonymously and without a return-address) sent him a “racy” photograph taken of an “extra-curricular cockpit activity” …. About a week later I received an equally anonymous envelope in the mail…. containing a One-Dollar Bill.

[flyboy31r]

I found a broken spring on mine. $74 for a spring! I had my mechanic buy the other one also $84 (They are different!) just to "freshen up the good one. After watching 3 mechanics try to hook up the springs for 2 hours, learning some new words along the way, I walked out he door $400 poorer. ($100/hr shop rate).
What a difference it made! Lots of money, but needs to be done!

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

To complete the circle, there are several threads how to install a rudder return spring and may pictures and even a tool I made.

Here is the link: viewtopic.php?t=7739 which beside being 4 pages long has links to a few other threads.

Knowing what you are about to get into cuts the time in half. Seeing pictures what our trying to do cuts the time by a half. Making a tool cuts that time in half. Having your persuasive vocabulary prepared cuts the time by half. With all the mentioned time savings plan on an hour a spring, twice the vocabulary you think you'll need. When you do both springs in a half hour, use the saved time to think how smart you were to join this group and read this thread and are happy to support the forum by joining the TIC170A.