Mechanic's Mistakes!

[iowa]

i read the thread on 'DYE'
on finding an oil leak.
it reminded me of a brake line
leak that just about drove me crazy
about 10 years ago.
to make a long story short,
i spend many $'s on MC,
adjustments, etc.
and still the brakes would go flat
after several months.
(unless, I faithfully added brake fluid
every other week)
finally, i did a little checking myself
and discovered a thin line of brk line fluid
running down the right landing strut.
as it turned out,
i had a pin hole in the brake line
that was covered up by the little clip
that holds this line to the strut.l
i replaced the brake line,
and i have had zero problems since.
how do you'all handle obvious
mechanics mistakes?
dave

[N2255D]

I smack myself on the forehead an say "you dummy, don't do that again"

[doug8082a]

You should smack your mechanic in the forehead

[N2255D]

I Did!

[iowa]

had another instance
of the plane running rough
on run up on one mag.
mechanic told me it was ok.
when i got home
(both mags ran fine)
and home is only 20mi
i let engine cool down,
then started it up and ran
it for 1 min on the one mag.
and located the cool cylinder
and checked the plug
and sure enough,
the tip was bent
from an obvious drop!!
bent it back and it ran like a top.
i'm no mechanic,
but s.t.'s i feel i could do it better!
dave

[c170b53]

Wish I could do the same with my screwed up hernia operation. Anyone can make a mistake. As for the airplane, the pilot always has the last say, whether right or wrong, in all cases its really the recovery and how its handled that matters.

[iowa]

also a good point,
and thats why i've never made a big deal of it.
i've been back to the same mechanic for 25 years now.
99.99% of the time he's great,
and thats probably better odds
then with most doctors!!
dave

[N2255D]

Got to watch out for those who never make a mistake. They are the ones not doing alot.

[GAHorn]

The brake line pin-hole wasn't that obvious.... obviously...
(The clip is steel. The line is aluminum. The rubber hose/cushion holds moisture. It's a set up for problems. It's something that should be added to annual inspections.....slide the rubber hose and clip up/down and inspect the line.)
I've also had NEW aluminum tubing arrive from the supplier with pin-holes. (pressure test all new hoses and tubing)

[blueldr]

Iowa,

Be advised that standard procedure is that a "dropped" spark plug should be condemned. there being no sure way that you can eliminate the possibility of a cracked cermic insulator inside the shielded body that may allow electrical leakage to the outer shell under heat and pressure during operation.

[johneeb]

Iowa,

Be advised that standard procedure is that a "dropped" spark plug should be condemned. there being no sure way that you can eliminate the possibility of a cracked cermic insulator inside the shielded body that may allow electrical leakage to the outer shell under heat and pressure during operation.

BL,
The adage I was taught in my youth regarding droped spark plugs was, "Drop a spark plug once, drop it twice, the second time into the garbage can".

[iowa]

john thats a pretty good adage.
i did replace all the plugs
shortly after that.
dave

[Boiler Bill]

Like anything theres good ones and bad ones. The first 170 I bought was in Missouri. It took the mechanic two full days to inspect the plane and paper work. I was with him the whole two days. Then He charged me about $180. for the two days. I couldnt believe all the work he did and how careful he was in checking everything and giving me advice. The next 170 I bought in Wash. State the mechanic showed up when he felt like it, had me and the owner waitting for hours. Over looked alot of things that I caught and was willing to sign off the plane with no Elt. Bad battery, Mags were due for rebuild, seat rails were bad, compass didnt work, Manifold pressure didnt work and the list goes on, we didnt get the log books back for three months, also the stall buzzer didnt work and the buzzer micro switch in the wing didnt work. I hired another mechanic I knew to repair everything we could find after I got it to my hanger. I was also with all these mechanics while they worked on the plane. One thing for sure is you learn alot that way. About the plane and the Mechanics.

[1SeventyZ]

Iowa, are you posts optimized for reading on a cell phone browser?

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Iowa, are you posts optimized for reading on a cell phone browser?

I thought he was writing in verse