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Stuck with minus flaps


CT4ME

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FWIW... in the event of a power or mechanical failure... fear not, your CT will fly just fine stuck at -6.

I've been battling an intermittent problem with my flaps for a couple of years. Mostly they work fine, but once-in-a-while they get "stuck". Not mechanically stuck, but the switch doesn't seem to send the right signals. So instead of switching, the numbers just blink. In the past, they'd be stuck for a minute, or an hour, or a week... then just work. About a year ago, Roger poked, pushed, and prodded the circuit board, and they've worked mostly for a year.

But today, after cruising to a fly-in breakfast, they wouldn't come out of -6. No biggy... landed a bit faster than normal, but all was good.

When it came time to leave, I poked and prodded my best, but they just wouldn't budge from -6. So we flew home at -6 start-to-finish. No Biggy.

Sure, the rotation came later and faster, and climb was less, but it was a non-event. For the technical out there... 1/2 fuel, 2 people (360 lbs ), 1,500 ft altitude, 90 degrees temp.

I'm not advocating this... as "in the perfect storm" -6 flaps could combine with other circumstances to bite you... but it's good to know being stuck at -6 is not a deal-breaker.

In the future, if I think flaps will be a problem, I'll do my best to have them stick at 0 degrees!wink.gif

Tim

ps... for whatever reason, my "manual override" feature isn't/wasn't working either... the flap switch will not rotate over to the 9 o'clock spot anymore.

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Check the black plastic cap on the back of the metal tube looking thing (technical term) on the flap motor. Mine was a little loose with similar symptoms. A little duct tape to hold it in place fixed things right up. I agree flaps -6 works just fine, too. WF

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WF... I'll give it a check but I'm pretty sure it's in the circuit board. With the panel pulled out and powered up... (and the rotary switch moved to where its blinking)... just pressing on the circuit board, makes it start working. I'm thinking it's a cold solder joint, or a crack. I'm heading up to the hangar today with a usb microscope camera, a magnifying glass, and some good lights.

tim

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I'm curious whether or not your plane is hangered.

 

The first winter I owned my plane, it was outside and I'd have the same intermittent problem after it rained. Once it dried out and since I've kept it in a hanger, no more problems. Drying out and acrylic spraying the PC board might fix it.

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