Nose Gear Issue In Cold Florida Weather

Thanks Gordie ...

We had no issue getting the parts we needed from Univair. I will tell you that the design is way more complex than I thought but my A&P was totally satisfied when he finished and it has been solid since then.

Gordie-

I know this is somewhat of an old post, but my nose strut is looking like it will need an overhaul soon.

Curious, did you run into any parts issue when rebuilding yours? Just wondering if everything fit per Univair...

Mike

The temperature here in North Florida has been way below average for this time of year. Today, the high was 43 and we are used to high 50s. I ran into an issue with my M-10 which is really unusual. We had one afternoon that was nice, cold but severe clear and I decided to go fly as the weather for the following days was pretty bleak, cold and rain. I checked the oil, sumped the fuel, and did my walkaround. As I was finishing, I saw a LOT of fluid in my drip pan. Looking even closer, I saw a LOT of fluid in the nose gear scissor.
Now I have had a lot of issues with oil leaks that I have spent considerable time and effort to stop. I just had the oil changed and my first thought was the quick drain did not get sealed correctly and was leaking. I called the mechanic that did the oil change (fortunately he is on my home field) and he ran by. We opened the cowl and he inspected the interior but did not see any evidence of an oil leak. As we continued to look, he tested the fluid and determined that it was NOT oil but hydraulic fluid. I went to the back and pushed the tail down to unload the nose gear. As it extended, out came fluid. What?
It seems that the cold weather had caused a seal failure in the nose gear strut. Probably these are the seals and O rings that were installed when 61F was built. Fortunately, it is the same strut as the Ercoupes so parts are pretty easily available. Unfortunately, it's the Holiday season so getting parts here will take some extra time. We called Univair and the parts are on order and, hopefully on the way.