Fasteners for the contactors

The Master and Starter contactors come with spring washers and nuts for the spindles (is that what the threaded things that you put the connectors onto are called). For a start, the spindles are too short. I can't get even one thread out of the nut on the ground spindle for the master contactor after I've put on Van's protection diode. And anyway, I thought we were meant to use nylock nuts for aviation applications. Should i just get a thin washer and a thin nyloc and use them instead?

Ken Stanton
8QB Fuse and wiring

Nuts & Washers

kens_cockpit said:

The Master and Starter contactors come with spring washers and nuts for the spindles (is that what the threaded things that you put the connectors onto are called). For a start, the spindles are too short. I can't get even one thread out of the nut on the ground spindle for the master contactor after I've put on Van's protection diode. And anyway, I thought we were meant to use nylock nuts for aviation applications. Should i just get a thin washer and a thin nyloc and use them instead?

Ken Stanton
8QB Fuse and wiring

Click to expand...

Admittedly I am almost done with the wings.
I have not seen the contactors that Vans supplies.

The most common ones on certified craft have a thin or medium machine nut, not a finished hex nut. The difference is the width across the flats, IE 5/16 thread size, machine nut has 9/16 across the flats, finished hex nut has 1/2" across flats.

The nuts are not self locking but are used with a external star lock washer, I have seen bronze lock washers and cad plated ones. There is usually a flat washer between the terminal and the lock washer, keeping the nut from loosening even if the terminal end on the cable is moved. It all seems to work, but there may be a better way, it looks pretty old school.

I have not seen self locking nuts come on any contactors or their electrical studs from any aircraft from any factory. I am not saying it wont work, I just haven't seen them.

Someone else may have and will hopefully fill us in.