Brake check?

[Raymo]

Originally Posted by TS Flightlines

Bill---I dont think you can put a time on it. Some guys are harder on brakes than others. High heat will transfer to the caliper, including the piston and o'ring. So the heat cycles will have an effect on the o'ring, causing issues. How long, is anyone's guess, but I'd have to say 250 hours (?).
maybe Grove, Matco, or Cleveland has a 'recommendation'.

Tom

Probably more appropriate to go by the number of landings versus flying hours. Unfortunately, our aircraft logbooks, unlike military types, don't track landings; it is retained in the pilot logbook.

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by TS Flightlines

Bill---I dont think you can put a time on it. Some guys are harder on brakes than others. High heat will transfer to the caliper, including the piston and o'ring. So the heat cycles will have an effect on the o'ring, causing issues. How long, is anyone's guess, but I'd have to say 250 hours (?).
maybe Grove, Matco, or Cleveland has a 'recommendation'.

Tom

I have almost 700 hours on mine. Sounds like they should be rebuilt?

Originally Posted by Raymo

Probably more appropriate to go by the number of landings versus flying hours. Unfortunately, our aircraft logbooks, unlike military types, don't track landings; it is retained in the pilot logbook.

I keep my logbook in Excel and since I'm the only one who flies it, I can tell you exactly how many landings I have on it. What I can't tell you is how many of those lands the brakes have been used.

[N941WR]

I called Cleveland AKA Parker Hannifin and was told to replace the O-rings in the master cylinders every 10 years. The O-rings in the calipers should be replaced every year, every two years at the most. The reason, I was told, is because of the heat build up in our small brakes can cause the O-rings to fail.

He mentioned that they consider 50 to 100 hours a year normal.

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

Well, that's certainly illuminating. Guess I have a new item to add to the annual list.

[BillFear]

Originally Posted by N941WR

I called Cleveland AKA Parker Hannifin and was told to replace the O-rings in the master cylinders every 10 years. The O-rings in the calipers should be replaced every year, every two years at the most. The reason, I was told, is because of the heat build up in our small brakes can cause the O-rings to fail.

He mentioned that they consider 50 to 100 hours a year normal.

We have a lot riding on those little o-rings. As I recall there is only one of them on each side. Thanks for the excellent post Bill.

[grubbat]

I know a feller who had an rv6a which had nice dark carpet. It was so dark, that he never noticed the sloooow brake fluid leak until one day, before he took off, brakes felt kinda mushy but nothing to write home about. Upon landing at long runway, right brake was unresponsive so long rollout was in order but no right turns. He got to walk his fine plane to the tiedown area. Carpet was completely saturated with brake fluid. Carpet went to the trash. Brakes needed new o-rings and was returned to service. Pilot was re-educated on pre-flight stuff and he too was returned to service. He said the -A model is no fun without brakes.

[TS Flightlines]

50-100 hours? HUM---well seems kinda often to me, but if thats what they recommend. YMMV of course. I guess we'll be keeping several set of o'rings handy, as well as our pressure bleeder.

Tom

[flyboy1963]

just some questions to learn from, no accusing here....

after a brake rebuild, do you have to break the pads in with long taxi's, or hard braking on a couple of landings? I would hope deficiencies would show up there.

what would show up at run-up when holding brakes for only a few seconds at high thrust? could you miss a slow leak?

Pistons/o-rings, just how much degradation can happen in a year or two? obviously more potential in hot/cold, dusty, seawater etc. or commercial use, but the Waddington effect of fully rebuilding my brakes every year after 25-50 landings seems counter intuitive.

what if you are using viton o-rings and synthetic fluid?

[flightlogic]

When mine failed, it was just after the engine sputtered on climb out. Later found rain water in the tank. Rode the brakes hard to get stopped before the runway ended. Brakes got very hot... then the puck blew the o-ring. Smoke coming out and a power screw driver is just not fast enough to get a wheel pant off! Found that someone had put one puck in backwards. Very little clearance under hard braking for the o-ring. I wish the puck was like the Claymore back in the day. At least it told which way to face it !

[Infidel]

I'm still baffled with the left brake failure and left wing impact/damage. No flame here either, but having a hard time drafting it in my mind.