ron sterba

Well Known Member
Do they make a tool to drill a hole in AN8 fittings such as gas and oil lines for safety wire tie offs? I guess I should say a jig of some sort.
What size holes are usually drilled in them?
Are there companies that make the AN fittings with holes already drilled in them?
Are the holes drilled thru the edge of the HEX high point or the most forward collar where the fitting starts its treads?
QB9a
Thanks
Ron in Oregon
 
Ron,

I should be down there later today and can attempt to demonstrate how I did it. Need a small supply of small drill bits (larger diameter than the safety wire) and a few extra AN fittings (unavoidably one gets ruined). I've done it with and without a drill press; can't say one way is better than the other.
 
Hi Ron

We were just discussing this issue recently, why AN fittings seldom come loose, even without safety wire.

Under torqueing, or not tightening them at all, seems to be the problem more often than not. There have been some reported airplane fires on here, as a result of loose fittings.

To that end, use torque seal...a pink looking paste, applied to both the nut and threads, AFTER you torque the fitting, so a glance will tell that that's been done and if the nut moves, the two pastes will misalign.

Best,
 
Pierre, Thanks got the torque seal but heres one that I run into that has me looking at the weakest link in the chair sorta speak. On my IO320 D1A , engine mech/fuel pump, The fitting for intake fuel, this fitting is straight and has a O-ring. With locktite 565 on the pipe threads on the fuel pump side I tighten to protect the O-ring ( this is the weakest pt in the chain I feel) but when I torqued the fuel line to the fitting ( using a wrench on the straight fitting and another on the AN feed hose fitting ) and completing my connections from the firewall/fuel feed hose I RECHECKED the (or double checked my connections that where made) straight fitting at the mech/fuel pump side only to find that the fitting was now backing out because of the less friction of the O ring. Should this fitting not be the one that has a O-ring?

Ron in Oregon
 
Is this the fitting you are referring to? Do you have a nut on the fitting? (these are not pipe threads).

cat-med_pump-fittings.jpg