Help please. Rv 14 lens nut plate

[Chrisw]

Need some guidance. Ive got what appears to be a 6/32 machine screw not tightening on the lense cover. I havent removed it yet. Im thinking a plate nut became un bonded? I dont want to remove wing tip. Im thinking of trying to get leverage under it hoping whatever it tightens into i can put upward pressure on it and get it to re tighten. Otherwise it will simply back out if no backing nut is attached. What would typically be backing this screw? Any advice on a fix? I really dont want to blind rivet or something like that as removal would be more of a pain. Only two screws hold this cover. One on top in the corner and exact location underneath.

 

[Bavafa]

Out of curiosity, any reason you don't want to remove the wingtip? I know there are a number of screws but that way you get to fix it once and for all. The lens is held up by two 6-32 screw as you mentioned and the nut plate typically is riveted and not glued. You might be able to get your hand thru the landing light hole, if you have a very skinny arm to reach and hold the nut plate while someone tighten it but that is only a band aid.

 

[Chrisw]

Out of curiosity, any reason you don't want to remove the wingtip? I know there are a number of screws but that way you get to fix it once and for all. The lens is held up by two 6-32 screw as you mentioned and the nut plate typically is riveted and not glued. You might be able to get your hand thru the landing light hole, if you have a very skinny arm to reach and hold the nut plate while someone tighten it but that is only a band aid.

No real reason other than not wanting to open any other can of worms. New to me plane, paint is close to perfect, I dont know if wingtips were painted separately or while attached… if the backing plate was riveted and is now released, I think I would see more evidence of that. I really think it was bonded. I dont see any evidence of rivets. But… I suppose off comes the wingtip. I will purchase some backing nuts and epoxy a new one. Thank you

 

[Bavafa]

No real reason other than not wanting to open any other can of worms. New to me plane, paint is close to perfect, I dont know if wingtips were painted separately or while attached… if the backing plate was riveted and is now released, I think I would see more evidence of that. I really think it was bonded. I dont see any evidence of rivets. But… I suppose off comes the wingtip. I will purchase some backing nuts and epoxy a new one. Thank you

With airplanes, if there are any can of worms, it is best to be found early but don't worry not much is there.
when you go to put the thing together, go very easy on the screws that hold the wingtip to the wing. Tightening them too much will mess up your paint, especially if it was painted recently.

 

[Chrisw]

With airplanes, if there are any can of worms, it is best to be found early but don't worry not much is there.
when you go to put the thing together, go very easy on the screws that hold the wingtip to the wing. Tightening them too much will mess up your paint, especially if it was painted recently.

Yes, I will take care. I found the lense issue when I was washing the plane and went through and tightened all screws. Most were tight but surprisingly I found a few loose. I was very cognizant and careful not to excessively tighten. I’m sure this has been there for hours and just hasn’t been discovered. With those two small screws there must not be much force placed on that cover. At 160 kts i’m surprised it hasn’t departed the plane.

 

[wnplt]

Put in a rivnut...

 

[Chrisw]

Put in a rivnut...

I was thinking the same thing. I was just worried because I knew to the whole rivet process and I did not want to do anything to structurally weekend the fiberglass wingtip. I think I’ll order a set ofrivnuts. They have to come in handy anyway.

 

[Desert Rat]

I was thinking the same thing. I was just worried because I knew to the whole rivet process and I did not want to do anything to structurally weekend the fiberglass wingtip. I think I’ll order a set ofrivnuts. They have to come in handy anyway.

If I had the wingtip off anyway I'd just do it right and put in a nutplate.

If you do't want to use solid rivets, cherry makes some non-structural pull rivets that are small enough for nutplates and soft enough that you can pull them with a hardware store pop rivet puller without damaging your fiberglass wingtip

 

[Richard Connell]

I agree that taking the wingtip off (or alternatively below) and installing a #6 nut plate is the way to go.
Rivnuts are the devils work and if you put one into fiberglass you’re just asking for trouble.
Have you tried removing the screw?
Plans call for a nutplate there but I have seen all manner of shoddy work on non structural parts in my time. Wouldn’t surprise me if someone’s been lazy and used a self tapping screw.

An alternative thought - If you can get whatever’s there out:
-Drill for a plate nut from the outside.
-Remove the landing light lens in the outboard leading edge.
-use a combination of fishing line, magnets and a vacuum cleaner to pull a nutplate up to the back of the wingtip and blind rivet it on.

You’d be amazed at where you can get nutplates to with a bit of planning and fiddling.

 

[jrs14855]

Rivnuts are not a good idea for this application. They don't work well in fiberglas and the hole is likely to be too large for a 6-32 rivnut. Remove the wingtip and do it right.

 

[MV-RVer]

What about drilling out one of the rivets, then rotate the lug into place and install a CS flush pop rivet an MK I think. Then do the other one.

 

[Chrisw]

I agree that taking the wingtip off (or alternatively below) and installing a #6 nut plate is the way to go.
Rivnuts are the devils work and if you put one into fiberglass you’re just asking for trouble.
Have you tried removing the screw?
Plans call for a nutplate there but I have seen all manner of shoddy work on non structural parts in my time. Wouldn’t surprise me if someone’s been lazy and used a self tapping screw.

An alternative thought - If you can get whatever’s there out:
-Drill for a plate nut from the outside.
-Remove the landing light lens in the outboard leading edge.
-use a combination of fishing line, magnets and a vacuum cleaner to pull a nutplate up to the back of the wingtip and blind rivet it on.

You’d be amazed at where you can get nutplates to with a bit of planning and fiddling.

Im going to try and put back pressure on the screw tomorrow like with a feeler gauge or jewelers screwdriver and see if i can stop the spinning nutplate. It feels like there is a spinning something there. It just wont tighten. If I can’t get it to tighten, I will hit it with a magnet or super glue to unscrew. If it doesn’t come out, wing tip comes off. I just want to fly and this is the first weekend with good weather and i dont want to spend time jacking with nut plates all weekend. I get it with the magnets etc but with all that effort, I may as well remove wingtip and fix it. I just dont want to get into fixing more nutplates after removing.

 

[Chrisw]

What about drilling out one of the rivets, then rotate the lug into place and install a CS flush pop rivet an MK I think. Then do the other one.

I’m not sure I see any evidence of rivets in a nutplate. I see the plans, but unless the paint shop faired this spot, there are no rivets. I really feel like nutplates were epoxied on. Ill let you know tomorrow.

 

[HFS]

As mentioned/suggested earlier - is there a landing light in the LE close enough for access through it to the anchor nut "site"? Maybe restricted access, but still a way to (at least) fish a custom based anchor nut (think Oakie Click Bond) into position to be "bonded in"; and, with slight "relief" of the deformed threads not to have to put quite as much torque on the initial installation (if it makes you feel better, use (sparingly) Blue Locktite for extra retention). For removal, at a later time, a little heat applied at the sight will "release" the bond.

Just curious - HFS

 

[Roy Thoma]

Another option is to remove the wingtip
remove the nut plate originally installed
scuff the area where the nut plate was
add a blob of flox (epoxy and flocked cotton)
after the flox has cured
drill and tap for the appropriate screw.

Regards,

 

[Desert Rat]

Im going to try and put back pressure on the screw tomorrow like with a feeler gauge or jewelers screwdriver and see if i can stop the spinning nutplate. It feels like there is a spinning something there. It just wont tighten. If I can’t get it to tighten, I will hit it with a magnet or super glue to unscrew. If it doesn’t come out, wing tip comes off. I just want to fly and this is the first weekend with good weather and i dont want to spend time jacking with nut plates all weekend. I get it with the magnets etc but with all that effort, I may as well remove wingtip and fix it. I just dont want to get into fixing more nutplates after removing.

Jeepers man. If this is all thats keeping you from flying just put a piece of tape over it and then fix it right later.

Just so you know, I'm not sure what the 14 lens covers are made of, but on my 7 they're soft enough that you can cut them with sheet metal shears. If a guy started prying on the underside it would be pretty easy to damage them. Likewise, I wouldn't use superglue anywhere near mine until I had verified that the fumes wouldn't cause them to get cloudy like happens with some types of plastic.

I'm going to predict that sooner or later that wingtip is coming off.

 

[JDA_BTR]

I put mine on with a nut plate and a gently squeezed long rivet. If I was going to bond it I'd put in a waxed screw and flox it. If it won't screw down, maybe if you can get a fingernail under the lip of the screw to bind the nut plate for removal you could do so. But I wouldn't use anything like a tool to lift the screw, or the plastic. It's possible you could pull the lens through the screw.... ironically making it easy to pull up the screw and likely get it out, but making that expensive lens unattachium.

I suppose if you could get a few wraps of dental floss under the head you might be able to bind up the nut plate without hurting the lens.

Let's say it works - the nut plate then falls back and you can't put a new screw in anyway. So yes, the wingtip will likely have to come off unless you are lucky and it is just the screw stripped in the plate. Not likely but remotely possible.

 

[Webb]

If the screw wont tighten and the nutplate is still attached, you can put a thin strip of plastic like a shaved cable tie in the hole and then put the screw in. Clip the extra before completely seating the screw. Much like putting a toothpick in a house door hinge screw hole that has gotten wallered out.