The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

It's annual time and I'm wondering is there's a good way to lubricate the lower elevator pulley near the tail. I've tried snaking a tube down there and spraying the area with lubricant (LPS 2) but I've never been happy with that method. Is there some obvious trick of access that I'm missing? Save for cutting an inspection panel in the fuselage near the pulley (as in the Cessna 150) how do you get to this easily?

Blue Skies!

Kim Elmore N72994

Kim,
I feel your pain. And I don't think there is an 'obvious' solution to reaching the pulley bolt in question for a 'precision' application of LPS2. But this is what I've done: (1) Rolled out a semi-stiff, straight 20" lubrication 'wand' out of 1/8" copper tubing (like you use to connect your oil pressure gauge to your engine's accessory case), with an "L"-bend at one end; (2) coupled the plastic spray tube from the LPS2 can to the "L"-bend end of the 'wand' with some short coupling tubes fashioned from pieces of wire insulation; (3) inserted the wand through the LH rudder cable slot in the tailcone skin, (4) while pressing my left eye socket against the RH cable slot, with the tailcone interior illuminated by a bright miniature LED flashlight through the elevator cable opening at the rear bulkhead, (5) used my left hand to reach underneath the tailcone to grip, position and rest the 'wand' end on the pulley bolt head. Here is where the assistance of someone to press the button on the top of the LPS2 can is essential. Having shaken the can ahead of time and pre-filled the wand with lubricant is also helpful. Murmur (or shout, your choice) the command "squirt!", and observe most of the lubricant bathing the pulley bolt and bracket. Not elegant, does end up with some dripping onto the tailcone belly interior, but should do the trick.

Hire a really small person to crawl down inside the tail? I've done it myself, but it's getting harder!

You do have to snake around the bulkhead back there......but it's do-able. (or was the last time I did it.........Hello? help? )

Having the tail wheel up on a taller bucket or something so that the tail cone is more or less level is helpful, that way you're not fighting gravity to extradite yourself!

If you have a package shelf, climbing under the shelf, over the battery, and between the aileron cables can be a little tricky...

I used one of the long red tubes from the lps can and lightly heated it with a heat gun on low heat. Bending an angle into the tube. You can get it just right and spray the lower pulley from outside the tail.
Duane