Want a new instrument panel with a center-stack radio? No problem; I can do that for you. Those are easy and fun.
Are you tired of dead batteries because your engines still have the old generators? I can install that very nice Plane-Power alternator kit and fix your charging problems. (Check out the Photos page.)
Tired of the cabin door latch not working properly? I can fix that so your door closes and locks shut like a bank vault.
Common 310 Problems:
AILERON BELLCRANKS:
When was the last time the aileron bellcranks (in the wings) were greased? I can answer that… never. No one ever thinks to remove them and grease the needle bearings inside. And just squirting some oil up there doesn’t do any good. I take these out, clean the bearings and pack with fresh grease. The good part is you only have to do this once because while I have them out, I install a Zerk fitting. Then every annual, you just remove the access panel, connect a grease gun and give ‘em a squirt. The way Cessna should have done it in the first place…
CONTROL CABLE PULLEYS & BEARINGS:
Do your flight controls seem just a little stiff, like it takes just a bit more effort than it should? When you comment that it feels a bit like flying a truck, do mechanics say “Yeah, they’re all like that”? Well, they’re wrong. A 310 should fly and handle beautifully. Stiff flight controls can be caused by dry or frozen control surface bearings. These are only shielded, not sealed, and do eventually dry out. Replacing them is not hard (I made special tools) and every time I have replaced these bearings for a customer, they are amazed at how much smoother the airplane feels.
Another reason for stiff flight controls can be frozen cable pulleys. They don’t last forever and when the grease inside them dries out, they must be replaced. And no, spraying oil on them does no good at all; those bearings are pretty well sealed. Any oil you spray on them will only cause a mess and is not going to magically soak in thru the seals. The proper fix is to identify the frozen/stiff pulleys and replace them.
RUSTY CONTROL CABLES:
If they are rusty or have broken strands, they must be replaced.
STIFF ENGINE CONTROLS:
Are the engine control levers on your 310A – 310G hard to move? These 310’s have the Teleflex control cables, easily identified by the rigid aluminum outer casing. These cables are now very old and the grease inside has long ago dried out. There is only two ways to fix this: I can pull the inner cables out of the plane, clean them and reinstall them with black moly grease, or I can replace them entirely with modern flexible control cables. The Teleflex systems, even when cleaned and greased, still have quite a bit of friction. The new flexible cables are lined with Teflon and are silky-smooth. You should also know that replacement parts for the Teleflex systems are still available from the manufacturer, but they are horribly expensive.
And speaking of engine controls, the real “problem child” is the prop control cable. It runs right alongside the exhaust manifold and it gets really hot. So that causes problems, even with the newer flexible cables. But I have a fix for that.
STIFF TRIM TAB ACTUATORS:
The service manual actually calls out for these to be removed, taken apart, greased, reassembled and reinstalled every 1000 hours. And I promise you, NOBODY does this. And why not? Because it’s a horrible job; there is almost no access to the actuators. Sometimes a mechanic will unscrew the rod end and force some grease in there. That’s better than nothing but it only greases the “nut and bolt” threads inside the actuator. It doesn’t lubricate the bushings that the barrel nut rides in. Most of the time, the elevator actuator works just fine due to frequent use. But I usually see the aileron actuator completely frozen. The rudder actuator is about 50/50. This is not a fun job and I don’t enjoy it, but I have a few tricks to make it easier (and cheaper.) Talk to me and we will discuss your options.