Piper Aztec E

[anofly]

Any Aztec experience here? Maintenance?
a 2300 hour Aztec with a rather large gap between steering bellcrank rollers and the steering arm shims they hit. It has a rather large deadband when moving from say some right turn input to a left turn input. The shims are there and plenty thick. With things centered up the shims and rollers are about 0.250(yes a quarter inch .) apart on both sides . I wonder if something else is bent? any ideas?
there does not appear to be any wear of any appreciable amount on the rollers or the shims. Mtce Manual calls for a gap of 0.032 roller to shim. there is no way that much wore away, not even close. something has moved its just what?
Thanks

[Big Pistons Forever]

Wrong size rollers ?

[anofly]

I think rolllers are all the same (parts man shows them nested like russian dolls) and you take up the slack with a variety of offered shim thickness from piper (per the manual) (or make your own). We are going to take rollers apart to make sure it has 3 parts to it like parts book, in case someone lost something and put it together without all its parts!!. On single comanche (by the way) there are no shims, and you take up the space to steering horn with a variety of roller sizes! (per the manual) so you are in the right headspace. thanks

[anofly]

steering.jpg

found a steering torque tube weld repair, just under steering arm. that is not on any of the parts on ebay etc... damage field repaired, they shoulda at least painted it and done shim adjustment. Now we know. We can get a used part. I cannot attach pictures ? why is that what am I doing wrong? well I can attach 2! learning...

steering.jpg