350 B3 / 355 Swashplate Dust Cover

[Lunchbox]

Greasing the swashplate on a BA/B2 you can quickly lift up the boot to clean out the grease. The B3 and 355 have a dust cover that is much more involved to remove. The AMM makes no mention of removing the cover to clean out the grease. What are other B3 or 355 operators doing to clean out the grease? Remove the cover at every 100hr greasing or only every so often?

[ray]

With the 355's and B3's I worked on, the grease purged past the metal cover. Cleaned it up with an acid brush.

[Heliian]

Just grease and clean with an acid brush.  Wrap some electrical tape on the sharp edges of the brush and bristle end to prevent scratches.  I'm not sure if they had to delete the boot due to heat buildup but I thought it was odd.

[ray]

The boot got deleted because the swashplate gets relocated 2" up on the mast with dual hydraulics. The servos are longer with shorter pitch links, so a spacer sits under the swashplate.

[Three_Per]

Back in my 350 days, I would only lift up the cover during the larger inspections to get it really clean. In the field Just do what Heliian described. most of the grease you don't get with an acid brush will fling out on the first flight.  

[Heliian]

On 6/26/2019 at 1:48 PM, ray said:

The boot got deleted because the swashplate gets relocated 2" up on the mast with dual hydraulics. The servos are longer with shorter pitch links, so a spacer sits under the swashplate.

Thanks Ray,

That makes sense, did the single hydraulic b3 have a boot?

Cheers,

Ian

[ray]

Single hydraulics have a boot, dual hydraulics do not.

[Lunchbox]

On 6/25/2019 at 11:32 AM, ray said:

With the 355's and B3's I worked on, the grease purged past the metal cover. Cleaned it up with an acid brush.

If that's the case, then the cover hasn't been removed in a while.

I was thinking a good time to remove it and give it a good clean out would be at the T inspection.

[GrayHorizons]

when you read the procedure for greasing the bearing at 150FH, it does indicate you are to inspect the seal lips. It also indicates inspecting the grease for defects such as metal particles. We are all doing our jobs right?

while it doesn't say you have to remove the top cover.....its obvious this must be done to do so on a dual hyd B3, or a 355.