As far as your problem with the aft canopy actuator problem, I have two things for you that you may not be aware of. First: There is no air pressure to the shuttle valve and the bottom of the actuator when the selector valve is in the closed position. That is why the leak stops when you close the canopy and the selector valve vents the air from the bottom.. The raise function works by the upper side of the piston having less surface area, but is always pressurized. When air is applied to the lower end the canopy goes up because the larger surface area of the bottom creates more force to make it extend. Second: The shuttle valve is attached to the actuator by a "fluid passage bolt". It is hollow and allows air to pass from two holes in the sides allowing the air from the shuttle valve to pass to the bottom of the actuator. The fluid passage bolt has two o-rings on it to seal the head of the bolt and the valve to the bottom of the actuator. This is where it always leaks. It is very easy to rip the o-rings during installation. The best method is to lubricate both o-rings with some pneumatic grease when you install the valve to make the o-rings slip a little instead of catching and ripping. Also seat the bolt fully in the shuttle valve and don't let it slip down during installation or the threads on the bolt will tear the o-ring that sits between the valve and the actuator. "By the book" the shuttle valve is meant to be installed with the actuator removed, although this is never really done in the 'real world" because the aft canopy actuator is unbelievably hard to remove. If you guys have a canopy maintenance strut, I can give you another shortcut.
A semi-living F-4 Phantom in America....as i live and breathe.... I didn't think there were any even being restored... Oh man... If you guys get this thing airworthy, I'm going to shed all kinds of tears of Joy. Cheers from the commercial mx side!
Awesome! I think I've seen your project online before. Would be nice to see yours's fly again someday but understand the limitations of why that isn't possible.
You are correct about no rat on the e models. In that space was rhaw boxes that i had to get to. . It was known as panel 185L and had about 150 screws to get it off. Thanks for the great videos.
I enjoyed the bit about the RAT. I was a Skyhawk guy, but we had a Phantom squadron next to us. Always saw the RAT getting checked on the Phantoms, but didn't know anything about it. I'm surprised that it's pneumatic, and even more surprised at how fast those doors close! Holy cow! It makes me even happier to have worked on the simple and safe RATs on the Skyhawks! Thanks for the video!
For all you old guys. The "C" and early "D" models had hydraulics in the rat. The end of 67 they came out with a TCTO to hook all the hyd systems together with just enough pressure to work esp the PC's.
Phantoms have some very very sharp edges. I always got some cuts working on them & a lot of other guys did also. Make super triple sure all is right before taking that bad boy up. They glide like a rock. Love to be at that airshow but no way I can do. These aircraft are awesome.
been in aviation for almost 20 years; I have NEVER seen a mechanic use a set of line wrenches for hydraulic lines and they absolutely should be...they make that job a hell of a lot less harder than it should be.
Thanks, only clip I have seen of an F4 Ram Air Turbine (RAT). I did see one having been deployed operationally on a J once that was then parked on a handling area.
Yeah, it's an interesting piece of equipment on these aircraft. Can't help but wonder what happened to that one J you saw? Some sort of electrical failure I imagine.
it's a good phantom plane, how old is it and it's normal that its systems slowly fail when there are no more spare parts for it. Your video is commendable, congratulations this option should be added to dcs for pilots to fly their own planes like you are doing on this, it would teach them to appreciate every module in dcs they have and to treat it like real pilots
Nice job explaining the HIPAC, you don't know how many N2 bottles we went through before we got that thing LOL!! I will never forget the day the rat tried to eat Al, that was scary, and there was a race to the cockpit to get it open again. Like a true crew chief though he stayed and made sure the flight went well. It was a July 4th night flight we did and was quite a day.
@@PaulLoveless-Cincinnati Yes we had a nightflight with an instantaneous time window we had to hit. The rat developed a leak that was too big to fly with so we had no choice but to repair it. We disconnected one of the doors and the pneumatic system had leaked down to somewhere below 1500 psi. While Al was working on it he accidentally overcentered the arm of the door that was still connected which triggered it to close. The rat came down pinning his arm and then the connected door tried to close on top of that. He was hurt pretty bad as it was, but if we had a full 3000 psi on the system I don't even want to think about how bad it would have been.
This is why I'm constantly amazed that the hostile country Iran, embargoed as best we can from getting F-4 parts, can still fly those things. I have heard a lot of them are indeed grounded (lack of parts, age, LEAKS). Yet, some fly. Iranian mechanics are pretty good.
With the Phantom being almost entirely electro-mechanical, I'd imagine she'd be fairly adaptable. As I understand it, they fly them somewhat regularly.
Safety wire pliers. Clamp the two strands of safety wire in the jaws, lock them and pull the silver knob in the center. That spins the pliers making a nice braid and saving time and effort.
@JohnMckeown-dl2cl I think it’s really neat that guys like you can give advice about working on these old warbirds, just in case the younger generation that never got to work on operational jets have any questions. I’m sure your hourly “tech support” rate isn’t cheap tho! 😂
As far as your problem with the aft canopy actuator problem, I have two things for you that you may not be aware of. First: There is no air pressure to the shuttle valve and the bottom of the actuator when the selector valve is in the closed position. That is why the leak stops when you close the canopy and the selector valve vents the air from the bottom.. The raise function works by the upper side of the piston having less surface area, but is always pressurized. When air is applied to the lower end the canopy goes up because the larger surface area of the bottom creates more force to make it extend. Second: The shuttle valve is attached to the actuator by a "fluid passage bolt". It is hollow and allows air to pass from two holes in the sides allowing the air from the shuttle valve to pass to the bottom of the actuator. The fluid passage bolt has two o-rings on it to seal the head of the bolt and the valve to the bottom of the actuator. This is where it always leaks. It is very easy to rip the o-rings during installation. The best method is to lubricate both o-rings with some pneumatic grease when you install the valve to make the o-rings slip a little instead of catching and ripping. Also seat the bolt fully in the shuttle valve and don't let it slip down during installation or the threads on the bolt will tear the o-ring that sits between the valve and the actuator. "By the book" the shuttle valve is meant to be installed with the actuator removed, although this is never really done in the 'real world" because the aft canopy actuator is unbelievably hard to remove. If you guys have a canopy maintenance strut, I can give you another shortcut.
Well. This guy definitely knows what the hell he is talking about lol.
Now there's a Phantom phixer who knows his Martin-Baker!
A semi-living F-4 Phantom in America....as i live and breathe....
I didn't think there were any even being restored...
Oh man... If you guys get this thing airworthy, I'm going to shed all kinds of tears of Joy.
Cheers from the commercial mx side!
Me too! I fell in love with the Phantom right before the last few active ones retired in 2016
I'm a British restoration worker for the British phantom aviation group and we are working on F4 Phantoms
lovely aircraft
Awesome! I think I've seen your project online before. Would be nice to see yours's fly again someday but understand the limitations of why that isn't possible.
@@DieselThunderAviation were actually think of ZE360 to fly again were not too sure but we are maybe stripping it down and putting new panels on it
Always something leaking on those phantoms. It's a job of whack'a'mole. Have fun at the airshow. Looking forward to the next vid.
The old man said good look fixing air leaks. You fix one, 4 more pop up. Its a never ending battle. It gets worse when it gets cold
You are correct about no rat on the e models. In that space was rhaw boxes that i had to get to. . It was known as panel 185L and had about 150 screws to get it off. Thanks for the great videos.
I enjoyed the bit about the RAT. I was a Skyhawk guy, but we had a Phantom squadron next to us. Always saw the RAT getting checked on the Phantoms, but didn't know anything about it. I'm surprised that it's pneumatic, and even more surprised at how fast those doors close! Holy cow! It makes me even happier to have worked on the simple and safe RATs on the Skyhawks! Thanks for the video!
For all you old guys. The "C" and early "D" models had hydraulics in the rat. The end of 67 they came out with a TCTO to hook all the hyd systems together with just enough pressure to work esp the PC's.
Thank-you for that info, I thought my memory was slipping. I only recall the C's having a RAT but not the D's.
You guys have my two favorite fighters: the F4 and the F104.
Certainly have an F-4, but we don't have a Starfighter. Over in Florida, Starfighter's Inc. has three flightworthy F-104's.
@@DieselThunderAviation My bad. Still the F-4 is a bit more sexy. Sent you some $$. Keep it up.
Phantoms have some very very sharp edges. I always got some cuts working on them & a lot of other guys did also. Make super triple sure all is right before taking that bad boy up. They glide like a rock. Love to be at that airshow but no way I can do. These aircraft are awesome.
been in aviation for almost 20 years; I have NEVER seen a mechanic use a set of line wrenches for hydraulic lines and they absolutely should be...they make that job a hell of a lot less harder than it should be.
These inside looks really drive home the complexity of these fighter jets. Much appreciation to you and the guys doing the work. Will be there Sunday.
Very complex, yes. Just as happy we don’t have to maintain the combat systems too. Keeping up with just the airplane is more than enough!
Back in my day as a Phantom Phixer aircraft battery charging would have been irrelevant. It was a time change item.
Correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't the batteries back then made using nickel-cadmium? Ours is using lead-acid.
@@DieselThunderAviation yes we had ni-cad batteries. Best technology at the time.
Our E models, Kurnass, most definatly did not have any emergency turbine anywhere on the fuselage.
Looking good.
Yep! E was the first version built without the RAT, and I don’t think any version after that got it either.
Dang leaks!!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, only clip I have seen of an F4 Ram Air Turbine (RAT). I did see one having been deployed operationally on a J once that was then parked on a handling area.
I used to work on the Marine J's
good times 🙂
Yeah, it's an interesting piece of equipment on these aircraft. Can't help but wonder what happened to that one J you saw? Some sort of electrical failure I imagine.
I was stationed at George AFB, and in the winter months, those actuators would leak. Hydraulic fluid did the trick on the shaft.
Good idea.
Good work on the F-4 Phantom ....Thanks
Old F-4 pilot Shoe🇺🇸.....l am old but not dead yet lol
it's a good phantom plane, how old is it and it's normal that its systems slowly fail when there are no more spare parts for it. Your video is commendable, congratulations
this option should be added to dcs for pilots to fly their own planes like you are doing on this, it would teach them to appreciate every module in dcs they have and to treat it like real pilots
Nice job explaining the HIPAC, you don't know how many N2 bottles we went through before we got that thing LOL!! I will never forget the day the rat tried to eat Al, that was scary, and there was a race to the cockpit to get it open again. Like a true crew chief though he stayed and made sure the flight went well. It was a July 4th night flight we did and was quite a day.
Certainly is a useful piece of equipment. Glad he was alright, but could only imagine how frantic that event was!
What does that mean: "the rat tries to eat AL?" Like someone's hand almost got caught in the fast closing doors?
@@PaulLoveless-Cincinnati Yes we had a nightflight with an instantaneous time window we had to hit. The rat developed a leak that was too big to fly with so we had no choice but to repair it. We disconnected one of the doors and the pneumatic system had leaked down to somewhere below 1500 psi. While Al was working on it he accidentally overcentered the arm of the door that was still connected which triggered it to close. The rat came down pinning his arm and then the connected door tried to close on top of that. He was hurt pretty bad as it was, but if we had a full 3000 psi on the system I don't even want to think about how bad it would have been.
Man I Love F-4s.
So do we!
As always great channel guys, thanks for the latest install, greetings from the UK.
RIP to the souls lost on the R44 that departed Ellington the other day.
Thanks Phantom Phixers for the video!
Our pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
RAT = ram air turbine I’m an ex f4 d crew chief
🥰
Do you sell Phantom T-Shirts online.
I wish we did, but not currently. Something I'm working on to get them in the Foundation web store but movement on that is a bit slow I'm afraid.
@@DieselThunderAviation copy thanks for the info. I live to far for the air show
This is why I'm constantly amazed that the hostile country Iran, embargoed as best we can from getting F-4 parts, can still fly those things. I have heard a lot of them are indeed grounded (lack of parts, age, LEAKS). Yet, some fly. Iranian mechanics are pretty good.
With the Phantom being almost entirely electro-mechanical, I'd imagine she'd be fairly adaptable. As I understand it, they fly them somewhat regularly.
00:44 sec what tool is that?
That he is using? Those are lock wire pliers.
Safety wire pliers. Clamp the two strands of safety wire in the jaws, lock them and pull the silver knob in the center. That spins the pliers making a nice braid and saving time and effort.
@JohnMckeown-dl2cl I think it’s really neat that guys like you can give advice about working on these old warbirds, just in case the younger generation that never got to work on operational jets have any questions. I’m sure your hourly “tech support” rate isn’t cheap tho! 😂
Yeah just pull those two yellow striped handles straight up. That seat will come right out of that plane in a jiff...