PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-631
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 631
JUNE 2005
M
echanics, the Kiowa engine deck’s upper and lower oil drain tubes may be out of
sight, but don’t ignore cleaning the tubes at regular intervals—and more often in the
desert.
The tubes allow excess oil and condensation
to drain off from the transmission and engine.
Oil and sand inside the tubes can dry out
and harden from the heat. When that happens,
fluid and condensation runoff will back up and
overflow the scupper. The liquid leaks into the
avionics bay on the AN/ARC-201 radio set’s
breather holes and shorts it out. Then your
communications are shut down.
Use an air blow gun, NSN 4940-00-333-5541, to clear obstructions from the
drain tubes or use safety wire and snake the tubes to clear up clogs from oil, sand
and dirt.
If the tubes are blocked by
hardened sand you’ll need to
remove them from the bird to
break up the sand to get it out.
If necessary, put in new tubes
if the old ones are NMC after
the sand is removed.
PS 631
JUN 05
39
B
lack Hawk, AH-64 and Kiowa Warrior crew chiefs, don’t assume all is well with
your countermeasure set even though you keep it covered on the desert flight line.
The cover, NSN 5865-01-109-1800, isn’t enough protection by itself. A handy
desert preventive maintenance measure is right at your finger tips.
Take an MRE cardboard box insert and wrap it around the countermeasure set.
Tape the ends of the cardboard together with duct tape, NSN 5640-00-103-2254,
and put the cover over the cardboard.
That protects the set from rocks and sand blown up when helicopters hover near
or fly over parked aircraft. The cardboard insert will save your unit $36 a pop for
each mirror pane that is saved.
Without the MRE cardboard box insert,
desert sand and small rocks caught in the
rotor wash can still break panes on the
countermeasure set with the cover on.
Make sure your countermeasure set stays
operational. Clean the mirrors in the desert
before takeoff and after each landing like it
says in Chap 4 of TM 11-5685-200-12.
That way, with the cardboard box and the
cleaning, you’ll be mission capable.
PS 631
JUN 05
38
OH-58D…
Of course,
always
clean
the tubes like
it says in
Para 4-4-15
of TM 1-1520-
248-23-2.
Check avionics bay for runoff
this drain
tube seems to
be
plugged!
there’s probably
hardened sand
stuck in the tube.
you know
what that
means,
don’t you?
hey, I’m gonna
need
more
protection
than just
that cover!
Countermeasure Set
Protection
Put MRE cardboard under cover
for extra protection
I know
just the
thing…
card-
board!
AN/ALQ-144A…
no
way!
way!
way!
way!
way!
yes!
no
way!
no
way!
no
way!
really?
631.38-39(C)
5/2/05
2:27 PM
Page 1
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