Build Story
Periodic Maintenance N178MT
Butch W.
Chapter 3 of 3
Back In the Saddle.
Aug 25, 2026
UIH,
Been chugging away on the MD900. The new replacement head arrived last week along with the swash follower and replacement self aliening bearing for the lower end of the impeller shaft. Over the weekend, I was able to get everything installed and work on some wire management. The use of tie string over ty-wraps looks much nicer. A little more work but worth it in the end. Still need to go though post maintenance check, some exterior work and minor paint work then back to the owner.
A few pics from the service.
Nice Jesus bolt. 😳
UIH
B
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9 Comments
Super clean setup !
Thanks,
Its going to get some upgrades and a fresh look.
B
Nice engineering !
A ball raced swashplate retainer (rotating scissors) would be better and requires no service. Vario part Nr. 68/20 (10mm) or 68/50 (12mm) depending on the shaft size.
That's the one on the way.
B
That Jesus bolt!?!?!?! No words……
Yea Right!!!
Do you think the bolt was a lower grade?
I do not remember when the last time that bolt was replaced. This bolt, P/N 053, is the bolt that is supplied with rotor head P/N 705/30 and is also used on the tail grips to hold the tail blades. The description has G-12 so would guess its a pretty strong bolt. The shank is not threaded so is the correct bolt to use in this application.
I wonder if the slop in the follower was the root cause over time. The follower have been replaced with P/N 68/20 which is ball raced opposed to the pins installed on the original driver. The bolt will be inspected and or replaced on a regular basis moving forward.
UIH,
B