To all the ES owners;

At approx. 60 hrs on my ES I noticed unusual wear on the inside 2 inches of
the right main tire.  I removed the wheel fairings, put it up on jacks and
found considerable movement of the wheel axle assembly.  I removed the 2 AN4
bolts holding the axle mounting bracket and discovered the bracket was very
loose on the main gear leg.  I was able to insert an .008" feeler gauge
between the gear leg and the axle bracket.  This loose fit had allowed
enough movement to cause the bolt shafts to wear.  Net result, the wheel
assembly was loose and considerably out of alignment.  I also checked the
left landing gear and it was also loose but only slightly.  What to do??

After conferring with Mike DeHate and another A&P, IA, I decided to wrap
shim stock around the gear leg sufficient to create a tight fit of the axle
bracket.  I installed new bolts, now a snug fit, and reinstalled the wheel
assembly after reversing the tire to even out the wear.  Rechecking the
alignment, this seemed to have solved the problem.

I will keep a close eye on this situation and give it a thorough inspection
at my annual condition inspection which is due in a few months.  I'm
concerned that my fix will be temporary and it will again get loose over
time.

My question is, have any other ES owners encountered this or a similar
problem?
If so, how did you resolve it?  Is this an inherent problem with the ES
gear?  Is there a better way to solve my problem?  All input would be
greatly appreciated.

Leon Smith
Prineville, OR
LNCE N63LS