1. Make sure that the bolt which goes thru the upper drag link onto which the actuator "fickle finger" is attached is NOT bent, and that it a series NAS 464 or a NAS 6604 bolt. The upper drag link should already have a welded support boss on the left side (looking at it from the front). If not, inquire about a K-175 modification.

2. With the nose off the ground and the gear pressurized in the down position, release the down lock and push rearward on the tire. This will tend to unlock the drag strut at the clamp. If this can be done with minimal pressure (< 5 lbs push on the tire), then there is not enough tension on the actuator pulling the upper drag link down into the over center locked position.

3. If loose as above, loosen the jam nut on the actuator and turn the "fickle finger" down onto the actuator shaft. Usually one to two turns will be sufficient. Recheck as above in step 2, or, have someone operate the gear from up to down and apply about 10 pounds rearward on the nose tire while the nose gear is coming down. This simulates an air load in flight. If the clamp does not lock, additional shortening of the actuator shaft is required. Continue until reliable clamping is attained, then resecure the jam nut. Note: if the nose gear does not have a modulating restrictor in the lower actuator fitting, the operation of the gear will be extremely fast (much too fast). We recommend that a 0.032" restrictor be installed to slow the extension time to approximately 5 seconds (7 seconds maximum, 3 seconds minimum).

4. It may be necessary in some cases to trim the portion of the actuator shaft which protrudes through the "fickle finger" so as not to interfere with the transverse bolt and nut.

5. If adjustment cannot be attained by this method either the bushings in the nose gear are worn or there is some distortion in the geometry of the nose gear system. Check the tube that supports the upper part of the drag link for bends etc and its security on the bulkheads. If everything appears to be OK, it may be necessary to thin the jam nut in order to gain a thread or two on the actuator, but this should only be done as a temporary measure. Occasionally a different "fickle finger" can be used (one in which the elongated slot is closer to the actuator shaft), but sometimes this causes other complications which must be dealt with. One can custom modify the "fickle finger", but it must be done with care and consideration for other effects. It is usually not necessary if nothing else is worn or bent.

6. After making the above adjustments, it is important to check the system for proper unlocking and uplock adjustment since any change in one adjustment will cause all other adjustments to go out of calibration.