PAI 700 VC Compass Failing

Had my cessna wet compas seal go out then the light fixture broke upon
removal was a simple $100.00 bill to get it rebuilt aka re sealed, should
work for another 30 years.

"Mike Spera" wrote in message
et...
My PAI 700 has performed quite well for the past 4 years or so until
now. I bought the "official" mounting bracket after seeing others that
were mounted without the bracket failing badly. Lately, even after
recalibration, I have noticed it seemed to be off 5 degrees or so
between 350 and 10 degrees. As slight tap on the side and it would get
back to where it should be. The other day with the nose pitched up into
a climb while turning, I noticed the thing sticking at North and
suddenly roll 100 degrees (to where it should have been) somewhere in
the turn. I just chalked it up to the very nose-high attitude the
student pilot friend had the plane into and the normal compass lead/lag
behavior.

The last straw was on the ground. While pointed at 150 degrees after the
runup, I reached over to set the DG to the compass and it was stuck at
North. A little tap to the side did nothing. A little bigger tap also
did nothing. Not until we rolled onto the runway and turned 30 degrees
did it finally catch up. These things do have a wee bit of sticking that
is usually not noticed if the engine is running and supplying its usual
copious vibrations. But this time it was sticking after a runup. This is
quite a bit of vibration.

So, a new one was ordered last night. I really cannot tolerate a balky
compass. But I had always praised this model over others because the
folks who I talked to all said this model would last the longest. Others
have had poor luck with the cheaper models.

Anyone else have or had a prematurely failed PAI 700? I figured one of
these units should last 7-10 years before the gearing wore out and began
sticking. Is my expectation unrealistic or was this one just a fluke?

Thanks,
Mike