Realized why that old Otis car kept drifting at Terminal B

Last month I was troubleshooting a leveling issue at LaGuardia Terminal B. Checked everything three times. Then I noticed the rubber isolating grommets on the selector were shot. 17 years of vibration turned them to dust. Ever had a picky old machine fool you for hours?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_julia1d ago

Oh man, my sanity checked out around lunchtime on day two, so I guess the grommets just freed up a parking spot for it.

the_gavin1mo ago

Heard a guy swear by replacing rubber grommets first on those old Otis units. That saved your sanity or what?

casey_barnes1mo ago

Rubber grommets are the little things that'll get you every time. Had an old Dover unit at a mall in Jersey that was doing the same dance. Spent two whole days chasing a phantom leveling issue. Turned out the plastic bushings on the selector arm had worn down to almost nothing. They looked fine until I actually took them off and the difference was night and day after I swapped them out. Those little parts just disintegrate when they get old and nobody thinks to look at them first.