Tailwheel unlocking too easily/not steerable to the right

I noticed while taxiing today that any time I try to turn right on the ground I had to use brake to get the tailwheel to turn. I could easily turn left with left pedal but as soon as I tried to turn right, even shallow turns with just a tiny bit of right pedal, I could feel the rudder break free without simultaneously turning the tailwheel. After 400 hours on the tailwheel I notice a clear difference, so something has changed.

I assumed this to be the typical case of the spring/pin mechanism getting stiff or developing a burr and not extending all the way. However I took the tailwheel apart, cleaned and inspected the spring and pin (pin seemed smooth and burr free), and put it back together. Both before and after the cleaning the pin seemed to operate as it should on the bench. For good measure, I then reinstalled the spring/pin in the opposite direction to see if my problem turning problems shifted to the left but they remain only on the right.

FWIW, I have the standard chains on a Bell tailwheel fork. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Sounds like excessive wear on the steering arm, specifically the slot that the locking pin rides in. It only takes a few thou of wear to cause this behavior. Fortunately they are cheap (around $25) and easily replaceable. I replaced mine at around 700 hours because of similar behavior, and it made all the difference.

Since the problem is more pronounced in one direction, you might try flipping the arm left/ right and seeing if the problem moves with it.

What Jeff said +1. If the slot is worn it won't hold the pin in place and so the tailwheel freewheels. Makes the steering feel like your driving on ice, i.e. very sensitive.

A similar issue has happened to me when the pin slot in the steering arm is too shallow -- in that instance the pin won't engage fully and pops out easily. Same result.

Chris

Thanks guys. A good place to start. I'll see if I can find the part on vans website.