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For those of you who followed this thread, we’ve found the problem and it may surprise you. To remind you, the gear failed to retract on my 1973 337G after take-off and both alternators tripped off. Several tries failed the same way. Notice that none of the gear-retraction elements occurred (doors didn’t even open) and that the circuit breaker never popped.
After tests showed that the squat switch was OK and that if you manually pumped the doors open the hydraulic powerpack would close them promptly after the master switch was turned on, some people (principally Bob Cook) suggested it was an electrical problem, not a gear problem. The master solenoid switch, the alternators, the battery and all connections (including ground) became suspect.
OK, ready? It was a bone-dry battery. Filled it with distilled water and charged it, and everything is working fine now. I, of course, will take the heat for not being on top of this the way I should, but I thought you’d be interested. Couple of lessons here (aside from the importance of doing routine maintenance). First, the airplane is a system, and if one element is out of whack, some of the other elements may not work satisfactorily. Second, look for the obvious and simple stuff first. Don’t go off sending the powerpack to be overhauled.
Ernie
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