Warning,Attempt only if mechanicly inclined! My out of warranty USB flight sim yoke was unairworthy,(main shaft had excesseve play up and down,and side to side) So here Is how I took out the play using only teflon thread tape. First remove the the holdown clamps,then the 4 rubber pads at each corner of the underside of the case to access the screws under them. Remove all the screws. Holding the case firmly together, place the yoke right side up on a pillow and remove the top part of the case carefully. You will then see the 2 plastic round bushings that the yoke shaft slides thru, at the front and back of the case. carefully lift the shaft up out of the lower case to slide the rear bushing off the shaft. I then used a small butane torch to heat a razor blade held with vise grips, and cut about 1/8 th of an inch of material out of the rear bushing. since you would probaly have to desolder wires and disassemble the wires from inside the shaft out to the yoke handle controls to remove the front bushing, I decided to slide the front bushing as far towards the yoke handle as possable( to avoid defacing the part of the shaft where it slides thru the bushing), and make the hot razor cuts 180 degerees apart,basicly cutting the front bushing in half to get it off the yoke. (I made the cuts at the 6 oclock position on the shaft for cosmetic reasons) I then cleaned up all the edges of the bushings with a small file and fine grit sand paper to remove any burrs.Then I wrapped the teflon, or electrical tape if you wish,around the cut bushings after they were placed back in their positions on the yoke shaft( I had to experement, by screwing the case back together,and testing how much play I had. When I was happy I did a final inspection of the components for proper positioning,installed the upper case, and plugged her back in to the computer,for a check of all functions before tightning all the screws. For better holding power,I used the next size diameter up course threaded screws after reaming out the holes with the proper size drillbit( I used the same diameter bit as the inside diameter of the threaded part of the screw) I lubricated the shaft with Dow Corning silicon electrical insulating compound, and I am back flying! I see no reason not to use this same maintenance indefinitely, as long as the potentiometers hold up.:-) http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/65850.jpg

Jim,I do not dare to ever open a CH product again....ever. One set of pedals that have jammed wires + one teenager with highly limited mechanical abilities = $110 down the drain. :(Live and learn.... ...then pay for a new set. :+Jay :-wave

Thanks for the tip. Mine's only 4 months old, so it's barely even broken in yet.I have, however, solved the annoying "SPROIIIING" noise it makes when you operate the elevator with the ailerons at full defelection. It cost me the princely sum of... EIGHT CENTS. The problem is caused by how the centering springs are mounted to the base. They hook over a post that is capped with a screw and washer. This works fine when the aileron is neutral, but when you make a turn then pull up or push down, the spring rubs against the washer and makes that annoying noise. I fixed it by adding a second washer, a bit smaller than the existing metal one, made of nylon. More specifically, it is a No. 6 nylon flat washer, 1/16" thick, outside diameter 5/16". Even more specifically, it is part# 151158 at Lowes Hardware and retails for four cents each. Oh, as far as not wanting to open the case.. yep, there's all sorts of ways to put it back together wrong. I may be a lazy person, but I'm an EXPERIENCED lazy person, and there's nothing lazy people hate more than doing the same job 3 times because it just won't go tothether correctly. So, when I go to void my warranty, the first thing I do is take a bunch of digital pictures so I can use them to put it together again. BTW, if you want to see a REAL rat's nest of wiring, take a look behind the panel of the average 30 year old general aviation aircraft, especially one that's been through 3 or 4 avionics refits. I know someone who was restoring an early '60s Bonnanza who removed close to 30 pounds of wiring and equipment that was doing NOTHING... not hooked up at all.

I solved the "SPROIIIING", by installing longer screws with no washers, as the springs will never pop off of the heads unless you bounce it off the floor.

i'm just using a joystick at present but would like a yoke to use, would you guys recommend a ch yoke as i can't afford anything more expensive really.Paul.

The CH Products 3 lever USB yoke is best buy for the money, you should also get the CHP pedals also.