A DC9-10 AFTER TKOF RETURNED TO THE FIELD DUE TO UNABLE TO RETRACT THE NOSE LNDG GEAR. CAUSED BY CONFUSING AND ERROR PRONE MANUAL RIGGING AND TEST PROCS.

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ON JUN/XA/01; I WAS INSTRUCTED TO WORK ON THE NOSE LNDG GEAR REPLACEMENT ON ACFT. PREVIOUS SHIFT HAD COMPLETED UP TO WORK STEP XYA OF ACR WORK CARD NOSE LNDG GEAR REPLACEMENT. I COMPLIED WITH WORK STEPS XYZ TO XYC TO INCLUDE ATTACHING THE NOSE LNDG GEAR ACTIVATING CYLINDER; REINSTALLING NOSEWHEEL AND SVCING THE NOSE LNDG GEAR STRUT ALONG WITH LUBRICATION OF THE NOSE LNDG GEAR ASSEMBLY. WHEN DONE WITH THAT; I ASSISTED ANOTHER TECHNICIAN WITH THE CABLE RIG OF THE GND SENSE CTL CABLES AND THE NOSE LNDG GEAR STEERING SYS BY RUNNING FOR PARTS AND VERIFYING CABLE TENSION CHARTS AND WORK STEPS FROM THE MAINT MANUAL BECAUSE OF THE CONFINED WORK AREA IN THE NOSEWHEEL WELL AREA. ONCE THE GND SENSE AND THE NOSE LNDG GEAR STEERING SYS RIGGING WAS COMPLETED; I MOVED ON TO THE NOSE GEAR STEERING FUNCTIONAL CHK. BY THIS TIME IT WAS THE END OF MY WORK SHIFT AND I TURNED IT OVER TO THE NEXT SHIFT MECH VERBALLY AND WITH A WRITTEN TURNOVER. ALL THAT REMAINED WAS TO DO A LNDG GEAR RETRACT/EXTENSION FUNCTIONAL CHK AND RECONNECT THE GEAR DOORS. THE FOLLOWING DAY ON THE FIRST FLT OUT; THE PLT HAD PROBS RETRACTING THE LNDG GEAR AND WITH PRESSURIZING THE ACFT CABIN. IT WAS BROUGHT BACK AND THE GND SENSE SYS WAS RERIGGED AND A FUNCTIONAL CHK PERFORMED AGAIN. IN MY OPINION THE LNDG GEAR RETRACTION PROB NEVER SHOULD HAVE MADE IT PAST THE FUNCTIONAL CHKOUT AND THE RIGGING PROC FOR THE GND SHIFT/SENSE SYS IN THE ACFT MAINT MANUAL LEAVES TOO MUCH ROOM FOR ERROR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE MAINT MANUAL HAS NO CLR AND CONCISE PROC FOR REPLACING THE NOSE LNDG GEAR. THE RPTR SAID THE MANUAL SKIPS TO SEPARATE NOSE GEAR COMPONENTS AND CONTAINS ERRORS NEVER CORRECTED.