Ron,
It is my feeling the flap tube should just push up against the flap a bit, with light pressure, or just touching.  See the SB 16 (if you can understand it) on the flap cross tube fitting. 
How the SB should have been written is something like this. 
When the flaps are up they should be in contact with the flap tube or near to it, and when you push the flap by hand further outboard on preflight, the flap should slide outboard a bit.  However, the flap must not be pushed by the flap tube so far outboard so as to bind with the close out at the aileron.  Typically, a perfect flap will, when retracted, allow you to push outboard just a bit like an 1/8 to 3/16, and of course when extended, not to be able to be pulled off the flap drive pin under any outboard pull.  
As you have found out, the flap pin begins to slide outboard just a bit on extension. The SB indicates no more than 15 mm or about 5/8 inch should be exposed of the flap pin.  That does not tell the whole story.  Make sure it will not under any circumstance pull off the pin when extended even on a firm pull.  On my aircraft, the flap still will hit the closeout when extended at the aileron and stop the flap pin from disengaging the flap tube bearing with about 1/2 inch pin exposure.

Regards,
Bud 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: rparigor@suffolk.lib.ny.us<mailto:rparigor@suffolk.lib.ny.us> 
  To: Bud Yearly<mailto:budyerly@msn.com> 
  Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 8:05 PM
  Subject: How much flap cross tube clearance?


  Hi Bud

  How much clearance should there be between the bearing in the cross-tube and flap root rib (I imagine this clearance should be the same on each side?) with the flaps retracted (against the Europa wing template)?

  "There should be a small clearance between the bearing in the cross-tube and the flap root rib. Withouta clearance, the flaps will be pushed outboard as they retract."

  Thx.
  Ron Parigoris