How to remove a fuel stain?

[Dean Pichon]

After my last flight, I refueled the aircraft and pushed it into the hanger. I apparently left insufficient head space and did not seal the cap. The result of the recent warm weather in New England is this fuel stain on the wing. I tried to remove it with fresh fuel, but it didn't touch it. I'm surprised that fuel would stain the (Dupont Imron) paint in this way and hope someone on the forum can tell me how to fix this...

[IMG]gas shell near me[/IMG]

Thanks,

Dean

[plehrke]

Why did it not vent out of the vent tube? I?d check the vent tube for blockage.

Amazing that it left a stain like that. Looks like it pooled on a curved surface of the upper wing. My fluids class in colleges proved that not possible.

I use acetone to remove dried on fuel stains. Acetone does not effect my PPG concept but you may want to check imron.

[sibriggs]

I've had good luck using fuel to remove the green stain. Just soak a cloth in 100LL and soak the spot for a while and it will dissolve the green stain into the fresh fuel. Do it outside the hangar of course.

Steve

[Dean Pichon]

Originally Posted by plehrke

Why did it not vent out of the vent tube? I?d check the vent tube for blockage.

Amazing that it left a stain like that. Looks like it pooled on a curved surface of the upper wing. My fluids class in colleges proved that not possible.

I use acetone to remove dried on fuel stains. Acetone does not effect my PPG concept but you may want to check imron.

Thanks for the reply. I will check the vent, but I believe the fuel, as it expanded simply followed the path of least resistance. The fuel vent, at least in the RV-4, includes a loop that goes almost to the underside of the instrument panel. In order to push fuel out the vent, the tank would have to generate around 12" of head pressure. The unsealed cap is probably almost zero.

I'll check with Dupont to see if I can use acetone on Imron.

[Dean Pichon]

Originally Posted by sibriggs

I've had good luck using fuel to remove the green stain. Just soak a cloth in 100LL and soak the spot for a while and it will dissolve the green stain into the fresh fuel. Do it outside the hangar of course.

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the suggestion. My stain is blue. I thought all 100LL was dyed blue. What is green? Regardless, I will try soaking the stain with a rag with fuel.

Concord shares the same Unicom frequency with my airport (KFIT). I often hear an RV flying at Concord. Is that you?

Regards,

Dean

[Deweyclawson]

Try brake cleaner. Try it first in an inconspicuous place to verify it won't harm the paint.

[GWZ]

First round try simple green for aircraft. It won?t take all of that stain out but will make it fade. I?ve had some luck with Castrol super clean but be careful with it. Wear gloves and don?t let it sit on the paint very long. Follow up immediately with a water rinse. Lastly no one seems to believe it but that will fade away on its own after a few months (well after you clean it up a bit). Exact thing happened to me a few years ago (also a white wing). I was talking to a paint shop about a cut and blend but decided to wait until flying season was over before doing it. By the end of the summer the stain was gone all on its own.
Procrastination saved me once again...

[RV Jerry]

+1 using fuel to remove stain

[Carlos151]

I use Wash Wax All and it cleans up fuel spills, bugs, dirt or anything that?s on the aircraft with little or no effort. Just don?t spray it in direct sunlight or on the heated surfaces of your aircraft. For stubborn stains let it soak for a bit but don?t let it dry on the surface or you have to start all over and use more elbow grease. I clean up the plane after every flight and a gallon of this stuff will last me over a year. Doesn?t take much.

[Pat Hatch]

If all else fails, the only thing that's going to get it out is UV light--leave it out in the sun for a few hours, maybe a couple of days or more and it will eventually fade out.