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  #11  
Old 05-31-2012, 06:14 PM
aerhed aerhed is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Big Sandy, WY
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Gil, I think some of them are, but not sure. That is ugly and weird. Most of the time the worst corrosion is where the rotor sit against the wheel.
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  #12  
Old 05-31-2012, 06:15 PM
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AJ85WA AJ85WA is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Perth, Australia
Posts: 267
Default Corrosion

Hey guys

Thanks heaps for all the input, I can always count on getting a answer on VAF

JonJay, thanks for the advise on the bearings, I pulled them apart and gave them a good clean and they are like brand new. I will put these wheels aside for a bit while I figure out my next move.


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Last edited by AJ85WA : 06-01-2012 at 07:23 AM. Reason: Spelling
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  #13  
Old 05-31-2012, 11:18 PM
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az_gila az_gila is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: 57AZ - NW Tucson area
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Some interesting comments on the Cleveland wheels from an experienced Grumman mechanic -



This happens from a lack of proper maintenance in 2 ways.

1) Too much grease is left on the wheel bearings when they are installed, and the excess is extruded into the hollow center of the wheel.

2) The wrong grease is used, and the components of the grease that cause the lubricant to gel absorb moisture and when held against the bare metal inner surface of the wheel, cause corrosion to rapidly occur.

As a preventative measure, the wheels should be visually inspected at each annual for condition of the wheel and its data plate, the condition and proper torque of the hardware, and by looking through the axle hole with the bearing removed, the condition of the inside of the wheel. A strong light and some rags to wipe away any grease in the "corners" of the cast stiffeners will help identify areas of concern.
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  #14  
Old 06-01-2012, 01:43 AM
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Andy Hill Andy Hill is offline
 
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The wheels shipped by Vans are the Magnesium ones, and if you go to the Cleveland site, you'll see they are lightweight but therefore vulnerable to corrosion.

If you will store/use them in a corrosion vulnerable area, the more standard steel (?) ones might be a better option?
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  #15  
Old 06-01-2012, 06:30 AM
koda2 koda2 is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: West Texas
Posts: 282
Default Cleveland wheels corrosion

The early kits, at least, were Cleveland wheels - mine are and are magnesium.

I had a set of Cleveland wheels on a certified aircraft that I helped with the annual on. The tires needed replacing and in the disassembly, corrosion was detected but not to the extent in your picture.

I ended up calling Cleveland and got a technical person who gave me strict limits on how much and where corrosion could be tolerated. It has been years so I have forgotten the details but they can tell you. I remember that it was a pretty minimal amount and IIRC, the worst place for corrosion was at the outer rim where the tire bead sat.

The best research I could do at the time was that the wheels (magnesium) should be cleaned by using only CLEAN glass bead blasting followed by a coating of a process similar to alodine (Magndyne??) that was for magnesium metal specifically.

The corrosion was not deep enough (in thousandths) after full cleaning to mandate trashing the wheels so I did the whole procedure and saved the wheels. It was a lot of work. The wheels were not anywhere close to the condition in your pictures. Personally, I would trash the wheel(s).

Cleveland has (used to have anyway) extensive literature on how to care for the wheels and limits, etc.

Dave A.
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  #16  
Old 06-01-2012, 06:44 AM
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AJ85WA AJ85WA is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Perth, Australia
Posts: 267
Default 1 out of 4

Hi Dave

Yer thanks for the input, I might put these together just to get her on her wheels for now and replace them before first flight.

Does anybody Know what a new set costs?
It sucks because I only need 1 of the 4 halves as the other 3 are looking great.

AJ
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  #17  
Old 06-01-2012, 06:49 AM
chaskuss chaskuss is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: SE Florida
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Axel just asked a question about cleaning corrosion off of Cleveland wheels on another list. I agree with Walt, John Jay and the others. Those wheels are junk. Consider what would happen to you and your RV should a wheel fail during take off or landing. JB Weld!!!
Everything you need to know about care and feeding of your Cleveland wheels and brakes can be found in the factory maintenance manual. You can download it here.

http://www.parker.com/literature/Air...AWBCMM0001.pdf

Note that there is a special Alodine process for magnesium. If your wheel is an aluminum Matco unit, I would suggest you contact them for info on proper corrosion protection steps for your replacement wheel and it's mate. Bare metal might look nice, but as you have learned the hard way, it's not smart. I hope this helps.
Charlie
PS Great tip about the perils of over greasing the bearings.
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  #18  
Old 06-01-2012, 07:19 AM
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Snowflake Snowflake is offline
 
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I was going to ask if anyone has painted their wheels... Or maybe powder-coated them. A good strong barrier to moisture at the start may help?
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  #19  
Old 06-01-2012, 09:12 AM
WilburD2 WilburD2 is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 163
Exclamation Wheel maintenance

To answer Rob Prior's question about the repainting of the wheels; I offer this link to the Maintenance manual for the Cleveland wheels.. Taken right off the Parker website:
http://www.parker.com/literature/Air...AWBCMM0001.pdf

Aj.. Get new ones my friend!
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