Dayton Murdock

Dayton Murdock

Well Known Member
Hi All
For the last few months I have had a small puddle oil forming on the floor near the tailwheel. I thought it was because the engine was cold and blowing a little oil before warming up, then I thought it was the air/oil separator having gunk in it, or maybe a cracked piston ring! Well after removing the cowl and changing the hoses to the oil/ air separator, cleaning the belly a few times I notice the oil on the floor was clean and seemed to be coming from the aft cockpit lower fuselage skin seam.:eek: I had a loose cap on an oil bottle in the storage compartment forward of the main spar. (drove me nuts for a few weeks) Do any of you have a procedure to clean the inside belly of a RV-4 short removing the floor skins.
 
A small person?

If you don't have any electronics down there you could pour a bucket of sudsy warm water with dish soap in it on the floor and let it run down the back. Then rinse and repeat.

During my annual I try to enlist the help of my daughter to use a wet soapy rag on the floor in the rear fuse. It's been getting harder the last couple of years...
 
Cleaning Belly

Hi All
Well there are 484 people out there that are dying to know how I am removing the oil from the inside of my -4.Yesterday I mixed up simple green and hot water and poured it thru the aft stick well. Eventually some of the mixture came out the tail in to the catch basin. Saturday I will remove the floor panels and start cleaning everything I can reach. Pic to come later:D
 
Dayton Murdock said:
Hi All
Well there are 484 people out there that are dying to know how I am removing the oil from the inside of my -4.Yesterday I mixed up simple green and hot water and poured it thru the aft stick well. Eventually some of the mixture came out the tail in to the catch basin. Saturday I will remove the floor panels and start cleaning everything I can reach. Pic to come later:D
Click to expand...

This is from the Simple Green website. Be sure to flush all the cleaner off after use and note the caution about treating bare aluminum after cleaning with Simple Green...

They do make a version of Simple Green which is intended for aircraft use.

"Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green? on aluminum?
When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green? Cleaner/Degreaser, Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates, and Pro Series? Simple Green? Automotive Cleaner have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green? product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green? Aircraft & Precision Cleaner and Simple Green? Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances."
 
Done Cleaning

I removed the baggage compartment floor; all interior panels, seats and any thing that wasn?t fasten down. My -4s inside belly skin is clean. I found a couple of screws and a dime. I should have the reassembly done by tonight.:)
 
by the way, we found WD-40 to be the best cleaning agent for exhaust soot/breather oil on the belly. obviously, doesn't work in your rivet line case.
but works like a charm on skins.

rgds, bernie
 
The seedy underbelly...

DM,
I have used Mineral Spirits to clean airplanes for 30 years. It is relatively cheap, (cheaper than Simple Green) plentiful, non-toxic and doesn't attack paint, plexiglass or plastic. Removes oil and gas instantly.

V/R'
Smokey
 
A timely note about the mineral spirits! When parked at Sun N Fun my aircraft got covered in drops of oil. I suspect the culprit was the big antique Bi-plane that was hoping rides and gliding to land over my plane. Please confirm that minerals spirits are ok for plexi, thanks
 
Mineral Spirits

Tom,

Short answer: yes.

Long answer (from Van's note on the subject):

For general cleaning, use Dawn dishwashing liquid or equivalent and water followed by a clear water rinse. To prevent water spats, blow dry with compressed air or wipe dry with soft cotton flannel or microfiber. Do not use paper products for wiping the canopy. Plexus, Sprayaway #848 Industrial Plastic Cleaner or All Clear can also be used for day to day cleaning. Grease, oil, tape residue, etc. may best be removed with mineral spirits, refined kerosene, white gasoline, naphtha or isopropyl alcohol. Wash approved solvents off of canopy with soap and water. Avoid using products not formulated for acrylics (e.g., Rain-X, Pledge, etc.).

Cheers,

Vac

P.S. Isopropyl alcohol works great on pine sap.
 
Safety in numbers...

Tom/Vac,

My experience with Mineral Spirits comes from helping perform numerous (over 50/year) annual inspections with my Dad while working on my A&P. He used Mineral Spirits for literally everything from cleaning wheel bearings to wiping off grease stains on the interior. It's even mentioned in the A&P bible, 43-13. You can even use it to clean your hands.

Awesome product.

V/R
Smokey

Here's a PDF to peruse on the subject, it's even Canadian Eh!
http://www.4shared.com/office/JaNA6teU/FAA-8083-30_Ch06.html
 
Last edited:
smokyray said:
Tom/Vac,

My experience with Mineral Spirits comes from helping perform numerous (over 50/year) annual inspections with my Dad while working on my A&P. He used Mineral Spirits for literally everything from cleaning wheel bearings to wiping off grease stains on the interior. It's even mentioned in the A&P bible, 43-13. You can even use it to clean your hands.

Awesome product.

V/R
Smokey
Click to expand...

I also learned about mineral spirits from my A&P Dad. In addition to its many uses in the shop, it makes a great charcoal starter; burns off clean, no aftertaste.;)
 
Cheapest and best

Hard to believe, but 100LL is cheapest,almost always available, leaves no residue. Try using your sump drain-off on a towel. You can also put it in a spray bottle and use on FWF stuff,belly ,ect. Check gallon price on mineral spirits, and I bet the 100LL is less.
 
I would recommend not using 100LL. I know someone who got lead poisoning and his work on racing motorcycles using 100LL was the primary culprit. Lead can enter the body through the skin and by inhalation. Lead can mess you up. This guy's first symptom was cognitive impairment.
 
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