I "Oiled" the Prop....

[Piper J3]

The prop is a super bug smasher which makes burping the Rotax engine a nasty job. I washed off the bugs and tried something I learned from an old A&P…. I “oiled” the prop. I took a little Mobil 4T on a paper towel and applied a thin coating to the front and back surfaces of the prop. Mobil 4T is full-synthetic so it doesn't oxidize and has stayed on the prop for several flights.

So, I flew this morning and I see higher airspeed. Looks like a few mph... Granted, I flew solo with minimum fuel, but even so… I have never seen much over 135 TAS in level flight. This might be an anomaly or wishful thinking, but at least the prop is staying cleaner….

 

[brianb08]

The prop is a super bug smasher which makes burping the Rotax engine a nasty job. I washed off the bugs and tried something I learned from an old A&P…. I “oiled” the prop. I took a little Mobil 4T on a paper towel and applied a thin coating to the front and back surfaces of the prop. Mobil 4T is full-synthetic so it doesn't oxidize and has stayed on the prop for several flights.

So, I flew this morning and I see higher airspeed. Looks like a few mph... Granted, I flew solo with minimum fuel, but even so… I have never seen much over 135 TAS in level flight. This might be an anomaly or wishful thinking, but at least the prop is staying cleaner….

Interesting outcome, though I suspect that A&P was mostly working with metal propellers. Sensenich (and Van’s) state that the propeller should be waxed with a high quality automotive wax at least yearly. Had you been doing that but still had the bugs issue?

 

[Majorpayne317641]

Interesting outcome, though I suspect that A&P was mostly working with metal propellers. Sensenich (and Van’s) state that the propeller should be waxed with a high quality automotive wax at least yearly. Had you been doing that but still had the bugs issue?

I wax my composite sensenich and the bugs will come off even on the back side of the prop.

 

[Tony_T]

The prop is a super bug smasher which makes burping the Rotax engine a nasty job. I washed off the bugs and tried something I learned from an old A&P…. I “oiled” the prop. I took a little Mobil 4T on a paper towel and applied a thin coating to the front and back surfaces of the prop. Mobil 4T is full-synthetic so it doesn't oxidize and has stayed on the prop for several flights.

So, I flew this morning and I see higher airspeed. Looks like a few mph... Granted, I flew solo with minimum fuel, but even so… I have never seen much over 135 TAS in level flight. This might be an anomaly or wishful thinking, but at least the prop is staying cleaner….

Jim. I would clean the oil off with water and soap per the propeller manual and use automotive paste wax. Oiling a composite prop is probably not a good idea. Suggest cleaning bugs off the cowls, leading edges and prop after each flight.

 

[RNB]

The prop is a super bug smasher which makes burping the Rotax engine a nasty job. I washed off the bugs and tried something I learned from an old A&P…. I “oiled” the prop. I took a little Mobil 4T on a paper towel and applied a thin coating to the front and back surfaces of the prop. Mobil 4T is full-synthetic so it doesn't oxidize and has stayed on the prop for several flights.

So, I flew this morning and I see higher airspeed. Looks like a few mph... Granted, I flew solo with minimum fuel, but even so… I have never seen much over 135 TAS in level flight. This might be an anomaly or wishful thinking, but at least the prop is staying cleaner….

Would Marvel Mystery Oil give you 140 TAS?