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Flap board clicking


Stuart

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It's the Inox spray. I use it on all the things that need lubricating. It's a food grade silicone without harmful solvents and distillates. A spray an annual keeps the mechanic away and the checkbook full. I use it on all the bell cranks, bearings and any other parts that rub together. 

8 years later there has never been an issue.

 

http://www.inoxmx.com/inox/mx-3-lubricant/

 

 

INOX MX3 Lubricant

The only lubricant in the world with the special MX3 anti-corrosion, anti-moisture formula for The twenty – first century. 
 

Inox contains no silicon, acid, kerosene or dieselene. Inox will not harm metal points or surfaces, plastics, paints, enamels, fibreglass, formica or neoprene seals. Inox doesn’t dry out, gum up, become gooey or sticky or wash off with water! Inox is non- conductive, non-static, non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-staining.

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Yes, it is lanolin based.  It can be used in food processing equipment.  I used this on my screw drive garage door opener 2 years ago.  The drive was screeching during extreme cold weather using low temp Lubriplate grease.  The drive immediately went quiet after applying the Inox and hasn't given me any problems now for two years, applying it each year in the Fall.  FWIW, Harley Davidson shops sell it as a recommended lubricant and metal protector for their motorcycles.

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Jim, I read the Inox MX3 material and it doesn't say much about what it's base is.  The Lanox MX4 definitely is lanolin based but I'm not sure now about the Inox mX3.  Here's some quotes from the Lanox website:

 

Although we make INOX, a quality anti-corrosion lubricant, there are areas where a lanolin based anti-corrosion lubricant like LANOX is sometimes better suited for the application at hand.

 

Can I use LANOX for any applications that I would normally use INOX?
In about 70% of instances LANOX & INOX will have the same results as both contain no silicon, acids, kerosene or dieselene. They are both top quality lubricants, cutting agents and anti-moisture, anti-corrosion sprays.

 

I'm happy with the performance of the MX3 but I might pick up some of the Lanox MX4 to see how it performs.

 

 

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I only wish we knew more about various products - keeping one's plane flying should not be an issue of black magic and unquestioning belief.

This.

 

Benson's Fifth (I think) Law: "Oil is Oil"

 

The most important thing in my book is that things be kept regularly lubricated. Except for special applications almost any oil will do.

 

I generally just use generic silicone lubricant from Home Depot or Ace for the light stuff, and spray white lithium grease for heavier stuff.

 

Anyway, works for me - it's way too easy to overthink this stuff.

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Well, WD-40. Marvel Mystery Oil. Slick 50. Al's Night Flow. Cloud Buster Plus. Atomic Blast. Captain's Choice. Firewater! Force. Fred's Gas Treatment. Gas SHOK Plus. Lubricity Plus. Red Alert. Soy Buster. Strata Fire-D. The Fuel Ox.

 

Source: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/registrationfuels/web-addt.htm

 

Well, you get the drift. Just take it on faith and don't over think it.

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This.

 

Benson's Fifth (I think) Law: "Oil is Oil"

 

The most important thing in my book is that things be kept regularly lubricated. Except for special applications almost any oil will do.

 

I generally just use generic silicone lubricant from Home Depot or Ace for the light stuff, and spray white lithium grease for heavier stuff.

 

Anyway, works for me - it's way too easy to overthink this stuff.

 

Eddie, where do you get your spray-on white lithium grease?  Make or brand?

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Eddie, where do you get your spray-on white lithium grease?  Make or brand?

 

Don't know - just whatever they have at Ace or Home Depot or whatever.

 

The one I have here at the house is "Blaster" brand. I tend to use it for things that slide under load, like canopy and seat rails, where penetration is not important.

 

BTW, I also have some Mouse Milk for penetrating oil and brake caliper grease for my rotor pins. That's a couple of the "specialized uses".

 

Oh, and in one of the above lists, WD40 is mentioned. I believe that's really not well designed as a lubricant, though it will work in a pinch.

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Many thanks to all who replied and Roger in particular.

 

Went to the airfield today having purchased some White Lithium Grease spray (for UK viewers I got it from Halfords - http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/grease/3-in-one-professional-white-lithium-grease-400ml) as the Inox product mentioned is only available from one UK supplier who happens to be at the other end of the country from me. As a slight digression, the supplier of INOX in the UK is a hobbyist and model shop and apparently INOX is the product of choice for slot car racing for use on the metal that makes up the electrical contacts.

 

But, back to the plot - and back to the airfield......

 

Checked the flap operation with the master switch on - sure enough the relay is clicking away when 0° or 30° flap selected, no clicking when -12°, 15° or 35°.

Continued to press the select lever past the 35° degree setting to the manual "Down" selection, then tried checking all the positions again - now still just a few clicks, no longer a continuous clicking in the 0° position but no noise on the other settings.

Set the flap select lever to the manual "Up" position i.e. past the -12° position, after which the continuous relay clicking was back when 0° was selected and now also at 30° and 35° but still not at 15°

 

By now the two of us there are pretty puzzled but having invested £5.99 in a can of White Lithium spray grease we were damn well going to use it!!

 

We removed the cover from the top of the cockpit which then gives access to the aileron and flap linkages and put a squirt of grease on every joint we could get access to (as per Roger's suggestion).

 

Cycled the flaps all the way down and all the way up a couple of times and the first thing that was obvious was a definite reduction in the volume of sound as the motor operated and the flaps moved and a change in tone - difficult to describe but somehow less "graunchy" (is that a word in America?).

 

Guess what - the clicking has gone away so great kudos to Roger.

 

However not 100% success as I can force it to come back by using the manual "Up" position (past the -12°). Cycling the flaps and moving to the manual "Down" (past the 35°) seems to make it go away.

 

So for now I appear to have a solution, though I still don't understand the full reasoning behind what we're observing, but the aircraft goes in for its annual permit renewal in a couple of weeks so it will be on the mechanic's list to investigate.

 

Cheers

Ian

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Ian, when you mention a "change in tone" with immediate functioning without clicking, the most obvious conclusion would be that there was binding in one or more of the points you lubricated and now the motor is able to power the flap system due to the lightened resistance.  Maybe one of the electronics wizards here would offer an explanation for the clicking in manual mode.  Perhaps this shows the pot might be dirty when it is twisted past the normal range used for -12 an 35? 

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Hi Ian,

 

I take it you sprayed both flap rods in the baggage compartment? The smaller aluminum and the larger black one. Your clicking may might need a bit of a voltage adjustment. On the flap board you have a small rheostat screw. You can turn it about 1/8 to 1/4 turn and up the voltage a tad, it may be a little low.

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Yep - we spayed every joint we could get to!!

 

Thanks for the info on the rheostat on the control board - plan now is to leave the installation alone and fly a few sorties and just see if the lubrication has sorted things out - I'm thinking that over time the grease will penetrate further as the system is exercised. If we still see the issue then a little tweak of the rheostat setting will be our next step.

 

Cheers all for the assistance.

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