Lubricating

[Roger Lee]

When someone does maint on you plane make sure they lube the flap guide rod in the baggage compartment. This is the shiny metal rod that has the small rectangle block on it that trips the limit switch for the flaps. This rod moves up and down when you change flap settings. These are getting dry which causes excessive drag on the flap motor which causes the flap display to flash or misbehave in other ways.

Lube this rod with some type of lubricant spray or something.

 

Now let's talk silicone spray or a spray lubricant.

Many silicone sprays have distillates or solvents in them. These solvents can cause the bearings in the flap connection and aileron connections to come loose and in general may not be good for the places you over spray. I use a spray lubricant to lube most bellcranks especially in hard to reach places. Look for a silicone spray without distillates or solvents. They are out there, just be picky. Some are also a little more viscous which helps make them stay in place and makes them more durable under operational conditions.

 

I use a product called INox - Mx3. It is a food grade spray lube that will not harm our parts. It sticks very well and works well under operations.

 

Here is a link to look. Go to products and scroll down to Inox - Mx3

I buy it at Ace Hardware. Like they advertise, "Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man".

 

http://www.inox-mx3.com/inox.htm

 

No I don't own stock in the company, but have tried other spray lubes and this one seems to fit the bill in several areas.

 

You may have another good product and if so stick with it, just try and stay away from the solvents, distillates and hydrocarbons if possible.

 

 

[Runtoeat]

Roger, looking at the bearings, I see that some have a little "button" that is hollow and I assume that this is where one can inject grease with a special "needle" grease fitting (which was discussed in the other forum and which I have). The problem is that thes "buttons" are usually not in a postion where a grease "needle" can be applied. Is this where you just spray the external parts of the bearings with the silicone lubricant you describe above in this thread? If we can get to the "buttons" and shoot in some grease, is AeroShell #6 or similar OK to use?

[Roger Lee]

Hi Dick,

 

The grease fittings are in some cases unreachable and should never have been allowed to be placed like this. I don't grease these and only lube with silicone spray. If they are lubed every 100 hrs. or annual they will be fine.

[Runtoeat]

Hi Roger. I have looked for Inox MX3 silicone spray and it is not offered here in Michigan. There goes your ACE stock! I did find a supplier in Toledo, Ohio who has MX3 and this isn't far away. Is MX3 your first choice when you lube things or is there other lubricants that might be better?

[Roger Lee]

Hi Dick,

 

The main reason I switched from other silicone lubricating sprays was they had solvents or distillates in them where the Inox MX3 was a food grade silicone spray. The other distillate sprays seems to cause the flap and aileron bearings to come loose after a while. Then I started wondering what other issue they might have on our glass and other parts of the carbon fiber with those solvents and distillates just from any over spray. The Inox is a food grade silicone spray and doesn't cause the bearings to come loose, it doesn't hurt the glass and from I can tell doesn't hurt anything else. I use it on all the bearing especially the hard to reach ones. I use 90% pure silicone paste on the door latching pins (from Ace Hardware). This keeps the door pins from grinding the holes over time bigger or wearing down the pin. Makes the door latching smoother. I use just a tad of that on the window rails because if you don't you can see where the dry plastics rub together and make a plastic dust. Thats just excessive wear that doesn't need to happen and the the window is harder to operate without a little lube. For protecting metal parts from the effects of humidity or salt corrosion around the coastal areas use Boeing T-9. Designed for the Boeing company just for that type of protection. When I manufactured dive compressors that actually sat in the salt water, so long as you washed them off and sprayed them down with T-9 each day after use you never had corrosion. It really works and can be used on any metal parts including the engine. It is a paraffin base.

Bottom line is you don't have to use Inox MX3 spray silicone, but find a heavy duty food grade silicone spray to lube bearings or the flap rod and then you won't have to worry about any problems.

 

p.s.

You can order many things Ace Hardware carries on line with a few exceptions.

[Runtoeat]

Roger, just got back from Toledo, Ohio. The shop that had the MX3 was a plumging supply shop. They had all Inox products on hand and there are some really interesting lubricants. Saw the Inox MX3 with Lanolin but figured to just stay with the standard MX3. The shop owner said that he was riding his Harley in Florida a few years ago and needed to lubricate his cables. He went to the Harley shop and found the Inox there. He said that a lot of bikers use MX3 all over their motorcycle to lubricate and keep rust off exposed metal parts and it lasts a long time. Turns out that fisherman in Florida also use MX3 to protect fishing gear and boat gear from salt water. I bought a couple of spray cans and also one of the smaller bottles of the MX3 that has the long steel needle to apply the product to tight spots.

[westcoastoz]

I use Inox MX3 on a regular basis. It is an Australian made product and widely sold both here and overseas.

A word of caution though....MX3 can affect some natural rubber products with long term use and for this reason they have added LANOX MX4 to their range which (as mentioned by Dick Harrison) has lanolin in it and is apparently totally safe to use on rubber/neoprene etc.

 

DESCRIPTION / TECHNICAL LANOX MX4

 

Lanolin is a natural wax found in animal wool especially the wool from sheep, commonly referred as 'WOOL FAT' or 'WOOL GREASE', it has wide spread uses, cosmetics, medical, soaps, etc. Down through the centuries the Egyptians, Romans, Vikings, sailors and soldiers alike all used lanolin as a very effective anti- corrosion and waterproofing agent for a variety of metals, materials, timbers, to protect sails, leather, cannons, etc. 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.

 

LANOX is a heavy duty anti-moisture, anti-corrosion lubricant made with a high grade lubricating oil and lanolin base with specialized chemical compounds.

 

LANOX contains no silicon, kerosene, acids or dieselene.LANOX is harmless to metal points & surfaces, plastics, painted & enamel finishes, fibreglass, formica, rubber or neoprene seals.

 

LANOX doesn't become sticky, gooey or gum up.

 

LANOX is non-conductive, non-static & non-corrosive.

 

LANOX has neutral properties, low flammability (NON-AEROSOL)

 

LANOX DOESN'T DRY OUT OR WASH OFF WITH WATER

 

TECHNICAL DATA

 

ASTM D4052 DENSITY @ 15.6 °C .8461

DIELECTRIC 26

 

ASTM D93 FLASH POINT 179 °C

 

ASTM D97 POUR POINT -26 °C

 

ASTM D445 VISCOSITY ( cSt, 40 °C ) 13

( cSt, 100 °C ) 2.4

 

SOLUBILITY IN WATER NEGLIGIBLE

 

LANOX-mx4 Heavy Duty Lubricant is available in 4 sizes:-

300g Aerosol - 5 litre Container - 20 & 205 litre Drums

A 500 ml Spray Applicator is included with each 5 & 20 litre and 6 Spray

Applicators with each 205 litre. A Tap is included with each 20 & 205 Litre.

[Runtoeat]

Oz, thanks for the info and Roger thanks for the tip to use MX3. So far, MX3 has passed with flying colors on my most difficult lubrication project. I have a screw drive garage door opener that freezes up each winter unless I keep low temp Lubriplate on it. The drive was complaining and making terrible noises so I squirted MX3 on the screw drive and it immediately quieted down and is presently working well in single digit F ambient. It it keeps quiet and continues working in these low temps, I'm sold on the Inox MX3. Now if they'd only allow bringing back sperm oil from the Sperm Whale for lubricating axle differential gear sets and watches! Then again, maybe MX3 works in these apps too?

[Tip]

Roger and Dick,

Take a look at this link for Fluid Film which uses lanolin. My John Deere dealer sells it.

http://fluid-film.com/applications/aviation/index.html

Merry Christmas,

Tip

[N89WD]

The MX3 has served me well on my CT and other issues.

[Runtoeat]

Hi Tip. Merry Christmas to you and thanks for the info on Fluid Film. After looking at the literature, I realized that I've seen this in the stores for many years but didn't really understand what it was. The Fluid Film literature says it has a "wool grease" base and has no solvents. If my assumption is correct that "wool grease" is lanolin, then Fluid Film appears to be very similar to Innox MX3, if not the same. I think I can find the Fluid Film product where I live so will try a can of this and compare it to the MX3. So far, the MX3 is working extremely well on the things I have applied it to.

[Tip]

Hey Dick,

My brother-in-law gave me a can to spray my rusty garage door torsion springs. The springs would lock up before I sprayed them. It really works and has a distinct smell like bees wax. Looking at their website, it's available at all John Deere dealers. It's fairly pricey, but a can would last a long time.

[Runtoeat]

Doing my yearly this week and I find my ailerons are not freely moving.  Looking at the pivot bearings.  These are spherical plastic bearings which are glued into the wing brackets.  There is the plastic "ball".  Then there is a ferrule which runs thru the ball and which the pivot bolt runs thru.  When the aileron is moved, which of the following parts are supposed to move in this assembly?  Is the bolt supposed to turn in the ferrule?  Is the ferrule supposed to turn inside the plastic ball?  Is the plastic ball supposed to turn inside the bearing housing?  I note that the ferrule is not long enough to keep the spacer washers away from the ball when the bolt is torqued.  When the aileron is moved, this puts the turning friction on the ball.  Should the ferrule be a little longer than the ball is wide to keep the friction off of the ball? 

[Roger Lee]

Hi Dick,

 

The black outer case of the bearing should be stationary and not move. The insert should be able to rotate freely. There is a metal bushing inside the rotating eye of the bearing to protect the plastic bearing from wear. These bearings should be lubed every annual. Use the Inox spray I recommend. Using other spray lubes have distillates, hydrocarbons and solvents in them many times. This will breakdown the glue that holds the bearing in its mount and allows the whole bearing to move including sideways. This should be checked at every inspection and is an easy fix if it has come loose.  This is when you can grab the aileron or flap and push the mount and aileron in opposite directions and see the black outer bearing case move side to side. This means the bearing mount needs to be unscrewed, the outer black part of the bearing case cleaned with some lacquer thinner and then Loctite 480 put on the black outer part of the bearing and it reset into its mount.  Do not get the Loctite on the inner movable bearing eye.

I use Inox for all the reasons Westcoastoz posted in #7 previously. 

This is very common and I see it quite often.

[Tom Baker]

The ball should be turning in the outer housing. I just worked on one the other day that was sticking to the point that it would pop when you first moved the stick. I removed the bolt, rotated and lubed the ball. Now it works like it should.

[Runtoeat]

Thanks.  I have repaired bearing so I'm familiar with this.  I took the bolt out and found that the ball was not freely moving on this one particular bearing.  I tried to lube it with Inox.  Worked this into the ball and then tried cycling the ball with a pin that fit the hole.  It still seem to be squeaky and not moving freely.  Tried lube with some grease.  Trying to work this in to the ball joint while working with the pin.  Same result.  As far as the aileron movement, The pivot starts out free but it seems that torquing the bolt (6mm @ 90 in.lb.) results in a gradual binding of the joint and reluctance for the aileron to pivot.  It's better now that I've taken the bearing/bolt apart and cleaned and lubed but still not allowing good free movement.  Seems that that the ferrule is about the same length as the width of the ball and when the bolt is torqued, it ends up pressing the spacer washers against the ball, trying to make the ball turn which isn't supposed to do.  Think maybe need a slightly longer ferrule so that the washers press on this and make it turn in the ball's hole?  If I relax the torque on the bolt it frees things up.  Can do this too.

[Tom Baker]

trying to make the ball turn which isn't supposed to do.

The ball is absolutely supposed to turn. Installing a longer spacer that rotates in the ball is just transferring the point of wear to someplace that is not supposed to be.

 

Another airplane I work on uses pins and bushings. The pin is supposed to rotate with the control surfaces. If it gets tight in the bushing it will wear the wrong spot causing a major repair.

 

IMO, transferring the wear to somewhere it is not intended is a bad idea. I think your best choice would be a new bearing.

[Roger Lee]

The inner ball sticks out past the black casing. So now the inner ball can turn. I would leave it alone. It is doing what it is supposed to do.

[Runtoeat]

Tom and Roger, thanks for the replies.  Whenever I take something apart, I have always enjoyed trying to make things work better and most of the time spend way too much time doing so.  As for my statement that the ball isn't meant to rotate, I meant it probably isn't meant to rotate along with the moving aileron but is meant to move to compensate for any misalignment, the same as the steel ball end joints do on our control rods. My thought is one should see the rotational movement only between the bolt and the ferrule.  Both of these can be easily replaced if worn and there is little friction here.  Movement of the bolt in the hole in the brackets or movement of the ball in it's housing will wear parts that are hard to replace, if not almost impossible to replace in regards to the brackets. If I could design this, I might use a drilled bolt and a castellated nut which could be snugged down just short of binding the pivot and allow a cotter key to keep the nut from backing off the bolt.  Friction between the bolt head and nut on the bracket would be greater than the friction between the bolt and ferrule and the movement would be at the bolt and ferrule. Backing off the tightening torque a few in.lbs.on both left and right ailerons frees up this pivot but this may not be safe.  Perhaps lower torque and always using a fresh lock nut with a second safety clinch nut - or drilling the bolt to allow a safety cotter pin a few threads out from the nut - might be the answer?

[Roger Lee]

90 in/lbs is fine. The washers and outside edge contacts ride on the center insert edges so it will turn. Plus there is a metal bushing inside the center. One will turn and we only need to turn very little. If you leave this loose it may cause excessive wear from free movement it was not designed to have. leave it as it is. 

[Tom Baker]

The ball has 2 purposes. One is to help with alignment to prevent binding, the other is to act as a rotational bearing. You mentioned ball ends are for alignment. I don't know of any case where the ball is not fastened down tight and the rod end rotates around the ball.  The ferrule, bushing, or spacer what ever you want to call it has 2 possible purposes. One is to reduce the diameter of a standard bearing to fit the bolt they wanted to use, or two to keep the plastic ball from being collapsed when tightened.

[Runtoeat]

Thanks for taking time to reply. I'll see if I can free up the ball.

[Tom Baker]

I just worked on one and was able to get it freed up some. Before I worked on it the bearing would break loose with a loud pop when you moved the stick if hadn't been moved for a little while. Now it doesn't do that, but the bearing still feels tight to me. You might need to replace the bearing. I'm not sure how hard it would be to remove. I know some have come loose in normal operation before, but they are glued in place.

[Anticept]

I looked up the MSDS on the locktite called for. Cyanoacrylate is the main agent. Basically, those bearings are superglued in. I have replaced a whole set on a wing already, and I can tell you, they are indeed hard to get loose.

 

Whatever you do, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAMMER ON THEM. You might have to build a jig to push it out, like how gear pullers work.

 

Also, don't lose those metal spacers. Those are not an orderable part, you have to fabricate them. So pull out the old one and put it in the new.

[Tom Baker]

I looked up the MSDS on the locktite called for. Cyanoacrylate is the main agent. Basically, those bearings are superglued in. I have replaced a whole set on a wing already, and I can tell you, they are indeed hard to get loose.

 

Whatever you do, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAMMER ON THEM. You might have to build a jig to push it out, like how gear pullers work.

 

Also, don't lose those metal spacers. Those are not an orderable part, you have to fabricate them. So pull out the old one and put it in the new.

 

I've replaced plenty of bearings on Cherokee stabilators. I use a couple different sockets, a bolt, and some washers. It makes a nice press for removing the bearings. I would think you could do something similar for these bearings.