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Stained Belly

todehnal

Well Known Member
I just finished my 200 hour inspection, part of which was to give'er a bath, and a quick waxing. When I got to the belly, I was shocked to see that my white belly had a yellow coating that would not wash of with soap, diesel fuel, or even with speedy spay cleaner/polish. It took a concerted effort with white speedy-rub rubbing compound, and a lot of elbow grease. The yellow cast almost looked like a nicotine stain, and started at the firewall, and extended all the way back to the tail, but it was more prominent on the right side where the exhaust is located. My tailpipe is cut to the plan specs, but I almost wish that it was longer. Any other RV 12ers seen this? Is this an indication that I am running very rich??

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated............Tom
 
I think this topic was up once before, I remember posting pictures. Here they are again.

So it looked something like this?
i-VWbk3qt-L.jpg


Try this cleaner:
i-2sRBwwz-L.jpg


After:
i-jTmHqDh-L.jpg


The Simple Green aircraft cleaner works quickly and well. Does not seem to damage paint or anything else. Wear rubber gloves and old clothes and don't let it drip on your face. I use a double bucket, and two sponges, one to apply the cleaner and then rinse in water. The other sponge in clean water to rinse. Goes fast, whole bottom done in no time at all.
i-w2TjwMz-L.jpg
 
Yeah, it looks like that Tony. Thanks. Except mine was worse, I think. Of course, I haven't noticed it, or taken any extra effort on the belly in 200 hrs, other than a quick wash and rinse with a hose. This time, I had mud on the wheel pants and had to do some extra cleaning on the bottom end. So, I guess it's just normal exhaust stain. I'll pay more attention now and try to determine just how quickly the buildup happens......Tom
 
I use Wash Wax All to keep my RV-12 looking good on the upper surfaces. A couple of times a year I use their Belly Wash and Degreaser on the aircraft belly. I usually wait until after the annual for one of the cleanings so that my mechanic can see if there are any leaks or stains.

I just recently did a cleaning and it took maybe 30-45 minutes and looks great afterwards.

You can buy Wash Wax All products from Aircraft Spruce or directly from their site.

On their own site they offer a combo package with samples of the different products so you can try them out.
 
simply green extreme

Is the simply green extreme safe to use on unpainted aircraft, i.e., will it harm the aluminum?

Robert
RV7
 
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I use simple green also, but the household variety, cut 50% with water on the belly of my RV-9. It is really good on oil and exhaust stains and as you can see the link below, available at Walmart. Dan

There have been many reports that the green household variety of Simple Green is corrosive to aluminum. The major issue is when it wicks into the seams, and stays there for a while. That's why Simple Green came out with the aviation version.

Someone who knows their chemicals might want to comment on the above, and the products' MSDS information.
 
I get on a crawler about every six months and use Nu Finish liquid wax to clean and protect the belly. It easily removes all stains, oil, dirt, etc, and leaves a long lasting protection. Its safe, easy to apply and remove, and protects. I also get a good look at all rivets, lines, antennas while there.
 
Carbon x will work well in a diluted state. Easy on the skin. A gallon will last forever. Cuts that crud quickly.
 
I think simple green CAN affect bare aluminum, if not wiped or dried quickly. If I remember correctly I was told Simple green was aggressive to my mag wheels on one of my old race cars years ago, otherwise, it's a GREAT cleaner.

I wonder if running leaded AVgas or Auto fuel makes any difference?

I would guess the leaded fuel would leave more "stuff" to wipe off or clean.

Are you running AVgas or unleaded auto fuel?
 
I think simple green CAN affect bare aluminum, if not wiped or dried quickly. If I remember correctly I was told Simple green was aggressive to my mag wheels on one of my old race cars years ago, otherwise, it's a GREAT cleaner.

I wonder if running leaded AVgas or Auto fuel makes any difference?

I would guess the leaded fuel would leave more "stuff" to wipe off or clean.

Are you running AVgas or unleaded auto fuel?

Actually, in just over 200 hours, it has had less than 10 gallons of 100LL run through it, and 93 octane auto fuel with 10% ethanol was used for the first 50 hours. All the rest has been 93 octane ethanol free auto fuel. My plan is to switch to Swift Fuel as soon as it is available near me, then switch to the new lead free aviation fuel when it becomes available.
 
Tried EXTREME Simple Green

Tried it for the first time today. Very satisfied with it. Makes cleaning the belly much better and easier.
 
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