Cleaning Wheel Pants

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dant
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Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by dant »

What do people recommend for cleaning wheel pants specifically with all the black grime that builds up there? Wash and wax doesn't seem to fully cut it. Aviation simple green?
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spr
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by spr »

Along the same lines - I have never taken off the wheel pants on my Da40. Is this something that should be done routinely?
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jwx96
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by jwx96 »

I took mine off in the fall (MN snow and ice) and cleaned the outside with Wash Wax All and then sealed with Klasse. For the inside I used Carbon-X diluted 1:2 with a brush and a hose. They turned out great. I’m not sure you need to do much with them if you don’t normally take them off for the winter. On a side note, this spring I noticed some rust starting on the leading edge of my main gear. Has anyone else seen that? I’m going to have it attended to at my annual in 2 weeks.
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by krellis »

Aviation Simple Green/Simple Green Extreme works really well to clean grime off airplanes and is non-corrosive. Wash-Wax All is a great product too, but not nearly as aggressive for cleaning. I use both.

As to the rust on the landing gear, I had that on the steel gear legs on our old DA20-A1. I can't remember if the DA40 legs were steel or aluminum, but given that you have rust (and not corrosion), I assume they are also steel. Do they they use salt on the taxiways and runways at Flying Cloud similar to what is used on the roads in MN? If so, probably not a big surprise that you are seeing rust. We ended up removing the landing gear on the DA20 to have them stripped and recoated. It lived near the beach in Florida for many years, which probably precipitated the rust.
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Lance Murray
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by Lance Murray »

Just be careful with that Simple Green. It seems to mark the paint if it gets left on. It will rub out but takes a little effort. Maybe try a paint cleaner wax.
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by jwx96 »

I don’t believe they use salt at Flying Cloud, including the FBO where I hangar. We have plenty of ice on the ground to deal with during the winter of months. I’ll ask though. I think for strength the MLG are probably steel. The NLG could be aluminum though. The diameter is larger and there is some exposed metal on mine that is not rusting.
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by dant »

Simple Green did the work with ease, and I was careful to wipe it clear of surfaces after use. I finished up with the standard wash/wax stuff to try and get a bit of a protective layer on there.

I was going to try and simple green some other surfaces at the actual plane until I read the "DO NOT USE OVER ASPHALT" warning, so that's out - at least until I find a hangar!
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by jwx96 »

I just dropped my plane off for the annual and asked about the gear. The MLG are composite. The NLG is steel. I’m not sure what the “rust” on the MLG is but I guess I’ll have to try scrubbing harder.
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Steve
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by Steve »

I'm pretty sure that the MLG legs are spring steel, not composite.
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Rich
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Re: Cleaning Wheel Pants

Post by Rich »

Steve wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:26 pm I'm pretty sure that the MLG legs are spring steel, not composite.
Yes they are. And heavy, too :D
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