A64Pilot

Yes, IF there is a problem, more will pop up, if not then they won’t. I hate to say it but I believe the early adopters are the true testers. My concern would be with fuel cells, if this stuff softens and swells O-rings, what’s it going to do to bladders? OK, so it doesn’t short term, what about long term as in years? I’ve seen swollen O-rings, every one I saw was also softened, so I assume the same here? I know your not supposed to reuse O-rings, but sometimes you have no choice, those that had swelled up slightly we would put in the freezer, then you could get them to fit the groove and reassemble, but I’m talking only slight swelling, not what I saw in the video.

I’ve patched several tanks, every time I patched the materials used were identical to the original sealant. A patch therefore shouldn’t be any weaker or more susceptible to solvent attack than the rest of the tank, if anything as it’s new sealant it ought to be better? If a patch worked for a significant time with any fuel, it should work for any fuel if you change fuels? Every issue with patches I’ve seen were basically from inadequate prep, whether from not digging out enough of the old, or making sure the old was completely clean (I was patching turbine tanks and Jet is oily), or old out of date sealant. If your sealant is old it may not ever cure correctly, cold temps can cause the same thing, if your mixing from cans it may be prudent to mix a test batch the day before, and keep some from your patch so you can be sure it cures completely.

I’m assuming of course that the recent issues aren’t real. If they are I’d assume the fuel will be voluntarily withdrawn, prior to the FAA taking action. That’s a LOT of assuming, from admittedly a non expert, heck my total knowledge of the GAMI fuel is second hand, I’ve never even seen it.

I suspect that if it’s $1 more than 100LL that very few will buy it if they can buy 100LL. Only way it will be a success is if 100 LL isn’t available. I would hope that before 100 LL is banned overall, that ADI will become widespread in STC’s, I would also suspect that on a Mooney to burn car gas that it might take an electric fuel pump running continuously, possibly not our current boost pump, but if 94 UL becomes widely available that it wouldn’t. Only the high compression or turbo motors need 100, the rest of the fleet doesn’t, pretty much anything with a Carburetor doesn’t need 100, not 100% but most. There used to be three grades of Avgas, then two, then for some reason only one. I assume the reason 80 Octane went away was profit motive as it was significantly cheaper. ‘I hope and think that the incoming Fed administration isn’t as Green as the outgoing, so I hope from a Fed perspective that 100 LL may stay for four years, much of that I think may be whatever AOPA’s position is, they have more pull with the FAA than you might think.

I have no idea how widespread this fuel is or how many aircraft use it, but I’d suspect that before long in California it will become very widespread as other Jurisdictions jump onto the ban lead bandwagon, but never having lived there that’s just my guess. What I’m getting at is that there are several independent third party testers, the users of the fuel, if in fact the fuel is causing issues this early after it’s adoption, then the number of aircraft that are having problems will increase with the number of users. Plus and this is just from my own experience with chemicals reacting with fuel tank sealant and paint, the longer the paint and sealant is exposed if there is a problem, it will get worse. I’m thinking that if in fact there is a problem, it will become pretty apparent with the passage of time and increase in users. Mooney’s aren’t the only aircraft with wet wings. In truth I think the only real test, or arguably the true acid test is to put it out there and see what happens, hopefully nothing. By the way, what’s this selling for per gl?

I manufactured aircraft for years with wet wings, 114 gl per side, I’m very familiar with wet wings. One of the reasons I bought my airplane was it has bladders, bladders last decades longer than sealant. Don’t worry about whether they will be available, there are several companies that rebuild bladders. Here is a good one https://www.eaglefuelcells.com My airplane’s bladders only hold roughly 55 gls, I could add the extra ones to increase capacity but I don’t have the need.

Silicone is OK, it works because it leaves almost no residue, but because it doesn’t it really doesn’t work very well, any kind of normal lube should be avoided because it will attract dirt and dust and actually make matters worse. I now go to dupont teflon spray for anything I used to use silicone spray for, it’s pure teflon very light powder, teflon is of course about as slick as anything and as it’s perfectly dry it won’t attract dirt, I used it on sails to get them to slide into the track and it didn’t leave any kind of stain on a white sail, it was also great for zippers etc. Plus of course teflon is very heat resistant or it wouldn’t work in frying pans. https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Non-Stick-Dry-Film-Lubricant-14-Ounce/dp/B00D3G6IFE/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3UNY0P23MMZSB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OxOIEndmeWAC1e-9Lyy__BADWR5Pr_LUaJeBsU4Fo8VUsIfDjP9BxYfoYR2QMYriYMDWQ0zR0UZrSaa6m2yxEJ-xDahrtZXXZ70m-EYD9-b6ZnjAtt5Va2nwCJCRfl9EsXm6kjt2MVZgWHT-LpV8Zg_KaFT1rutVt65RbKNsJsd9XigsSKgKwOWBZVS6kIjcxn0_RWLe7yHyorzjzXduV9HKxywhN_oyyNVmBhhZXHQ.weZaM_YthZhFr-kbsMgAGXtIrzl0e4TiXQW7X1P37xA&dib_tag=se&keywords=dupont%2Bteflon%2Bspray&qid=1735782009&sprefix=dupont%2Bteflon%2Bspray%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-5&th=1

Yeah your right I was thinking of “back in the day” I guess. Point I guess being is that even a brand new car can benefit from polishing, ideal being what we used to call cut n buff Now cut n buff is WAY more aggressive than what I’m talking about with polishing, done right it makes a huge difference, any new car can benefit from it, the factory doesn’t get to this level of detail, maybe Supercar manufacturers do but nothing mass produced does, even polishing while not getting to the cut n buff level does help some. I ASSUME that paint correction as it’s called now is cut n buff, just maybe not to that level? Its the cut n buff or correction that gives the show car gleam, it’s not really the wax or new age polymers etc., although they do add to it and are necessary to protect that paint. I’ve never owned a car that had a full cut n buff, but I’ve never owned a show car either. https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1210chp-right-way-to-cut-and-buff-paint/

Polish as I define it is a very fine abrasive, it’s what is done when you pay for paint “correction” I believe the name is and very often it’s good as in will smooth out the slight bit of orange peel any paint job will have, I like machine polish, it’s made to remove swirl marks left by someone who didn’t correctly use the machine correctly, it barely cuts at all. I’ve never gotten any color on my pad from the paint when using it, it’s really more of a cleaner to cut that road film or similar. Then there is Compound it’s usually called, it’s order of magnitudes more abrasive and is meant to remove significant amounts of paint, you will get lots of color on a pad from using it, it’s easy to cause real damage, I never use it. I don’t have the skills. A major way to damage paint if using a good polisher is from heat, a surprising amount of heat can be generated quickly especially if your using much pressure at all. But polishing done right can really improve the paint even on a new very professionally painted vehicle or a just new one.

Benefits of unleaded fuel are spurious at best, people have been burning car gas for decades, other than the cost difference there doesn’t seem to be any other advantage, but the difference in cost adds up Over at the C-140 Assn they can show that for a C-85 if run just on car gas that at overhaul time the difference in fuel cost will pay for the overhaul, at least several years ago they could, they way parts have gone crazy maybe not now. A loose fit air cooled engine that burns oil will trash up its oil from blow-by with or without lead and if you want long engine life you really shouldn’t extend change interval. That leaves plugs, personally I rarely have to clean mine and when I do it’s no big deal, it’s carbon that has me cleaning them, not lead. Now this is my belief / opinion but I believe any engine unless it has specially hardened valve seats will experience seat wear and have valve recession if run on unleaded fuel, at least all the cars did when we switched to unleaded car gas anyway. If you search you can find “experts” saying both, that long ago Lycoming switched to “hardened” seats and can burn unleaded fuel with no issues and others that say they can’t. Lycoming investigated the valve seat recession of UL94 and I believe said it exist, but isn’t or shouldn’t be from no lead, blaming I believe aromatics in the fuel. But 100LL with aromatics doesn’t cause valve seat recession, maybe the lead protects the seats? https://www.lycoming.com/press/lycoming-engines-ul94-valve-seat-recession-investigation-update

It’s not a polish, but I have been using Rejex on both older and new cars and am very happy with it. If you search the internet there is a lot of talk about it on Corvette and other forums etc. It’s been around for a long time. I can’t image that from a polish perspective there is honestly such a thing as an “Aero” polish, I think the truly good ‘ high end stuff is automotive products, personally I like and use 3M machine polish and mirror glaze, my advice is stay away from anything that has silicone in it, not that it necessarily causes harm, just that it’s a short lived band aid and may prevent adhesion if you will of good waxes or polymers. Pretty much any polish that advertises that it “rejuvenates” paint is suspect to contain silicone. Previously I was a fan of Carnuba my favorite brand was Collinite, I still think it’s great stuff, good protection and a very nice shine, but Rejex seems to work as well, maybe not shine as good but the protection as in keeps things from sticking and imbedding in the paint lasts longer and it’s a whole lot less work, a whole lot less work

Lycoming recommends between 165 and 200 Indicated oil temp and says the oil in the engine is 50F warmer non turbo and 75F warmer for turbo. How often is it that cold? I would myself if I can’t get inside and properly pre heat just not fly that day. It’s not just the engine, the plastics in the interior may crack when you bend them at that temp, rubber landing gear biscuits would be rocks I think and may crack etc.

An airframer or engine manufacturer has zero to gain from testing any non ASTM or other product manufactured under other means, all they have is something to lose, nothing to gain. Now if the Government had approved it under existing protocols, Then Lycoming etc would likely test it to ensure their engine was OK with it just as I’m sure they have tested every possible combination of scenarios just like they have 100LL. An STC is allowable, not required, but apparently California or parts of it maybe?, has made it required. Your beef I think is with California.

I think in truth that in a year or so we will know if in fact there is nothing to see here, or it may go the way the Mobil-1 oil did. But we just won’t know until then at earliest. It could be fine or not.

Most O-rings are available by size in Viton, but you may have to get them from non Aviation sources, while I agree that it’s unlikely in truth that there is a quality difference, but non aviation sources don’t maintain traceability. Aviation sources are supposed to separate by batch etc, while non aviation sources just have a box by part number, they aren’t traceable That may all seem unnecessary but it’s one of those things that are required to have, or at least the suppliers do, if there is an accident caused by something failing and you bought it from AC Spruce for example AC Spruce can supply the birth certificate for that item to the FAA / NTSB etc. Then as has been stated it’s tough to go against the part manual, but if the STC states that you should I think that’s justification to do so. (my opinion) But the work to do so as in finding the exact correct size may not be easy, unless there is a cross reference chart somewhere, if there is then that makes things easier. While not common there are a few special O-rings etc, and how do you determine if what you need is one of these “special” ones as opposed to a common part? But, here’s one rub, I’m pretty sure that at least the Viton I have experience with has a different Durometer, as in it’s stiffer or harder if you will, does that matter? Would it require a higher torque to completely seat? Above my pay grade, I don’t know, then it’s tough to get Stat-O-Seals as it is, are they available from an aviation source in Viton? Its easy to say replace with Viton, but I believe there are many special items that it’s just not possible.

Yes, because everything forward of the firewall has to be replaced then include instrumentation, fuel system etc and I bet the cost to modify an aircraft is likely to exceed the value of the average general aviation aircraft. The “Damn” things can run on pump gas, have always been able to, just We haven’t wanted to burn pump gas. It really is that simple. ADI works, it’s not snake oil, has been around longer than any of us, but for some reason the industry keeps chasing Diesels and now apparently blends of chemicals to make a fuel. Maybe that will change. or maybe it won’t. A LOT has to do with marketing and who is a social influencer etc and what they have to sell. This GAMI fuel has for instance almost spurred a religious furor, some think it’s the anti christ, some think it’s the best thing going and we need it now. Neither side has much if any real experience with the stuff, especially those that decry it, it’s always been that way, the biggest haters of anything usually have no experience with it, never have understood why so many Rednecks in pickup truck hate the Toyota Prius for example. I’m just a risk adverse person, it’s just my nature, what I did for a living for nearly 40 years made me that way.

Ref no slop in controls, I’ve seen as the engine develops power the mounts being rubber allow a little movement, and that pulls the control slightly off of the stops

It appears to be fine, one end of it is held by one of the bolts that was loose though, but it didn’t seem bad. Engine has about 600 since overhaul and all accessories were replaced in overhaul.

No, I know the IA who cared for it, the owner never touched it, that’s what had me wondering if for some silly reason Mooney wrote it to be kept loose, just thought I’d ask before I tightened it.

If it’s that, then it’s K&N oil It’s easy to over oil a filter and it does run out, but it doesn’t hurt anything. Attached pic is of a new K&N filter used on a Thrush turbine, maybe 3 ft square, it came from the factory a little over oiled. The issue with a cotton gauge oiled filter isn’t that they drain oil, it’s that the do flow air very well, they do that by not being a very good filter, the paper filter, filters much finer particles, and I think a Brackett does to, but the bracket is very sticky oil, like glue. I’ve always wondered how well a paper filter does in soaking rain though.

From a paint perspective, when we restarted production of the Thrush, we had many paint issues. I found that the paint we were using was cheap junk, so I started looking for a good paint in the belief that frankly you get what you pay for. In my research I found out that at least back then that Air Force One, The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels all were painted with the same paint, Sherwin Williams Jet-Glo. Under the belief that it’s likely that those aircraft most likely used the best paint available I went with Jet-Glo, and almost overnight our paint problems went away, and yes it was expensive, but our rework went down so much it more than made up the difference. I believe the C-182 panels tested in that Video were painted with Jet-Glo and Jet-Glo was the paint that held up best to agricultural chemicals that we found, it’s good stuff. I don’t think paint is a safety issue, but I do think it may be the Canary in the coal mine, anything that dissolves Jet-Glo is something that’s pretty aggressive I think. If it were a failure of the primer the paint would peel off but the paint look otherwise unaffected, but that video showed it wrinkled, which to means it’s being dissolved

Very many mixtures behave like that, for instance many if the new refrigerants are mixtures of different gasses, some have smaller molecules and are very prone to leak out while others don’t, so over time you end up with a mixture of gasses very unlike what you started with.

I wouldn’t say anything like that, just from my experience with working with them, the primary motivating factor was the question “could this reflect bad on me” If the answer was no, then you got approval, if the answer was possibly then they passed the buck, and if yes, then the answer was no.

My guess is that there are a few in the FAA that are saying Uh-Oh, can this get me in trouble?

Who knows? I had assumed not because surely that was tested, but I thought the same for O-rings too. Anything in my opinion that swells fuel resistant O-rings literally almost overnight is questionable to be put kindly. I don’t what the diaphragms are made of I had assumed Nitrile as it’s sort of been the go to for a long time, but assumptions are just guesses under another name.