Washing my M20E

[Hedge]

I have a 66 M20E with original paint, and I haven't washed this type of paint (this plane is pretty new to me) in quite a while.  I had some grease/oil from my engine streak on my paint and it just smears and stains the paint.  I used dish washing soap (dawn) and cold water (all i had) to wash the plane and it wouldn't come off.  Any suggestions.  Also, best way to wax the plane, and what is the best wax to use?

 

Thanks

 

Mark 

[garytex]

I Have had good luck with 3M marine cleaner wax on old enamel paint.

[jetdriven]

For greasy stains on chalky paint try mineral spirits on a rag or Gojo, the non-pumice cream kind.

[scottfromiowa]

Sporty's and others sell cleaners specifically for planes...There are links on this. Use the search (top right) all threads...Have fun with the belly.

[aaronk25]

Wd-40 on the bottom or for grease, works good and isn't very messy. The above options are good too.

[drapo]

I have been using this waterless product for over 5 years on my planes, and I have been very satisfied:

http://www.foamtek.com/

 

It is a simple two stage process, just like the Karate Kid, wipe in , wipe off...

[KSMooniac]

Simple Green Extreme (not regular!) is great for de-greasing as well.  It is non-corrosive whereas the original is bad for aluminum.  Follow up with Rejex or Collinite 845 and it will be much easier to clean in the future.

[EDNR-Cruiser]

I use the German equivalent of Kleenex Cottonelle Moist Wipes... - no kidding!
The oil in the Kleenex is doing a great job removing all the grease on my Mooney's belly and once clean I wipe it off with a wet old cotton T-Shirt before waxing it with a modern nano wax.
I "bought" that trick with my Mooney from the former owner and it works like a charm... - as you can see from the pictures I posted already...

[jetdriven]

We used extreme to wash our plane regularly and soon after it began chipping and peeling. I think the slight alkalinity and aggressive surfactants might have contributed to that. So I think it's ok occasionally but I wouldn't use simple green extreme very often.

[Hank]

Aero cosmetics Wash-n-Wax works well: degreaser (red label) for the belly and regular (blue label) for everything else. Spray it on, scrub with an increasingly dirty rag, buff with a dry one. So far, the "scrub" phase has been mostly wiping, except when my cowling rubbed a little bit in IMC and I had a wavy streak on the right side. The plane is clean, shiny and smooth, and it is easy to remove post-flight bugs from the leading edge.

[M20F]

Mineral spirits, cheap and easy. Look how shines my M20F is ;-)

[mike_elliott]

We used extreme to wash our plane regularly and soon after it began chipping and peeling. I think the slight alkalinity and aggressive surfactants might have contributed to that. So I think it's ok occasionally but I wouldn't use simple green extreme very often.

Edited January 1, 2014 by mike_elliott

[mike_elliott]

Byron, I have used Simple Green extreme on the belly of my plane since 2005 without chipping or peeling. Maybe its a different kind of paint than yours, but I plan to continue to use it, as it works great in my environment.

[jetdriven]

It seemed to dry out the paint and make it more brittle. Tejas Aero told me they see the same thing. But my paint is Alumigrip, and it is 20 years old. the one wing painted with Imron seems to handle it OK.

[OR75]

Stoddard solvent ... needed for annual anyway

or the small amount of drained avgas that i keep in a jar

[flyingvee201]

I need to invent a plane wash that uses robotic arms with brushes at the end of the arms.

Laser guided to the slightest curves and angles of the plane's surfaced to provided just the right amount of gentle pressure!

[quik flite]

I would not use Dawn , I cannot remember  , but someone told me it is very hard on the paint .  I  have had excellent luck with CRC or WD 40 on the bottom and Meguires on the other surfaces , both easy to use. I am no expert though.

[Hedge]

Mark,

If your avatar is of your plane and it is a '66 model your paint is definitely not original. It looks like the factory scheme from '79 to me, so check your airframe logs from that point forward for an entry. Just FYI.

Jim

I have read my airframe logs and it does not mention any paint job.  My logs don't seem to be the best though.    But that is my plane.    But I will surely look again just to be certain.

[Wakeup]

I cleaned my M20B yesterday with mineral spirits and it worked great!!! It cleaned all the blue gas off under my wings I almost wished I didn't climb under there...looks like a reseal is in my immediate future