Tri Flow

[Flymu2]

When I first bought my Mooney I was told to frequently apply Tri Flow to all the rod ends and anything else that looked like it needed lubrication. After a while I noticed dirt adhering to the areas that I lubed. I'm wondering if dirt is being attracted to the surfaces I'm trying to lube. Is there a downside to using Tri Flow?

[rbridges]

tri flow is supposed to be good about not catching dirt.  I think that's why they recommend it for my retractable step.  It doesn't seem to be very viscous, but I'm sure it can catch some dust.

[Mooneymite]

Caution.....Tri-Flow makes both a "dry" version and a "superior lubricant" version.  Both display Tri-Flow prominently.  Make sure the version you bought is what you wanted.

 

http://www.triflowlubricants.com/product/superior-dry-lubricant

[M20F]

http://mooneyspace.com/topic/5293-lets-talk-lubrication/

[Flymu2]

Caution.....Tri-Flow makes both a "dry" version and a "superior lubricant" version.  Both display Tri-Flow prominently.  Make sure the version you bought is what you wanted.

 

http://www.triflowlubricants.com/product/superior-dry-lubricant

Which one do I want?

[Mooneymite]

Which one do I want?

 

Yes!  

 

Depends on what you're using it for.

[Flymu2]

Yes!  

 

Depends on what you're using it for.

Plane is outside. Using it to retard corrosion and maintain lubrication of rod ends and hinges.

[Hank]

In my experience, the Dry formulation does not penetrate very well. I put it on door hinges with no reduction of squeaking, and three days later there was still a waxy drip right where it had originally squirted. A fraction of a second squirt with the Superior Lubricant eliminated all stiffness and squeaking after moving the door about four times.

I use the regular spray on my plane--every joint in the gear and control road that doesn't have a grease fitting, where every control rod passes through a bulkhead, etc. I also squirt control surface hinges periodically, then wipe behind them after a couple of flights. Just a dab, don't spray like you're putting out a fire.

When I first got the bottle of Dry, I squirted some down the middle of my gas caps and it became much easier to lift up. At my last annual, the IA did the same with white lithium grease, which didn't make me very happy. No problems from that, though.

[M20F]

I also squirt control surface hinges periodically, then wipe behind them after a couple of flights.

They aren't hinges they are sealed bearings. The service manual reccomends light oil, Clarence reccomends repacking, and Jerry M definitely doesn't reccomend Tri-Flo on the control surfaces. The thread I linked and the MAPA article in it has a lot of really good stuff. YMMV but would read through the articles.

[StevenL757]

Which one do I want?

You want the superior lubricant version. It penetrates better and isn't as susceptible to collecting dust as you mentioned. No disrespect meant to anyone, but a generic, "light oil", is NOT recommended by the factory, as it doesn't have penetrating qualities. If the plane is outside, this is even more of a reason to use a penetrating lubricant. As you're outside, your lubrication routine may need repeating several times a year...monthly, if you have TKS installed and use it frequently. The glycol in TKS406B, TKS80, etc. is essentially alcohol, and basically "erases" whatever lubricant is on any surface upon which it comes in contact. I'm doing my annual right now and just got through lubing the ends and such earlier this evening. Have used it the last 6 years, and all surfaces treated with it are in impeccable shape.

[M20F]

No disrespect meant to anyone, but a generic, "light oil", is NOT recommended by the factory, as it doesn't have penetrating qualities.

The service manual at for mine states to use Low Temperature Oil (General Purpose) MIL-L-7870. Jerry Manthey in the MAPA article I shared gave the guidance "Remember, on sealed bearings DO NOT USE TRI-FLOW!! Tri- Flow is a very good lubricant, however as every kind of sealed can lube, it has some cleaning fluid with it and can eventually wash the grease out of sealed bearings.trating oil on the sealed bearings as it will eat the seals.", the capitalized emphasis is his.

Not a A&P but all the feedback and instruction I have gotten is not to use Triflow on sealed hinges. Just sharing information.

[rbridges]

Which oil do you use for be hinges? I found some oil at lowes that doesn't have any detergents. I believe I used 3 in 1 but I can't remember exactly.

[StevenL757]

The service manual at for mine states to use Low Temperature Oil (General Purpose) MIL-L-7870. Jerry Manthey in the MAPA article I shared gave the guidance "Remember, on sealed bearings DO NOT USE TRI-FLOW!! Tri- Flow is a very good lubricant, however as every kind of sealed can lube, it has some cleaning fluid with it and can eventually wash the grease out of sealed bearings.trating oil on the sealed bearings as it will eat the seals.", the capitalized emphasis is his.

Not a A&P but all the feedback and instruction I have gotten is not to use Triflow on sealed hinges. Just sharing information.

Apologies, I re-read your earlier and missed the "sealed bearings" piece. You're correct...TriFlow is NOT to be used on sealed bearings and hinges only.