lubricant on aileron control rod

[tmo]

Mooneyspace said I can look under inspection panels, so I looked inside the wing of my Mooney, just because I'm a curious guy. Good thing I'm not a cat, I guess.

I now need to know what kind of grease is on the long aileron control rod where it passes through little plastic (that kind of looks like bakelite) things that are riveted to the wing ribs.

Are those "aileron control tube guide blocks" to be lubed with "alpha" (Graphite & MIL-G-3278 (AeroShell Grease 7?) or MIL-G-23827 (AeroShell Grease 33?) and if so, is the graphite required for both of the greases, or just MIL-G-3278?

For this particular application, would AeroShell Grease 22 or Mobil Grease 28 be an acceptable substitute? It is clear that there are different greases on different plastic pieces - some is red like Mobil 28, some looks like dried out AeroShell 22.

Are there any generic substitution rules for grease?

[GeeBee]

Mil-g-3278 specification is obsolete and cancelled. Use Aeroshell 7. Both Aeroshell 7 and 33 are Mil-G-23827 now. HOWEVER Shell advises not to mix the two as 7 is a clay base and 33 is soap base. They do not play well together. Aeroshell also advises not to use 33 in sliding applications in particular where moly di sulphide is used.

Check out this document.

https://www.shell.com/business-customers/aviation/aeroshell/knowledge-centre/the-aeroshell-book/_jcr_content/par/textimage_1433441235.stream/1519764636322/2450d6be71ecb544ed66e557f856b8e59a15ae28/aeroshell-book-5greases.pdf 

[tmo]

Guess I'll have to order some AeroShell Grease 7, thank you.

[PT20J]

Here's what I've standardized on:

AS 7 - Trim system, control   guide blocks

AS 22 - Landing gear zerks

Mobile SHC 100 - wheel bearings (latest suggested grease by Mooney and Parker Hannifin)

Lubriplate 630AA -Landing gear and flap actuator balls screws 

Skip

[tmo]

And just to extend the list above, the bearings in the rudder, elevator and ailerons all get lubed with light machine oil, as per @PT20J's post in Let's talk lubrication thread.

[1001001]

Graphite sounds super sketchy in any application that may come into contact with aluminum.  In my experience, powdered carbons make a great electrolyte that induces and accelerates corrosion. 

You're not even supposed to mark aluminum parts with a graphite pencil.

[N201MKTurbo]

If you move the ailerons by hand and they squeak, put some grease on the phenolic rub blocks. 
 

Any grease is better than no grease. It is always best to clean the old grease off first especially if you don’t know what’s on it. 

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

If you move the ailerons by hand and they squeak, put some grease on the phenolic rub blocks. 
 

Any grease is better than no grease. It is always best to clean the old grease off first especially if you don’t know what’s on it. 

Mine squeak at the ends of travel no matter how well lubed. The problem is that there is a slight eccentric motion at the aileron bellcrank and that presses the push-pull tubes fore and aft against the outermost block as the tubes move back and forth. I talked to LASAR, Top Gun, and DMax about it and they all said that some just do that. 

Still, the blocks are an annual lube item. 

Skip
 

 

[tmo]

4 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Any grease is better than no grease. It is always best to clean the old grease off first especially if you don’t know what’s on it. 

100%, but doing the right grease is the same amount of work as "any grease" so might as well at least try to do it right and since I now have a shiny new-to-me unopened can of AeroShell Grease 7, that's what will happen.

Already cleaned out, as each block seems to have been lubed with a different type of grease and at a significantly different time, judging from the condition and color of said grease. Then again, ASG 22 and Mobil 28 are the same grease, and different colors, so what do I know, might have been those two.

[carusoam]

Great history of the Bakelite factory TMO!

The US factory was a dozen miles up the road from here....

It made great thermoset plastic parts... shiny and black...

Often used for pot and lid handles... easy to mold, and didn’t melt...  

And didn’t go out of fashion until much newer technologies became available... as they did... 

Some nylon parts occupy that same market today... tougher, and cleaner... and wear resistant...

 

I have no idea what polymer material supports our control tubes...
Best regards,

-a-