Lotus Elan Central

by **Elanlover** » Mon 02.10.2006, 20:24

I've read on several occasions that a sticking wastegate can be cured by manually moving it to free it up AND spraying a bit of oil on the rod. So, my question is..............

What kind of oil would you use?

Is a light weight lubricator like WD-40 ok or something heavier? Any chance of fire, etc. if I'm too liberal with the wrong kind of oil? Thanks!

by **Dico** » Mon 02.10.2006, 20:38

I heard that by using oil etc you may encourage grime etc to stick to the rod therefore making the matter worse in the long term?

Maybe a very small squirt of WD40 wont do any harm?

by **Doug** » Mon 02.10.2006, 21:18

semi rhetorical question . . .

is WD40 really a lubricator?

by **GeoffSmith** » Mon 02.10.2006, 22:02

Doug wrote:is WD40 really a lubricator?

I thought it was primarily developed as a Water Dispersant for rust proofing but had secondary attributes such as lubrication and rust penetration. My feeling is that it is a reasonable all purpose tin to have on the garage shelf but it's not as good as e.g. designed-for-purpose lubricants or penertrating oil.

I didn't use any sprays when I freed my wastegate as I'm sure it would have been burned off pretty quicky and possibly left a sticky residue - if I'd had some high temperature lubricant, I might have been tempted to use that.

We could do with a bit of advice from a tribologist.........

Geoff

by **Elanlover** » Mon 02.10.2006, 22:03

Doug wrote:semi rhetorical question . . .

is WD40 really a lubricator?

From the fabulous WD-40 website............. :roll:

Known as "the can with a thousand uses," WD-40 protects metal from rust and corrosion, penetrates stuck parts, displaces moisture, and lubricates just about anything. WD-40 is also great when it comes to cleaning grease, grime, and other marks from most surfaces.

THE 5 BASIC FUNCTIONS

CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean. It also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape, stickers, and excess bonding material.

DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits.

PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts.

LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and hold firmly to all moving parts.

PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.

Still don't know if that means its good for wastegate lub jobs. Am i to be the guinea pig???

by **Doug** » Mon 02.10.2006, 23:24

no, it's not really a lubricant--get some better stuff if you plan to lube it

by **algirdas** » Tue 03.10.2006, 05:45

Dear Blair:

If Mousemilk has the appropriate temperature range, I'm thinking about getting a bottle of it and have it on hand for routine maintenance and lubrication.

Having said that, does anyone have an idea of the upper limit of the temperature in the area of the wastegate actuator mechanism? 800 degrees F?

Sincerely,

Algirdas

by **algirdas** » Tue 03.10.2006, 05:52

Dear Blair:

All-Sorry about the double post.

More information on Mousemilk:

http://www.ramaircraft.com/Aircraft-Par ... eaners.htm

Sincerely,

Algirdas

PS And you will not need to purchase a miniature breast pump!

by **GeoffSmith** » Tue 03.10.2006, 06:29

algirdas wrote:More information on Mousemilk:

...and just what did you feed into your search engine to find this? :wink:

Looks to be just the job but $30-58 for hazardous material handling! :shock:

Don't go trying to bring any over to Stoneleigh Algirdas as you'll probably get locked up for breaking COSHH regulations.

Geoff

by **algirdas** » Tue 03.10.2006, 06:59

Dear Geoff:

I would like to spin some yarn that would make you think that I am some really brilliant mechanic, but I can't and I am not. I simply punched in "wastegate actuator lubricant". From the different ones I found, this one seemed to be right on point and I'm going to see if I can get some here locally (Denver). My concern is that its temperature operating range is broad, but in the wrong direction (from not hot enough to sub zero). One of the guys from church has an airplane repair service here in FC, and I'm going to give him a call later this week (when I get some free time).

I could empty one of those tequila bottles and fill it up with Mousemilk but then Sy would be pissed and if Sy ain't happy, ain't nobody gonna be happy.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

PS How are you feeling?

by **GeoffSmith** » Tue 03.10.2006, 07:43

Algirdas,

I tried "wastegate lubricant" and ended up with some very dubious products.

Sy high on mousemilk - it's got to be worth a try!

Geoff

PS Itchy, aching and bored, thanks for asking.

by **Elanlover** » Tue 03.10.2006, 14:24

Hey there Algirdas, your fear is my fear when it comes to lub-ing up the wastegate rod. Heat. I'm sure that thing gets mighty hot when you've pushed the engine a bit. Last thing you want is burn off with carbon residue. Sure fire way to ensure the wastegate WILL start to stick.

If you experiment with this so called "Mouse Milk" (if you don't need a mini breat pump then they must be HUGE mice) let us know what you find. May take a few months of driving to see if there's any burn off and associated problems.

Question: How many Algirdas' does it take to extract 1 liter of Mouse Milk from a giant mouse?

Answer: 147. 1 to hold the bottle, 1 to whisper sweet mouse talk into her ear and 145 to operate the giant male mouse suit.

by **algirdas** » Wed 04.10.2006, 04:52

Dear Blair:

I ordered a bottle of Mousemilk today. I spoke to the man in charge at the manufacturer and was encouraged by what I was told. First, he is a Lotus owner (second Super 7 in his life. And it is a Lotus and not a replica.) and he is familiar with the M100.

Second, he says that Beech, Cessna and Lycoming specify Mousemilk for lubricating wastegate actuators on their turbo equipped piston motors.

Third, no lubricant can withstand that heat and not burn off. But this stuff burns off clean.

Fourth, he claims that the temperature range on a turboed piston plane motor is much hotter than a turbo Elan, stuck in Denver traffic after having been driven in extreme anger only a few moments earlier, with the A/C going full tilt and the with temperature outside at 103 degrees F. I am not sure I agree with that.

Be that as it may, I'll give the stuff a try. I'll keep you all posted.

And I cannot take it on a plane with me. But it is available in Europe.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

by **GeoffSmith** » Wed 04.10.2006, 07:22

Algirdas,

Good find. So good in fact, why don't you tell everyone twice. :wink:

Geoff

by **Sy V** » Wed 04.10.2006, 08:41

http://www.mousemilk.com/

?

by **Sy V** » Wed 04.10.2006, 08:46

Presumably the same stuff as above...?

http://www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/ERunn ... blems.html

(Last article)

by **Sy V** » Wed 04.10.2006, 08:51

Got it!

http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/tasmar ... attic.html

:-D

by **GeoffSmith** » Wed 04.10.2006, 09:55

So this is how you get it!

by **Elanlover** » Wed 04.10.2006, 14:09

Sy V wrote:Presumably the same stuff as above...?

http://www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/ERunn ... blems.html

(Last article)

Sy, on that page is also this link.

www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm

This, while off topic, was REALLY interesting to me when talking about brakes.

by **algirdas** » Wed 04.10.2006, 15:00

Dear Sy:

Yes, that is the site, www.mousemilk.com. My apologies. I thought I had put up that link.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

Lotus Elan Central

Wastegate Lubrication????

Wastegate Lubrication????

Wastegate Lubricant

Wastegate Lubricant

Re: Wastegate Lubricant

Wastegate Lubricant

Wastegate Lubricant

Wastegate Lubricant

Who is online