If all that fails...
 

WD-40 and a (actually several) clean rag(s) take all the oil off the belly with very little elbow grease!!! Doesn't seem to hurt the paint either.

Actualy the best thing I found to remove oil and bugs is the household cleaner " fantastic" try it you won't believe it. Just my $.02 worth.
Kevin B

oil leaks
 

all good engines leak a little oil. look at a dc 3.

Fantastic is corrosive. I would worry about it reacting with the aluminum.

It contains Sodium Hydroxide

See MSDS Sheet

http://www.chemistrystore.com/Sodium_Hydroxide.htm

Frank

FANTASTIC OR THE "SIMPLE GREEN" STUFF SHOULD NOT BE USED ON AIRCRAFT

I LIKE TO USE A CITRUS BASED SOLIVENT CLEANER. YOU CAN FIND THEM AT HARDWARE STORES AND THEY ARE NON-CORROSIVE, NON-ACIDIC, SAFE AND EDIBLE (ALTHOUGH I WOULD NOT SUGGEST FOR LUNCH) AND WORK REALLY WELL. I HAVE AN INDUSTRIAL GRADE CALLED "SOLV-ALL) MADE BY UNITED LAB

IF NOTHING ELSE YOU CAN ALWAYS USE STODDARD SOLIVENT

I have used recently "Reject" , and it really help you clean up the oil or any bugs with plain paper towels or wipes, since it keep anything over the paint surface to stick.

Good Cleaner
 

I have used Les-Toil since the 50's to remove all bugs and oil from aircraft, cars and boats. I always wash entire aircraft twice a year with Les-Toil . Just make sure you wash 5 foot area at a time and rinse with water before it drys in sun light. It will dry quite fast. It works well on anything grimmy or oily. Use it from bottle full strenght on sponge, than rinse. I always towel dry when completed. Been using this stuff for over 40 years.
Does not hurt metal or paint.

actually
 

You can use Simple Green, or Fantastik, as long as you thoroughly flush the area, inside and out, with water. The problem is the stuff that gets on the inside. If you park your plane in a mud puddle that is at least 3 feet deep, you are assured of getting the residue from the cleaner off. Just make sure that the puddle is not salt water, it causes it's own problems.

Other than that, the orange/citrus stuff that you wipe on, wipe off is probably the best.

Even fresh water is a problem. ;-)

Before I owned it, an airplane I had a while back was parked outside during winter in Portland. There was a small leak in the windshield that allowed water to run down into the inside of the belly of the airplane. Unfortunately, when they painted the airplane, they blocked the drains, so the water had no place to go.

First flight after the winter (to my mechanic for a prebuy) the airplane was a water bomber, with no way to release the water. Turn base, slosh, turn final, slosh, turn off runway, slosh.

We did not detect any corrosion in the airplane, so I bought it. But I would think that sitting in a pool of even pure rainwater would have some detrimental effect sooner or later.

Besides changing the weight and balance, real-time... ;-)

Kevin

There you Go
 

See, If you had realized that you had actually purchased a water bomber, think of all the money you could have made.

How do I get one of those kits? IS there an STC for this?

ugly belly
 

WD-40 does work good. it also makes the paint shine.
thanks rick.

clean bird
 

Good info on cleaning - like only keeping 6-7 qts oil in eng. Kerosene works same as WD-40, leaving residual oil, and shining- we used it on OD jeeps and such to make them look good(a few years ago) :)))

I'll second the vote for Rejex - it makes it much easier to clean up. Things don't stick very well in areas that have been treated. It's great on the rear prop & elevator.

http://www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

Does anyone have an opinion on Formula 409 spray cleaner? I use it, but I'm not sure if it's harmful to aluminum.

Keven

Formula 409 also contains Sodium Hydroxide

See MSDS

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~js...%20CLEANER.htm

Frank

WD-40
 

I learned about WD-40 for getting grease and oil off the way at the Nashville gathering, works GREAT!
Jerry