I would think that jacks have rubber seals. If you put Brake Fluid on rubber it will swell to twice the size and be just like gum. You can put it in your oil to stop a leak but if you get too much or leave it in too long it can actually make the oil seals pop out. That's an old trick used car dealers used to stop oil leaks. Vaseline on old paint will make it look like new and an egg in the radiator will make it quit leaking too. ( I'm not an old car dealer just been around a while)

I did the egg thing last year while I was hunting. The radiator on my Trooper started leaking BAD. When I got back to camp I shook up a couple eggs in some cold water and put it in the radiator. It's still tight a year later.

You might be able to lift a tire by pulling on the opposite tie down on a light experimental but I wouldn't try it on a Cessna or heavier plane. Plus, I don't know what kind of ties you guys have, but my Fly Ties wouldn't hold the weight of a plane.

Courierguy's idea would probably be the safest and easiest. You probably have something you could dig with in your plane if your camping.

yup on all that, i now "slime" all my tubes, no more flats for a year...trick self balancing stuff and cheap... last one i changed the tube in, i used 5lb bottle jack, dug out bottom and got tube out of tire while it was still mounted on the plane, and patched it twice as i had no spare tube that trip...inflated it with our dirt-bike mini co2's, very lite and very effective....jo

kevbert wrote:

bumper wrote:Red Alert!! Do not put automotive brake fluid (DOT stuff) in your hydaulic jack.

Brake fluid IS hydraulic oil. Specifically, it's hydraulic oil that can handle very high temperatures. I say it should work great in a jack.

Well yes, sort of, but not always . . . and therein seems to be the confusion.

There are basically two types of brake fluid (I'm simplifying things - a lot):

Petroleum based brake fluid, which is the good old Mil-Spec 5606 red stuff we all know and love. This is compatible with Buna-N rubber seals and is used in most all small aircraft brake systems manufactured in the USA and some from Europe too. 5606 can handle reasonably high temperatures but nothing compared to Skydrol (or the DOT automotive brake fluids). 5606 is not hygroscopic as are many of the ester based fluids.

Then there's phosphate ester (or other ester) based hydraulic fluid (Skydrol - various types) which is used in big stuff, jet aircraft etc where high temperature performance, beyond that of petroleum based fluid, is needed. This stuff (and DOT auto brake fluid) is positively absolutely NOT compatible with little airplanes, hand operated hydraulic jacks or the Buna-N rubber seals therein. EPDM and more esoteric rubber seals are used with Skydrol.

Not exactly on topic, but I should add that when dealing with automotive brake fluids, it is critically important to use the correct fluid spec. If you happen to add the wrong DOT type fluid, one that is incompatible with the specified fluid, you can pretty much destroy the ABS brake system in a modern car. One of my employees, a salesperson who's hubby had no business doing impromptu maintenance on her company car, cost us 3 grand by not knowing this.

I am by no way a qualified professional on the subject of Brake Fluid VS Hydraulic Fluid chemisty. BUT, having worked with an old leaky Case backhoe / front loader for about ten summers up at Edison Lake in Calif., (over Kaiser pass above Huntington Lake), I do not remember any hydraulic fluid that washed off with plain old water. Brake fluid, at least the older DOT 3 stuff, is water soluble. I was surprised to find that the brake shops just hosed the stuff down a calif. storm drain. Also learned during my twenty odd years of off-road endeavors that a can, maybe two, of brake fluid in the radiator will quiet down a noisy water pump, lube the bearing, and usually allow you to get off of the trail. Seen more that one vehicle run over two days on the old Dusy-Ershim trail with that fix. Hmm.
Chris C

Jaerl wrote: ....an egg in the radiator will make it quit leaking too. ( I'm not an old car dealer just been around a while)
I did the egg thing last year while I was hunting. The radiator on my Trooper started leaking BAD. When I got back to camp I shook up a couple eggs in some cold water and put it in the radiator. It's still tight a year later............

Just saw this done as part of a "hillbilly tune-up" on a My Name Is Earl episode the other day. Never heard of it before. Wish I'd known about it a few years ago-- I had a heater core leak in a Buick LeSabre that I bought for a cheap commuter. Stopleak didn't work, at least not for long -- shoulda gone organic I guess ....

I too wish I'd known about the egg fix (saw it on Mythbusters) years ago, when I would have been a good-looking blonde's hero for fixing her
car. Instead, I just stood around like a putz while she called for a tow truck.

I've gotten strange looks from pilots when they requested that I add air to their tires, and I didn't go to our cranky compressor (and usually *all over the place* hose), bringing my Joe Blow bicycle pump instead. I'd have 'em pumped up and ready to go before I'd have been able to drag the hose out and find the inflater chuck. My bike pump works just fine on my 120psi bike tires, and puts out enough volume that a 30 or so psi airplane tire is no problem at all. I have a Topeak Morph that folds out into a floor pump, but fits neatly in my flight bag. Not quite as fast as the J.B., but still pretty darned good.
I've personally never had an actual flat on an airplane (I've had plenty on bikes, and helped folks with many more), but if/when I ever buy a plane, I'll carry a patch kit and an extra tube, much like I do on the bike.
I'd also recommend that anyone who hasn't had any experience with changing airplane tires, get in there next time you need 'em changed and get some under your belt with a mechanic looking over your shoulder. Fortunately for me, we had a lot of ham-footed students at the bigger FBO where I used to work, who'd land the Katanas with their feet on the brakes. Oy, flat-spot city.

http://www.oshkosh365.org/ok365_Discuss ... picid=5584

You don't need no stink'n jack to replace a wheel, just a lady and a buddy with a plane.

I'm a recent convert to the order of the "Green Slime Church of Never Ending Flat Tires". It fixed a buddies tail wheel without any disassembly, and on a POS riding lawnmower it eliminated the need to air up the old cracky tires each use. A question for you old hands at using Slime:

The bottle says something along the lines of lasting two years. Do they mean two year old seals will start to leak, or that the goo will no longer seal new punctures? Do you replace it after two years?

tom

I am with Jim...one light weight can of fix a flat. A quick and easy repair without getting sweaty and dirty. Vibrations don't matter when you are in the "how do I get out of here" mode.

I never get very high, am not sure what would happen up at 12,000 ft with the aerosol can though?

Down in AZ where land among the saguaro and the cholla, I carry a can of fix-a-flat. A flat tire could easily strand me in the middle of no-where. Although I've never used it on an AC tire though so don't know if it would work or not, anyone had success with this?

patrol guy wrote:I never get very high, am not sure what would happen up at 12,000 ft with the aerosol can though?

FYI my can's been to FL190 without any evidence of issues, and I hadn't thought that the lack of atmospheric pressure could be an issue with aerosol cans, fuel canisters, etc. I think fix-a-flat's probably some real flammable stuff, so a rupture in flight could be a BIG problem. Is there any evidence that an aerosol can needs atmospheric pressure to be stable?

Eric

emwhiteman wrote:Is there any evidence that an aerosol can needs atmospheric pressure to be stable?

Eric

At 20,000 feet atmospheric pressure is roughly half of sea level. This represents about a 7 psi change. The propellent in an aerosol can may be 50 psi or more. Warm it up and it will be a lot more. Another 7 won't make any difference cold, but I sure wouldn't put it on your dash where it gets hot.

tom

I do know personally of a pilot that used fix a flat to fix a flat in the backcountry. He also put more air into the tire with a small pump. It worked very well and he always carries a can of it.

I cannot remember his name. It probably was not STCd nor approved by the FAA.

flyer

Flight:
Depends on severity of the leak. I carry a new extra tube 6x6 and tools to change it ,for slow or nail leaks I use the fix a flat in a can --- a small screw jack to lift wheel ,a pair of c-clamps and a couple of 2x4's about foot long. A "apple Box " is strong enough to hold axle off ground. I've also stuffed a jacket in tire -wasn't pretty but got me home . Be prepared to get duty and sweaty . If you fly big wheels watch your pressure -

This stuff is highly recommended by the Mt bike tribe and I know some glider folk who use it.

http://www.notubes.com

MarkGrubb wrote:This stuff is highly recommended by the Mt bike tribe and I know some glider folk who use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_BsT8D9 ... ata_player

Stan's NoTubes does work amazingly well in bike tires. I use with a standard mountain bike tire on a standard rim and it seals the tire to the rim so well it allows me to go without a tube where you would otherwise need one. I don't know if it would work well in AC though, because it dries out after about 6 months and requires a refill. You end up with a small latex looking ball inside the tire. Not an issue with a tubeless system because u can easily break the bead, remove the dried ball, and refill with more NoTubes. On AC tires there would be no way to get the dried latex out of the tube. One option might be to just replace the tube after a few refills. The manufacturer claims it's non-hazardous and non-toxic...unfortunately they don't claim it to be FAA approved.

Flyer and Bill, glad to hear Fix-a-Flat works on AC tires.

Eric

Stc'd?

FAA approved?

Bwahahahaha!

182 STOL driver wrote:..... If you fly big wheels watch your pressure

Yeah, never seen anything in a can that'll fix a torn-out valve stem.