CH yoke lubricants revisited

[Guest]

I've had the sticky elevator problem with my CH yoke for some time now. The problem is the yoke's shaft sticking when I try to make small adjustments near the centre of the shaft's travel. It can be very annoying, especially when flying finals and you need to make small pitch adjustments.First of all I tried WD40. I'm not sure what this is called in other parts of the world, but it's a silicon free lubricant that is available in spray cans. I applied a fairly liberal dose of WD40 to the shaft of my CH yoke and it seemed to make the problem worse...I cleaned off the WD40 and tried graphite powder. I used a 2B pencil rubbed down on a piece of wet and dry paper, and then applied the powder to the shaft with a small paint brush. This seemed to work quite well, but after a few weeks the sticky elevators have made a reappearance.This morning I've tried another lubricant - engine oil. I actually used "Castrol GTX Magnatec". I dismantled the yoke, cleaned away the graphite and applied the oil with a paint brush to the entire surface area of the shaft, as well as the inside of the o-rings and the spring attachments.So far I'm quite impressed with the results. It seems to be much smoother now, not perfect, but definitely the best lubricant I've found so far.

[Guest]

HiI`ve always had good luck with a white grease with teflon.It`s the same type of grease that is used to lubricate the little plastic gears in model trains and it works great and safe for plastic too.It can be found in any hobby shop that sells toy trains and a tube will last a lifetime.Use spareingly.Ron

[Guest]

I agree, the WD 40 seems only to make things worse.... I like the sound of the white grease with teflon, I may give that a try... Thanks for the idea.... Ron Mashburn

[Guest SoarPics]

Nick,I would advise against using the Castrol. It is a petroleum based lubricant, and may in time attack the bushings in the yoke. Besides, as an oil it will soon ATTRACT grit and dust, which will only make your stiction problems worse.Any lube will do... just make sure it is safe for plastics. The design of the CH yoke requires periodic cleaning and lubing of the shaft/bushings.Regards,

[michal 44]

I was very curious about this "sticking yoke" issue - it actually discouraged me from buying this product. But finally when I went to Avsim conference at Tahoe I was able to sit down in front of the real yoke and started playing with it to get a feel of it. In my opinion it was very smooth - I certainly saw no need to apply any lubricant. But I still asked the CH guy about the most appropriate lubricant if someone needs one and he told me it could NOT be a petroleum based lubricant since it will eat the shaft and will actually make things worse. He said he would only recommend sillicon-based lubricant.Michael J.

[Guest]

Have any of you tried mineral oil brushed on? In my experience, this works quite well to lubricate plastic-on-plastic. May be worth a shot. Earl

[michal 44]

>Have any of you tried mineral oil brushed on? Probably a very poor choice considering my post above.Michael J.

[Guest]

Why didn't I think of that?!?!I've just cleaned the oil away and reassembled the yoke. The funny thing is it now seems to be smoother than before!

[Guest]

FWIW I used a clear spray silicon lubricant on the shaft (didn't disassemble) and it helped for about a day, then was back to being slightly sticky. I've tried that and WD40 with little to no results. Anyone have a particular product name/brand they would recommend for this?

[Guest SD Sim]

I must apologize in advance, but I've seen so many posts on this subject that I can't hold it in anymore...Please stop lubricating your shafts. Keep your hands on the yoke, and only the yoke. What you do in the privacy of your own home is, of course, your own business :-lol Like I said, the above is only a joke. I know that this can be a rather "sticky" issue. Oops, there I go again. I think I'll stop now.

[Guest]

I use vaseline. Just a small amount works will over time attrack dust but can easily be wiped off and applied without any mess. Just make sure to do both sides of the yoke.Kilstorm

[Guest]

HmmmmWith thoughts such as those racing through your head you may be in more need for lubricant than anyone else in this tread for whatever reason.Just remember to deflate her when you`re through.:)Just joking of course and thanks for contributing.

[Guest]

>I dismantled the yoke,How did you do that? I tried, but the rear edge just didn't want to let go. But something did, because the elevator axis stopped working entirely. I had to ship it back to CHProducts to have it repaired. They were quite nice about it, but suggested that it was not practical for users to take the yoke apart or put it back together.It all started because I wanted to thoroughly clean off one lubricant before trying another.Please share your dismantling experience.-John B

[hothopper 0]

Like a previous post mentioned, I tried a spray-on silicon-based lube that only lasted a few days.Then I tried a coating of silicon-based grease (found some in the plumbing department of a hardware store that is designed to be used for water valves). I put it on without taking the yoke apart. At first the shaft was sticky, but after a few days it slid nicely. The nice part is that I haven't had to re-lubricate it for many, many months. There is still some play in the bearings, but that is part of the yoke's design.If you need to disassemble the yoke, there are 8 BLACK screws on the bottom to take out. Two of them are hidden under the small rubber pads in the rear of the unit. As I recall, you DON'T need to take the two silver screws located near the large rubber pads out.This likely voids any warranty, so you're on your own here. Good luck!

[GHarrall 494]

I use a Dupont non petroleum lubricant spray containing Teflon.Works amazingly well........Glenn