Help - Rust on aluminum wheels (1 Viewer)

[pigmony]

I waited too long to do the brake job that I knew I needed to do. Now I have new rotors in addition to the new pads that I needed, but I also have rust on my aluminum wheels.

What works best to remove rust from aluminum?

What works well enough, but doesn't require removing my tires before using it?

 

[3_puppies]

rust stains?
pics?

 

[clemson55]

Aluminum doesn't rust, are you referring to rust stains or something else?

 

[pigmony]

I wore through the friction material of the pads to the point that the steel backer rubbed directly against the rotor. At that point, the backer grinds away at the rotor and creates very hot steel dust as a biproduct. The steel dust gets everywhere and immediately rusts. It doesn't just brush away or wash off with soap and water.

 

[YotaPaullie]

Have you tried chemical guys wheel cleaner? It is not super aggressive, but it works really well.

Personally, I would do some baking soda in water, liberally scrub with a sponge, let it sit on there, scrub it off with a sponge, green (15 degree) pressure washer nozzle for a rinse, wheel cleaner, let sit, scrub, pressure washer.

If it is rust dust it just needs to come up, but you don't want to get so aggressive that you take the clear coat off the rim.

 

[elkun1]

elbow grease, lots of it. this brings back youthfull memories, baking soda in water is probably the safest to start with. when that failed to remove most i believe i used coke or pepsi and scrub then rinse. the acid in them is sometimes enough . i believe what i ended up using was white vinegar mixed with dawn let it sit for a bit then rinse and then lots of scrubbing. if polished aluminum then you get to learn the polishing technique. in really bad cases i've seen guys mix lye and water and spray that on. lots of protective gear required . whatever you use try it on a small area on the inside of the wheel first. at least now you have the benefit of youtube, back in the day we'd use stuff then complain that our hands were bright red and burning and peeling, kinda like probing corn bins without being tied on. didn't know any better.
also mag chloride which the state happily uses on the winter roads so that aholes don't have to slow down is hard on rims, some moreso than others. wd40 works well on tar also. all of my above suggestions are use at your own risk suggestions. out here it seems like what starts out as a simple project ends up making me wonder why i started it. good luck lol.

 

[Mike NXP]

I wore through the friction material of the pads to the point that the steel backer rubbed directly against the rotor. At that point, the backer grinds away at the rotor and creates very hot steel dust as a biproduct. The steel dust gets everywhere and immediately rusts. It doesn't just brush away or wash off with soap and water.

Same thing happened to me. I tried one of those fancy rubber wheel things ( green version, can't remember the grit ) and sort of screwed it up more / ;eft some scratches.

I actually just picked up a jug of the Rust-o-leum rust remover stuff, harbor freight also has a knock off version that works great on bolts...... Was thinking of trying some of that with maybe a brush ( brass brush?? IDK ) But I haven't attempted it yet. I don't really want it to touch the rubber but that may not even matter.

 

[YotaPaullie]

Same thing happened to me. I tried one of those fancy rubber wheel things ( green version, can't remember the grit ) and sort of screwed it up more / ;eft some scratches.

I actually just picked up a jug of the Rust-o-leum rust remover stuff, harbor freight also has a knock off version that works great on bolts...... Was thinking of trying some of that with maybe a brush ( brass brush?? IDK ) But I haven't attempted it yet. I don't really want it to touch the rubber but that may not even matter.

If you don't care that much about the finish, and polish does not work, then you can use a fine steel wool to polish the rim. My brother and I used to use a metal polish called Noxon. That stuff was amazing.... I am probably growing a third arm because of it or who knows what else... but the stuff worked. We would pull a motorcycle out of a shed, polish up the pitted metal, use some very fine steel wool, and we could bring the aluminum to a chrome like finish. I guess you could work it over really hard, clear coat it, and then have a nice set of wheels for it.

It is going to take elbow grease.... unfortunately every time I try to order some on Amazon it says, "Out of Stock."

 

[REZARF]

Oven cleaner will attack stubborn wheels but it’ll eat some finishes and aluminum might get punished quicker than painted wheels.

Got pics? I wonder if you have truly polished wheels or painted? Clear coat or raw?

 

[pigmony]

Zep Citrus cleaner mixed 3 parts clearer and 2 parts water did a pretty good job. I'll mix a stronger solution and use a nylon brush.