RockAuto Tip - Nylon Parts

[4Cruisers]

I just ran across this useful tip in RockAuto's January newsletter, which was just posted today, and thought it was worthy of sharing. I'll give it a try today on a few OEM nylon parts and post the results. The first part I'll try is an old yellowed nylon distributor terminal, I have a lot of these harvested from my recent distributor refurbishments.

RockAuto Newsletter Automotive Trivia

What might limber up old, yellowed nylon parts and make even new nylon parts easier to install/remove?

Put the nylon part in boiling water for a few minutes or let it soak in water overnight. (The boiling water does not melt the nylon. Soaking nylon in room temperature water for a long time has the same impact as a short bath in boiling water. The moisture releases tension between polymer molecules that was created when the part was first made (molded, extruded, etc.) or that built up over time as it was exposed to sunlight, heat, chemicals or otherwise aged.)

 

[OSS]

That’s an interesting tip. I’d say that’s impossible (being nylon is plastic) but what do I know?

 

[4Cruisers]

That’s an interesting tip. I’d say that’s impossible (being nylon is plastic) but what do I know?

I guess we'll soon see if it really works.

 

[The Machinist]

Many plastics do absorb water, nylon particularly so, so this would definitely be worth a shot! I wonder if they would just dry back out after a while in a hot engine bay though.

Dimensionally stable plastics | Ensinger

The dimensional stability refers to the ability of polymers to maintain their sizes even under varying environmental conditions.

www.ensingerplastics.com

TORAY PLASTICS | TORAY

This is a comprehensive site for Toray's engineering plastics and functional resin products. Toray's resin business has built a wide-ranging global network of compounding bases, molding/assembly bases, and sales bases in order to provide optimal solutions to customers around the world.

www.toray.jp

 

[4Cruisers]

I wonder if they would just dry back out after a while in a hot engine bay though.

I'll try that as part of my test, thanks for pointing that out. And thanks for the link.

 

[Spike Strip]

And if you're hungry, the waste water is good as nylon soup!



Great tip. Imma try it.

 

[4Cruisers]

And if you're hungry, the waste water is good as nylon soup!

Is that better than stone soup?

 

[Spike Strip]

Is that better than stone soup?

Well, I've only had soup while stoned, but that was eons ago, so I can't comment.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

worked for me ..........

 

[cps432]

I’ve read that soaking hardened rubber parts in wintergreen mint oil will restore them. I think ATF is also useful for restoring old rubber as long as it’s not cracked and falling apart.

 

[4Cruisers]

I’ve read that soaking hardened rubber parts in wintergreen mint oil will restore them. I think ATF is also useful for restoring old rubber as long as it’s not cracked and falling apart.

91% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and oil of wintergreen in a 4:1 mixture does work, but if you soak parts too long they can swell. That happened to a few rubber distributor cam grease stoppers.

 

[Seth S]

Nylon has a very high water content in it when it’s new which can make it very dangerous when plastic injecting it. It gets dried for a long time before it goes into the molding machine. And then it has a pretty small temperature window where it flows. And when it flows it does so like water.