Using disel on undercarriage? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 10, 2016
Threads
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329
Location
UAE
Has any one used diesel for there undercarriage on there car as a prevention for rust or cleaning etc ?.Have read mix reviews.
 
I apply a mixture of used motor oil and gear oil in about 80:20 ratio. The gear oil stays longer but I doubt diesel may evaporate with time.

If you can find penetrating oil, used it first and then apply the oil.
 
I apply a mixture of used motor oil and gear oil in about 80:20 ratio. The gear oil stays longer but I doubt diesel may evaporate with time.

If you can find penetrating oil, used it first and then apply the oil.

Very interesting thankyou.
 
Outta curiosity, what rust are you trying to prevent in UAE? I live in Texas and I don't treat the underside of my vehicles...nobody does here. I'd expect the same in UAE...

A few people I know that live in the rust belt area of the US (Michigan, Ohio, etc) use POR-15/fluid film yearly. It's a spray on undercoating that helps counter the salt mixture they use on the roads when iced. This is also why nobody in their right mind buys a vehicle from this area...
 
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Outta curiosity, what rust are you trying to prevent in UAE? I live in Texas and I don't treat the underside of my vehicles...nobody does here. I'd expect the same in UAE...

A few people I know that live in the rust belt area of the US (Michigan, Ohio, etc) use POR-15/fluid film yearly. It's a spray on undercoating that helps counter the salt mixture they use on the roads when iced. This is also why nobody in their right mind buys a vehicle from this area...

My lx is a import from the USA alot of them here and landcruisers to people a suprised when they find out we get them from the USA ,but the demand for 4wd vehicles is huge. I have a few rust areas I want to patch up.
 
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File under "anal info": Rust is an area driven phenomena.

Basically, you are better off having a large area of surface rust, versus a small spot of rust. The energy of the "system" (auto) is the same either way. The small spot scenario will corrode through and undercut (cancer) way faster than the large area phenomena (same amount of material transformation in both scenarios).

As a proven example: search the interweb for "liberty ship corrosion". When first introduced at start of WW2, they noticed a lot of ships cracking in half. Traced it to mismatched hull rivet material (small area). Changed rivet material to that similar to hull plates (small area now is big area). Cracking ended.

Similarly, best to have an uncoated large plate, versus same plate with coating and small scratch. That energy works the scratch area in an accelerated fashion.

Moral of the story: If you are going to treat for rust prevention, better make sure that any uncoated areas are minimized (eliminated if possible). Thats why when they "paint the car" at the factory they dip into a huge pool of paint....making sure to get every thing coated.

Yours truly.....anal ocean engineer.
 
Diesel? Gear oil? Stink?
 
I take my 100 every two years to Krown in Canada. So far, zero rust
 
We use kerosene/diesel to clean parts when rebuilding engines. It's also okay for removing grime and grease. Use a stiff brush to poke and wipe with it and apply liberally. When done, spray carb cleaner all over the area. It's now clean and ready for a coat of rust converter (a number of companies make it now) then cover with paint of your choice.
 
Holy Shiite - diesel for rust prevention? Used motor oil? How bout contaminating waterways? Wtf...

People use fluid film or krown for a reason: non-toxic.
 
Toyota's weak spot RUST!

I had good results with this process last year:

I power washing, degreasing with a citrus cleaner and power washing again. Then wire brushed surface rust from nuts & bolts. After this cleaning process, I was unhappy with white film leftover from citrus cleaner and concerned with exposed bare metal I 'had wire brushed. Normally I get out a can of black paint, but was concerned with paint adhering to white film. Besides hate spray painting while on my back in close quarters.

So I thought why not use a little marine grease on bare metal of nuts & bolts and call it a day. Well before I knew it I'd brushed & wipe 1/2 tub of marine grease on entire undercarriage (except body).

It looks great and the stuff doesn't wash off, even solvent has a hard time breaking marine grease down.

Cost $2.00 / 3 hours.

After cleaning, wire brushing and before greasing:
Above Rear DS picture.jpg

Note: Look close at hole on far left of crossover frame rail above differential, it's still wet from final rinse and has just a bit of rust color. In this area just to left of this frame rail hole I'm finding different degrees of rust on every older rig. With some rigs, that spent just it's first year in rust belt, I've been able too flake off or poke into rust in this area.

Just after bushing on marine grease:
Undercarigge final wipe down (15).JPG

Undercarigge final wipe down (2).JPG

A few weeks after bushing & wiping on grease:
1 (21).JPG

1 (24).JPG



We don't have a big problem with rust in Colorado but moisture from rain, snow and constantly washing off road salts from undercarriage does have it's ill effects. So even here in Colorado I'm adding rust preventive to the inside of frame rails to my PM schedule. I'll be spraying fluid film or something like it inside frame rails.
 
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With regards to the small spot of corrosion to big area.

It is not the size, it is the different materials in touch. This is due to the oxidation potential of various metals. A metal with a positive electrochemical potential gets reduced (gains electrons) and one with a negative potential gets oxidized (gives out electrons) as iron (Fe) gets corroded.
There are three ways to stop corrosion.
1) Prevent oxygen (impossible)
2) Prevent H2O (possible with a film of oil or paint). With a crack in the paint will lead to expose the bare metal and corrosion starts again, where as oil it still can spread into new areas and keeps the metal covered all the time. I sprayed penetrating oil followed by a mixture of motor oil and gear oil (to keep the film for longer periods of time) to frame and inside the doors, etc., and the truck has ZERO rust.
3) Have a sacrificial anode make another metal to oxidize instead of the iron (Fe). This method is widely used in ships and metal tanks stored underground: fuel tanks
 
Note: Look close at hole on far left of crossover frame rail above differential, it's still wet from final rinse and has just a bit of rust color. In this area just to left of this frame rail hole I'm finding different degrees of rust on every older rig. With some rigs that spent just it's first year in rust belt, I've been able too flake off or poke into rust in this area.
I recently discovered this exact issue on my Kansas raised 100. Overall the frame is in phenomenal condition with hardly a speck of rust. However, on the driver side of that rear cross member I spotted a mass of bubbling rust and was able to flake off enough to poke through. I haven't tackled this yet, but my plan is to drill a new hole in the cross member near the frame then clean out the cross member and treat with the POR15 system. It is a messy process, and even more so upside down in an inclosed space, but I've had good luck with POR15 in the past. After that I had planned to annually treat with something like fluidfilm, but I may try lathering it with marine grease instead.
 
^^ Yes for a week or so, I then drive on a dirt road to get a thick layer of dirt to coat on. It gives a hydrophobic coating that lasts for years.
 
So I thought why not use a little marine grease on bare metal of nuts & bolts and call it a day. Well before I knew it I'd brushed & wipe 1/2 tub of marine grease on entire undercarriage (except body).

It looks great and the stuff doesn't wash off, even solvent has a hard time breaking marine grease down.

Cost $2.00 / 3 hours.

@2001LC Awesome post!

One of my neighbor moved last year. The couple are a bit of a hoarder. He gave me some opened and unopened marine grease tubs. I took them because it seems a waste to go to the dumpster (they manage to overflowed one of those giant construction dumpster with their stuffs). I been wondering what am I going to use these marine grease for. Now I know!
 
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Toyota's weak spot RUST!

I had good results with this process last year:

I power washing, degreasing with a citrus cleaner and power washing again. Then wirer brush surface rust from nuts & bolts. After this cleaning process, I was unhappy with white film leftover from citrus cleaner and concerned with exposed bare metal I 'had wire brushed. Normally I get out a can of black paint, but was concerned with paint adhering to white film. Besides hate spray painting while on my back in close quarters.

So I thought why not use a little marine grease on bare metal of nuts & bolts and call it a day. Well before I knew it I'd brushed & wipe 1/2 tub of marine grease on entire undercarriage (except body).

It looks great and the stuff doesn't wash off, even solvent has a hard time breaking marine grease down.

Cost $2.00 / 3 hours.

After cleaning, wire brushing and before greasing:
View attachment 1407910
Note: Look close at hole on far left of crossover frame rail above differential, it's still wet from final rinse and has just a bit of rust color. In this area just to left of this frame rail hole I'm finding different degrees of rust on every older rig. With some rigs that spent just it's first year in rust belt, I've been able too flake off or poke into rust in this area.

Just after bushing on marine grease:
View attachment 1407914
View attachment 1407915
A few weeks after bushing & wiping on grease:
View attachment 1407919
View attachment 1407920


We don't have a big problem with rust in Colorado but moisture from rain, snow and constantly washing off road salts from undercarriage does have it's ill effects. So even here in Colorado I'm adding rust preventive to the inside of frame rails to my PM schedule. I'll be spraying fluid film or something like it inside frame rails.


Great post and very informative.
 
nissanh: you are correct w/r to dissimilar materials.

However, you can have a sheet of a material coated, and then have small area non coated, and there will be corrosion. Basically any change of potential causes a dissimilar "condition" (o2 exposure, salt environment, etc).....leading to corrosion.

If you care to be really patient (say a year or 2), I can lay my hands on my engineering corrosion text book from my ocean engineering corrosion class (currently in storage), reference the section and forward to you:cheers:

Did I say I'm an anal engineer:beer::beer::beer: with too much time on hands.
 
You need to go skiing. j/k
 

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