[Healeys] Extra engine, break it down or leave it together ?

Guy R Day grday at btinternet.com
Tue Dec 8 07:01:01 MST 2009


Hi Kees,
It seems as if we will agree to disagree about using WD40 as a long term 
corrosion inhibitor; as soon as the dilutants evaporate it stops being a 
penetrating or flowing liquid and become the base for a problem to be 
removed in the future.  If I'm going to be removing deposits softer waxy 
preservatives are far easier to remove than the hard varnish style film WD40 
produces.  This may even need scraping, wire brushing etc to get rid of it 
before solvents will touch it.  Doing this inside a carb means a nut & bolt 
strip down not just a clean up.  The effects in a clock are just the same as 
in an engine, the only difference (as father-in-law said) is the size of the 
magnifying glass, they are both mechanical items.

However, after the dishwasher treatment I would use it sooner rather than 
later to help prevent ongoing residual chemical problems.  Googleing the 
dishwasher question came up with 
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=305454    that was mildly 
amusing.
Particularly good was the guy who padded the inside of a tumble dryer so he 
could rotate the nut/bolt filled bike tanks as they dried.   Now if I had a 
dryer the size of a Healey fuel tank ....
Another household ( ! ) item to dry with is using the wife's hair dryer but 
getting the grease out of the little ridges on the heat control switch take 
time. <smile>

Regards,
Guy



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Oudesluys" <coudesluijs at chello.nl>

> Guy,
>
> You certainly do not want to use WD40 in a clock, and most certainly not 
> from a spray can (don't ask) but I do disagree with not spraying WD40 in a 
> carb or distributor to keep corrosion at bay. It will leave a sticky, 
> penetrating film that will dissolve quite easily in a degreasing agent 
> similar to other oily or waxy preservative fluids. Anyway after storing 
> such parts for many years you have to dismantle, clean and rebuild, 
> whatever you used to keep corrosion at bay.
>
> Ah, the dishwasher, that fine piece of equipment that cannot be missed by 
> the automotive enthousiast. Excellent for carbs, distributor housings, oil 
> pumps and even cilinder heads and engine blocks if not to big to fit in. 
> If the usual detergent is not doing the job the special dishwasher 
> cleaning agents will. Blow dry immediately using compressed air, to repel 
> moisture in inaccesible places if there are steel parts involved (WD40 
> will not do any harm here either) to prevent machined surfaces from 
> starting  to corrode and cover these surfaces with a preservative fluid. 
> Put aluminium parts in a warm and dry environment, a hot air oven at 60C 
> is fine.
> I am lucky my wife is often away for a couple of days.
>
> What about Googling dishwashers for engine cleaning?
>
> Cheers,
> Kees Oudesluijs


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