Dull Aluminum - engine
06-05-2001, 03:07 PM
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Dull Aluminum - engine
Hi All,
A friend of mine has a 944 and apparently the P.O. used some sort of degreaser (we don't know what) on the engine and all of the aluminum parts are dull and have a white powdery residue on them. (Intake, water pump, etc.)
He can't get them to look "original" and was wondering if he had to resort to painting them.
Any ideas I can relate to him?
TIA
A friend of mine has a 944 and apparently the P.O. used some sort of degreaser (we don't know what) on the engine and all of the aluminum parts are dull and have a white powdery residue on them. (Intake, water pump, etc.)
He can't get them to look "original" and was wondering if he had to resort to painting them.
Any ideas I can relate to him?
TIA
06-05-2001, 04:51 PM
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I saw a post on the old board about the factory use of Parafin to coat the aluminum parts of the motor to prevent the oxidation you are seeing. This was likely all removed during the cleaning process.
Not sure what you can do to restore the finish, unless some sort of tarnish remover for aluminum is available. you might try a boating store, as its a common problem with metal around water.
Not sure what you can do to restore the finish, unless some sort of tarnish remover for aluminum is available. you might try a boating store, as its a common problem with metal around water.
06-05-2001, 11:20 PM
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Aluminum oxidizes EXTREMELY fast, almost fast enough that you can -see- it oxidize right before your very eyes. The only way to prevent it is to anodize the surface, paint it, use clearcoat, or otherwise cover it with some air-blocking chemical (eg: paraffin was mentioned earlier, though unlikely because it liquifies at low temperatures).
Your best bet may be remove the part(s), bead-blast them clean, and then use paint them. It's not going to be the most elegant finish, but better than the pitted powdery finish you have now.
Another alternative is to have the part(s) anodized. This isn't cheap, but if you have them ALL done at the same time, you might get the cost-per-part down to something reasonable.
Greg
Your best bet may be remove the part(s), bead-blast them clean, and then use paint them. It's not going to be the most elegant finish, but better than the pitted powdery finish you have now.
Another alternative is to have the part(s) anodized. This isn't cheap, but if you have them ALL done at the same time, you might get the cost-per-part down to something reasonable.
Greg
06-06-2001, 10:57 PM
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I own a 93 968 that the po did the same thing to. There are many engine degreasers that are unfriendly to aluminum. Castrol super clean will eat your aluminum like Easy Off oven cleaner. Beware. Some Gunk products I have seen will degloss the painted finish in the engine compartment. Geez I wish folks would be more careful with using products on our cars. I have tried aluminum jelly and the treated gauze automotion sells to no avial. I recently discovered a 3M aluminum boat finish restorer, looked like it may do the trick. I will let you know. Doug
