Its applied to protect and prevent corrosive salts and dirt from damaging the underside of the car..

 

Having done this fandango (for full concours) - the advice I give is to remove the rear wheels and swamp the whole friggin' place (suspension, wheel assy, arches, engine etc.) with (Wurth) Citrus Degreaser. You will go thru' SEVERAL (around 10) cans. Make sure you LEAVE the stuff ON for several mins. so that it can do its job - before you get frisky with the water hose. You will need several nylon brushes of various 'types' to remove all the crud. The nylon brushes will 'clog' with the gunk - so it's a good idea to have a small bucket full of 'neat' degreaser handy for periodic rinsing/declogging.

When you 'think' you've done a good job -- let it all dry out -- and then take another look. Trust me, there'll STILL be cosmoline BAKED into crevices -- which will require several wire-toothbrushes.

I 'stopped' at the junction where the black plastic tranny undertray 'starts'. To me, there was really no point in doing the tranny area. I drive with the engine tray off -- but I leave the tranny tray on.

As a final touch -- after I've de-cosmolined the 'crevices' -- I, again, swamp the place, this time, with copious amounts of 'Simple Green' -- letting it sit - so it can do its work. In this way all the places that you got the 'first time' are getting another 'dose' - as well as the more recent 'crevices'. (Wurth is 'stronger' IMHO than Simple Green. I use the Wurth to remove the cosmoline - but the simple green I use because now most of the engine is now (post wurth) exposed and, IMHO, doesn't need to be treated as roughly.)

After every surface has been thoroughly rinsed -- and I mean thoroughly rinsed -- then let it all air-dry.

Hold on! -- you are NOT finished yet!

Get your hands on a gallon of 303 Aerospace PROTECTANT - and with a small paintbrush -- swab the whole place with the milky fluid ...and let THAT air dry.

The 'results' will ASTOUND you. Your 'underside' will not only be clean but it'll also be shiny yet will not attract dirt/dust. A periodic (twice yearly) 'hosing' will keep the area looking spiffy.

OK, now to YOU! ...make sure you know, going in, that all of your clothes, your hands, your hair and your person will get covered in filth. You need to accept this fact. Also, ***wear protective gloves*** or your hands will literally 'dry out'. Trust me on this.

Finally, be 'responsible' in making sure that the 'outflow' of all your degreasing and hosing doesn't result in your driveway or lawn becoming 'BLACK' with old oil and general filth. I personally used tons and tons of old newspapers to 'soak up' the grunge --- depositing same into Hefty trashcan sacks.

Cleaning the underside **properly** and **thoroughly** is NOT a trivial task. It takes a lot of time and effort and 'persistence' and, yes, patience. However, the end results are totally worth it.

Gerry
(And yep, the blue bomber has won multiple (first) prizes in both street and full class).

 

Tks!

 

WD-40's lubricity capabilities are dubious at best,
but
it does make a fine cleaner / degreaser and deposits a decent anti-corrosion protection film.

i use it on my bicycles chains for cleaning before applying a lubricant.

cheers

Craig

 

Dose anyone have pics they can show us. Andreas? G murray?

Mine looks clean sans the cosmoline, but I would love to see what the finished product will look like if I go for it.

 

It's just for corrosion prevention. I used to use it a load when I did major overhauls on aircraft.

Best thing I found was simply, petrol(gasoline) and a stiff brush to get it off.

 

I like cosmoline and intend to keep the coating on the underside of my engine. In fact, if it ever comes time to re-spray my car, I might paint the entire thing in cosmoline...

 

WD 40 works because it lubricates the blobs. So when you get it off, it can't stick back on. At least that's part of the reason it works. I use it to take tacky stuff off but what happens is the tacky stuff gets on your rag. It doesn't dissolve it like some other stuff. That's why its relatively safe to use.

 

Robert, what type of Cat setup do you have, have not seen this setup. Is it 100 or 200 cell?

 

Another Rennlist logic disconnect. It's there to protect the engine from salts and corrosion. OMG--how do I remove it!?

 

If using WD-40, please wear gloves. Extended exposure of the skin to WD-40 can be VERY dangerous. I have spent some time in the past working in a burn unit and will always remember one patient who had a cold and was told by someone an old wives tale that rubbing WD-40 on their chest would help them recover faster. Long story short, the patient died.

 

+1

Who's gonna see it, anyway? (No concourses for me and my DD.) I just spray the underside of the car with the hose when I wash it. Now, the engine bay, that's another story.

 

Derek, that is awful....and to think that my dad has been cleaning guns woith that stuff for 60 years. Yikes...

Jim, I don't have a clue....I thought my set up was factory cats with the Fabspeed muffler bypasses. To the best of my knowledge that is what it is. It just looks a little unusual from underneath because there are two big holes where the mufflers used to be. EDIT - Sorry, in this picture, I have what I think are factory cats with the Techart mufflers, which are shorter, lighter and louder than the factory units.

Is that what you were referring to? If not, I will check the Cats out.

 

Bruce and RallyJon,
My understanding of the original need or intention for cosmoline was simply a protective coating for the underside of a car due to the car sitting on ships crossing the ocean (ie - from Europe or Asia to the US) to reduce the corrosive effects of sea air, ocean water, salt, etc...

If this is true, then my opinion is that it is really not needed afterwards unless you drive your car every day in any kind of weather which I do not. Since mine is a "sunny day" only car, I would prefer to have it clean and do not feel that I am compromising the protection of the engine since it will never be in salt, snow, rain, etc...

I guess one could also argue that a thick coat of cosmoline on your engine, seals, etc.... also holds in more heat which could prematurely wear out your seals.

 

Now you're just being silly.