Underbody Diesel Wash

[cerbomark]

anyone ever heard for guys in high road salt areas that some people spray the bottom of their trucks with diesel fuel ? I assume it is to clean or protect everthing on the underside. I heard just to soak it down and leave it.

[Zembonez]

anyone ever heard for guys in high road salt areas that some people spray the bottom of their trucks with diesel fuel ? I assume it is to clean or protect everthing on the underside. I heard just to soak it down and leave it.

I assume this would be as a barrier or protection layer... Maybe the oily layer fends off the salt or at least protects the truck from it?

 

No snow here so we don't have any such problems.

[1999 Tahoe 4x4]

anyone ever heard for guys in high road salt areas that some people spray the bottom of their trucks with diesel fuel ? I assume it is to clean or protect everthing on the underside. I heard just to soak it down and leave it.

It won't help. I have once tried motoroil on a spot, just to see if it works or helps anything. It did not.

 

Hope this answeres your question.

 

BTW: You did not sound too respectful in your recent reply to one of my well ment posts. Get serious!

[Nytemare]

We used to use ATF and used motor oil back home. you soak it down with a shutz gun or similar spray gun that you don't care about. If you have an old paint gun, you can use that, but the mixture must be tinned out (we used diesel or furnace oil). You spray the under side on a nice hot day, let it soak in for about an hour, give it another light spray, than hit the nearest dusty gravel road. The dust sticks to the fresh oils and forms a protective layer. Repeated applications over the years results in a no-rust frame encased in about 1/2" of oily clay.

 

The biggest benefit is that the clay, unlike rubberized coatings, is able to breathe. If you have a spot where water gets under the rubber, its trapped where the clay just lets it escape.

 

This is not however the least bit environmentally friendly. Which is fine with me.

 

Diesel would do a similar job, it would just end up being a lot runnier, and you would have to do repeated applications at a time to get any layer of protection. But it would creep into all the cracks crevices and seams like no ones business. Although your truck would smell of fuel for weeks.

[cerbomark]

Hey, 1999 Tahoe, I was only kidding with you. My just meant I agreed with you. I don t think the little cartoon is put on here to offend anyone. It s just a short way to say I agree.I ve been involved far too long on this and other auto websites and clubs to stoop so low as to argue or offend someone in this type of forum.

BTW: That s a clean looking Tahoe.

[Zembonez]

Hey, 1999 Tahoe, I was only kidding with you. My just meant I agreed with you. I don t think the little cartoon is put on here to offend anyone. It s just a short way to say I agree.I ve been involved far too long on this and other auto websites and clubs to stoop so low as to argue or offend someone in this type of forum.

BTW: That s a clean looking Tahoe.

Hey Mark... I would think diesel or oil would be bad for the rubber parts under the truck. I know oil breaks down rubber parts. Just a thought.

[1999 Tahoe 4x4]

Hey, 1999 Tahoe, I was only kidding with you....

Alright then. No worries.

 

As to my winter test with "engine oil proofing" against salt, I tell you what I did and you'll be the judge.

 

When I was young I used my 2 years old dirtbike for everyday commute including in the winters of Germany. Trying to "winterpfoof" it, I started to "wintercoat" among others the swingarm of the bike with motoroil way before the winter. I applied it several times while I stopped washing the bike. At the same time, on the side of the chain, the chain kept on coating the swingarm the "natural" way, with excess chainlube.

 

In the spring I washed the bike and examined the results. In areas where the chainlube created a really thick gue things looked pretty good. However on the other side of the swingarm where "only" the several allplications of motoroil were "protecting" the picture did look much worse. I found several new rustspots even in areas otherwise more or less protected from direct spraywater. Welds seemed to have done worst.

 

The next winter I washed the bike with a brush almost every day after I got home. That seemed to actually work better.

 

I don't think a few minutes of sparying the underbody with water is enough to get the salt completely off. There always seems to be some residue left; and that still tastes salty (yes, for the love of my vehicles and to be sure, I have tried it)

 

Using a gentle brush would be optimal although probably impossible to use for the under carriage.

 

Then I decided the hell with all this winter and moved to California.

 

It's great having not to worry about road salt, but still, now I miss the winter. I think I'm going ->

[cerbomark]

thanks for the info, cause I d hate to do all that work and mess for a small possible gain.(and maybe damage the rubber parts, I never thought of that).I guess I ll just hose it down good after the winters and trade it in every 3 years. I like the fact you ll be willing to taste the water to see the results

[Silverado4x4]

The Diesel fuel sprayed on the underbody has to smell and a major dirt collector, sometimes after I know there will be no more snow and salt on the road ways I will go get the lawn sprinkler (the one that goes back and forth) and put it under the truck for about 15 minutes so it can flush the salt out.

[Nytemare]

You know what else works, doesn't damage rubber and is one of the better things to coat the undercarriage with. Krown undercoat. Or rust check.

 

the oil, diesel, whatever is the redneck rolling pennies for gas broke, solution to rust check. Rust check and similars usually run in the 100-200 dollar area to do, a quart of diesel, and some used oil costs like 2 bucks. Thats why people do it. It does work well, but can screw some stuff up good. But you will have a solid frame after years of use.

 

I guess there would be no bushings, rubber hoses, or anything else left...but there would be a nice solid frame...

[1999 Tahoe 4x4]

Not to hijack this thread; just to share some info:

 

Washington, Oregon, Idaho and BC do use a road salt substitute. Vehicles look pretty decent over there. Perhaps an issue to be raised with your elected local officials. Here is some ammunition:

This is a link to a 2001 report that was prepared by Colorado DOT:

Evaluation of Selected Deicers <- (http://ttap.colostate.edu/Library/CDOT/CDOT-DTD-R-2001-15.pdf)

It gets especially interesting around Page 101

 

And then I also found this on the net some time ago, but I don't know how recent this following info is:

 

[mini1]

I've never heard of using diesel fuel. In the UK, they use Waxoyl (wax oil). It seems to work fairly work. You can brew waxoyl yourself, but it is a mess!

 

Any more info on that road salt substitute 1999 Tahoe? That is very interesting. I wish all states were required to stop using real road salt.

[1999 Tahoe 4x4]

Any more info on that road salt substitute 1999 Tahoe?...

That's pretty much all I got. We were considering to move to Oregon and that's how and why I researched the topic and found the info on road salt substitute (after moving from Germany to California, I just did not want to move any place anymore, that uses roadsalt).

 

My wife and I just got back from our Oregon househunting trip and all I can say is that IT SEEMS LIKE THE ROAD SALT SUBSTITUTE WORKS. Even old cars seem to be in excellent condition in Oregon. You basically do not see rusted cars. I looked at how towhitches of older Trucks hold up (simply painted steel) and it all looks pretty good. But I'm sure there are some guys here on this Forum from Oregon who can elaborate this better than I do.

 

It is worth to mention that these road salt substitutes are supposedly not only better for our vehicles, they are purportedly also better for road infrastucture like bridges and roadsigns etc. Additionally they seem to be better for the environment too.

So I think the issue is worth some efforts to make it a law.

[BigJayDogg3]

Hey Andreas, are you originally from Germany, or some place else?

[1999 Tahoe 4x4]

Hey Andreas, are you originally from Germany, or some place else?

I grew up in Germany. In terms of cars/trucks, California is paradise, having not to deal with roadsalt here.

Still there can be quite some damage caused by the sun too; not to mention the too many uninsured or DUI CA-drivers.

Other than that California is a mechanics dream: bolts and nuts almost never seize.