Fuel pump check valve and other sundry items

[Jay Kempf]

I have tried all kinds of things on paint for removal of tar, bugs, paint,
and all manner of things a car can pick up in it's normal habitat. This car
got stuck in the construction zone while I was building my house and got
positioned by some idiots when the pumper was there one day that I wasn't
away on business. Tragedy but whattyagonnafingdo <insert Tony Soprano
voice>?
 
There are three types of brake parts cleaner out there: There is the old
school stuff which doesn't smell like dry cleaning fluid. That doesn't hurt
anything as long as you get it off quick and neutralize it. It will craze
painted and aluminum parts if you don't flood them after cleaning. Then
there are the two varieties of new school brake parts cleaner. They both
smell like dry cleaning fluid and they disolve everything plastic or rubber.
This amazes me because they advertise them as brake parts cleaners. They
disolve seals. Ask me how I know. 
 
When stuff goes on a freshly waxed surface acid won't hurt the paint. When
it is stuck to unwaxed paint it is another story. That is my problem. When I
do bugs and tar I use any cheap orange dilute citrus cleaner in a squirt
bottle just before washing. Bugs and tar just slide off with that stuff and
it won't remove wax. I use it for undoing bad bug sessions on the windshield
as well. Works great. Don't buy the automotive crap as it is just the same
stuff repackaged for 2 or 3x the price. 
 
Can't wait to try the vinegar trick today. I will try it on the glass first.
Then move to lower plastic, painted parts like the lower bumper, then I will
move to the painted metal areas. 
 
Still painting and putting things back together. 
 



jfk


-------------------------
Jay Kempf
jkempf at madriver.com
802 272 5868 

 

  _____  

From: Tony Hoffman [mailto:auditony at gmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 11:16 AM
To: Philip Rose
Cc: jkempf at madriver.com; 200q20v at audifans.com
Subject: Re: Fuel pump check valve and other sundry items


Vinegar is what we used at the detail shop years ago, which is why I had
suggested it. Probably dealt with 40 or 50 cars, most of them coming at once
after a screw up by a concrete truck operator. 
 
Acid is actually not that hard on paint, unless it's a concentrated strong
acid. We also used Hydroflouric acid for taking off water spots. Just don't
let any strong or concentrated acid sit on the paint for a long time.
 
I've found that you can damage paint much quicker with brake parts cleaner,
BG intake cleaner, and brake fluid. I have an old fender here I keep around
to check certain things before being careless around a customer's car.
 
Tony


On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 7:57 AM, Philip Rose <pjrose at frontiernet.net> wrote:


Hmmm. I hope  that schools these days aren't teaching that "citric acid is
the active ingredient" of vinegar. No, vinegar is very dilute "acetic acid"
(about 5%). I doubt you need be too concerned about easily damaging your
paint with vinegar--especially if you've already tried using the
much-stronger "muriatic acid" and found that it was relatively
harmless/ineffective (at least that's what I think you had indicated).

Assuming that the trouble spots are not on horizontal surfaces, you might
try saturating a wad of cotton with the vinegar--or other liquid-- and lay
that (wet cotton) in contact with the areas that need cleaning in order to
give the vinegar some time to work. You could test on an inconspicuous area
of paint to make certain that no damage occurs.

Have you tried getting advice about this at a good detail shop? Also, you
might find something useful at a ceramic tile store which should carry some
kind of liquid preparation used for cleaning grout (cement) from tile
surfaces. Don't know about effect on paint, though. Good luck.

Phil