Acid (was: Drain valves versus plugs versus suction)

[Nate Stuart]

> Your mentioned acidification of oil, and that reminded me of a recent
> incident that I have been meaning to get a clarification on.
>
> My car was recently in the shop, and one of the mechanics had it parked
> right in front of one of the bays.  Inside the bay was a beat up 4k that
was
> elevated a bit, and the engine had just been started up.  There was
> tremendous amounts of black "stuff" dripping out of the exhaust and all
over
> my car.  In fact, about 25% of my hood was covered with this "black water"
> by the time it caught anyone's attention.
>
> I told the mechanic, somewhat angry, "thanks for covering my car with
> sufuric acid", to which he said, "What are you talking about?  I haven't
> heard that one before, thats just some harmless water!"...
>
> It was dilluted sulfuric acid, wasn't it?

Where in the world would the acid even come from?! Think about it, the only
things your engine is ingesting are air and fuel, no combination of the two
that I am aware of is going to make any form of sulfuric acid. Your mechanic
was correct, the water on your hood was just that, water. It condeses on the
inside of exhaust systems as they cool, then when fired up again the water
is blown out the back in liquid form. Don't worry, your car may have gotten
messy, but your paint and hood should still be intact.

Later!
-Nate
'89 90tq
www.newtsplace.com/90tq