WD-40 As Engine Degreaser

[Subaru_Nation555]

I stumbled on this post of a guy using WD40 to detail his engine bay (with amazing results!) http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag ... -pics.html

I went and tried it on an inconspicuous spot in my engine bay and it seemed help some. I've heard WD40 is nasty on rubber and some plastics, is this true? Will it leave a residue that could be flammable or really smelly?

[kimokalihi]

I'm not buying that. You would have to remove parts to get them that clean. How could you fit your hand in those areas to clean them? Check out his motor mounts. They look pretty rusty in those pictures but then in the after pictures they're suddenly brand new and painted again.

His battery is totally different. He's changed spark plug wires. He doesn't mention changing these parts which you'd think he would. The before pictures have dates on them and the after pictures do not suggesting either they aren't his pictures, were taken with a different camera or perhaps 4 days later he changed the settings to turn the date off? I doubt it.

The bolts and nuts go from rusty to nice and shity steel again. C'mon. I don't know what his motive would be for lieing and maybe he's not but it sure looks fishy...get it? WD-40 is mainly fish oil! lolz

[kimokalihi]

On the next page he mentions powdercoating some items and admits to changing parts. If you keep going he mentions replacing bolts too. I believe he replaced the radiator and hoses as well.

So if that really is his car, he didn't just use WD-40 to get it to look like that. There was a lot more he didn't originally mention.

Your engine would smell horribly like WD-40 and I doubt it would go away any time soon.

[kbeefy]

WD-40 is a pretty good cleaner, and a good preservitive/water displacer. It does the job it was designed for. If you leave it on, it will help prevent rust/corrosion, and it will keep stuff from sticking to it when you wash.

It will also act as an attractant, and collect dust and dirt from everywhere. You really need to clean w/ soap after WD40.

[kimokalihi]

It will also act as an attractant, and collect dust and dirt from everywhere. You really need to clean w/ soap after WD40.

I was thinking the same thing.

[beanis05]

BULLLL SHIT dont belive it more like days and days of work or maybee a gallon of wd40 in a pressure washer

[sublunacy]

WD-40 is a cleaner when evaporated it leaves very little behind to lubricate with. Seems like a good idea I guess. I would do it after a hard hot drive and the crud should just wipe off.

BTW -WD-40 is very bad for humans. Getting a little on ur skin is not so bad.
Using it with a spray bottle in a semi- enclosed space that ur practically sticking ur head in/ is bad bad news.
Expect to be very ill for 10-24 hours as it is easily inhaled. I hate the stuff with a passion, as it is one of the only things in the world that has truely made me ill way to many times! It says corrossive on the can.

I can't imagine it would be good for any plastics/rubber. A silicon lube is prefered for that i think. But I used to use it ALOT at work and i can't remember it graying or drying out any plastic there. In alot of Bicycle shops it is a staple cleaner/lube for everything

[Apex3]

WD-40 is a cleaner when evaporated it leaves very little behind to lubricate with. Seems like a good idea I guess. I would do it after a hard hot drive and the crud should just wipe off.

BTW -WD-40 is very bad for humans. Getting a little on ur skin is not so bad.
Using it with a spray bottle in a semi- enclosed space that ur practically sticking ur head in/ is bad bad news.
Expect to be very ill for 10-24 hours as it is easily inhaled. I hate the stuff with a passion, as it is one of the only things in the world that has truely made me ill way to many times! It says corrossive on the can.

I can't imagine it would be good for any plastics/rubber. A silicon lube is prefered for that i think. But I used to use it ALOT at work and i can't remember it graying or drying out any plastic there. In alot of Bicycle shops it is a staple cleaner/lube for everything

Personally I've found that WD40 is subpar at just about everything, I've found no reason to use it. Specifically it's not a very good lubricant, and it's not so good for breaking stuck bolts loose.

[gijonas]

Personally I've found that WD40 is subpar at just about everything, I've found no reason to use it. Specifically it's not a very good lubricant, and it's not so good for breaking stuck bolts loose.

Amen.PB blaster for the win,WD-40 for the suck.

[evolutionmovement]

I never use it, either. PB Blaster is much better as a penetrant and there are marine products that own for lubrication and penetration that also don't damage rubber. Shit, reading that sentence back, I could probably say that same thing to sell that product in rubber fetish magazines.

[sublunacy]

PB blaster is $10 a can and its a penetrant, exactly!!! well done guys, u read the can properly.
Slow down jesus!

[gijonas]

PB blaster is $10 a can

Id hate to shop where you do

Costs the same as WD in my parts,makes it even more of a no brainer.

[evolutionmovement]

Yeah, I'd never buy PB for that much. Same as WD40 around here as well. The marine stuff is about that price.

[sublunacy]

Are you cutting me up again. Don't you have something better to do than confuse people with your jiberish?
PB blaster is a penatrant wow! You should start a thread with that brilliant observation.
Loser!
I made a date squirt earlier this week again, What did you do? Let me guess? caught in the vise of work and traffic?

[gijonas]

Are you cutting me up again. Don't you have something better to do than confuse people with your jiberish?
PB blaster is a penatrant wow! You should start a thread with that brilliant observation.
Loser!
I made a date squirt earlier this week again, What did you do? Let me guess? caught in the vise of work and traffic?

Umm..hope theres some sarcasm there bucko,if not you are clearly unable to take part in any form of normal chat - seeing as no one here has made any personal remarks at all aside from you, in fact I dont even know what put the sand in your vagina here.Please STFU if you really are that much of a douche.

[evolutionmovement]

Wow, I usually don't bother to respond to morons, especially those whose insecurity must be crushing to anyone with the misfortune to occupy a close space with them, but I also have used PB and marine products (Zep 45 and PLS) to CLEAN SHIT AS WELL. Amazing that such an innocuous topic had to be brought to such a level. Congratulations. Or maybe I'm just not catching the sarcasm.

[sublunacy]

All you have said is PB blaster for penetration. This thread was started about cleaning up the engine bay.
Your in the wrong place brother.
Quote from Harley-performance.com about wd-40
"Almost 60% of this solution is an aromatic corrosive solvent designed to penetrate with a suspended paraffin lubricant designed to remain upon evaporation. There are rumors that WD-40 will actually eat away at certain metals and rubber, but the fact remains that WD-40 is NOT a CHAIN LUBE."

Quote from wiki
"Formulation
WD-40's formula is a trade secret. The product is not patented in order to avoid completely disclosing its ingredients.[2] WD-40's main ingredients, according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are:

50%: Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits -- primarily hexane, somewhat similar to kerosene)
25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability)
15+%: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
10-%: Inert ingredients


There is a popular, but incorrect, urban legend that the key ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil.[3] The WD-40 web site states that it is a petroleum based product [4]"


A little something on PB blaster now Straight from the companies DATA sheets

Stability: This product is stable.
Conditions to avoid: Avoid excessive heat, sources of ingition and excessive water.
Avoid contact with strong oxidizing agents and strong reducing agents (strong
acids or bases.) Avoid mixture with water.
Materials to avoid (incompatability):
Hazardous Decomposition products: Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and various hydrocarbons.
Hazardous Polymerization: Will not occur.

AND....
Solvent Naptha 40-50%
Heavy petrolium distilate 20-30%
Hydrotreated light distilate 30-40%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion-
Seems pb blaster is different huh it doesn't like water!
WD-40 is a water displacer hence WD

If you want to add something to that, I call it a conversation

[Apex3]

Cool, that doesn't change the fact that WD-40 is a bad choice for everything. Sure it can do a mediocre job at everything, but it doesn't do anything well. If I want to clean an engine I'll use engine cleaner, lubricate something I'll use lithium, and of course PB as a penetrator. I can't think of anything that WD is the best choice for.

[gijonas]

There must be some NASIOC posters spilling on to our forum

[Buffman]

You can accomplish the same thing with good heavy duty degreaser commonly available from sam's club and a 1500+ psi power washer. Cover off electrical components and go to town.

[Legacy777]

Thread is being closed. Everyone needs to chill.