BobT-47P15 Posted October 26, 2019 Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 Bought a new distribution tube from a well known supplier. Has this brown stuff coating it. What do you use to clean it off? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted October 26, 2019 Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 Any solvent such as mineral turpentine, paint or lacquer thinners, a good quality degreaser would probably work......even petrol would work tho' that would be my last choice.........andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted October 26, 2019 Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 Wonder if it's necessary to remove it? As long as the slots feeding coolant up toward the valves are open what difference would it make if the coating stayed on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted October 26, 2019 Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 I think it was recommend by the military that used this stuff extensively was to rinse it in kerosene......kerosene is a good solvent that is still affordable to some degree..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted October 26, 2019 Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 I read a novel once where some army officers in WW II were forming a special operations team. They had liberated some Thompson's Frome a Marine supply Depot took them out to a remote firing range and put them into a 55 gallon drum of boiling kerosene. Probably not a proceedure recommended in any field manual, but they said it worked slicker than snot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted October 26, 2019 Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 cosmoline has a very low melting point...boiling need not be reached to melt cosmoline and the solvent effect will still dissolve it without heat..that could have been a wild scene if the drum ignited...of course it would not have exploded...only burn on the surface.....when young...I remember the concrete workers building working house foundations staying at the job site late and they would light gasoline in open 5 gallon buckets around the area for lighting...takes a bit to light used motor oil as it has to get up to x temp....but would burn for hours..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los_Control Posted October 27, 2019 Report Share Posted October 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Andydodge said: Any solvent such as mineral turpentine, paint or lacquer thinners, a good quality degreaser would probably work......even petrol would work tho' that would be my last choice.........andyd Last I heard, there was also a sock involved in removing cosmoline 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Wilson Posted October 27, 2019 Report Share Posted October 27, 2019 (edited) Hot water and dish detergent does a decent job of removing it. You could let it soak for a while and then go after it with a skinny brush on a long handle Edited October 27, 2019 by Matt Wilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted October 27, 2019 Report Share Posted October 27, 2019 24 minutes ago, Los_Control said: Last I heard, there was also a sock involved in removing cosmoline don't ask….truly don't want to know.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted October 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2019 (edited) ok thanks for the input guys. will try one of the suggestions. i would be afraid that if you put the thing in with a coating, the stuff would eventually work off the metal due to being in water and stop up some of the openings. Edited October 27, 2019 by BobT-47P15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted October 27, 2019 Report Share Posted October 27, 2019 I'd forgot about kero, that'll work just a well.......but I would definately remove the stuff before sticking it in an engine coolant passage.............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derbydad276 Posted October 27, 2019 Report Share Posted October 27, 2019 OK... second question of the day....today we have coatings that can be applied to metal to reduce or prevent rust I wonder if powder coating or teflon coating a distribution tube would help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 zinc plating could work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eneto-55 Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 (edited) The problem with either plating or powder coating is that the inside of the tube will not be protected. But of the two, plating would, in my opinion, be the best option by far. I would not trust powder coating to not flake off at some point, perhaps in the not distant future. If plated, I think I would suggest either tin or cadmium. But the issue remains that both processes involve cleaning the part in muriatic acid before the plating process, and the basically bare inside will very possibly rust faster than just putting it in as it is (after cleaning w/ a solvent). As far as what mixture is used in the cooling system, is distilled water better or worse than plain tap water? What about deionized water? Is that the same thing as distilled? Or is the additive the only important issue? Edited October 28, 2019 by Eneto-55 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 I have seen brass water tubes on ebay and as for plating I'd try just straight copper plating which I'd think would be better that tin or zinc and would certainly not powder coat............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted October 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 I also have an aluminum water tube purchased at a swap meet. But per an earlier post on the subject, others said they would not suggest using it. So it will have to sit on the shelf and collect dust. Would they have possibly used aluminum in the late 1950s at the end of the use of the flathead engines in Mopar vehicles? Or was this item just some manufacturer's bright idea (that wasn't so good)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Kawasaki put nylon timing gears in 2cyl engines in the 90s, that didn't work out too good for many John Deere lawnmower and gator owners when the gears let go and the engine got destroyed...on paper, many things seem like a good idea, but then reality just laughs and laughs and laughs... I mentioned zinc plating as I have seen this on many OEM parts that see severe service and is used in lieu of stainless steel for cost savings. From my research and first-hand knowledge on cooling systems, coolant becomes acidic as it ages...this is why OEMs specify a service interval on coolant, to ensure cooling passages are not damaged over time. I believe it's cheaper in the long run to service the cooling system regularly than it is to try to use more expensive mfg materials, with the WDT being a prime example...brass WDT would be my 1st choice, otherwise zinc plate (cheap) a steel WDT or copper plate better than a raw steel WDT, but definitely change coolant as recommended by the manufacturer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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