oxidation

dwbr · Post by **dwbr** » December 23, 2009, 11:21 pm

sooo,, today, in the garage, decide to pop the hood on ol blue, and i see oxidation on my valve covers , intake,and carb spacer ,, all aluminum, never had this happen before, on the valve covers where there was oil mist no oxidation, what is causing this, is it not being run enough to keep moisture out?,, ive had countless aluminum intakes never seen this before

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CMX450C

slick4x4 · Post by **slick4x4** » December 24, 2009, 12:05 am

my guess would be high humidity....
does it sit in a garage or outside ?

DanSanDiego2000 · Post by **DanSanDiego2000** » December 24, 2009, 12:36 am

If you had it on a trickle charger, then I would say it is gasses/fumes from your battery.

Even if you didn't have it on a charger, I think it is still entirely possible for you battery to have been the culprit.

Post by **Greg D** » December 24, 2009, 12:55 am

Sitting with the hood shut for extended periods can also trap moisture - even on a concrete floor.
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dwbr · Post by **dwbr** » December 24, 2009, 1:11 am

truck stays in the garage, but its been really humid here last few weeks, garage floor was soaked the other day just from humidity,,,
hasnt been on a trickle charger, usually hood is open, but drove it last week and left it closed, i usually start it once a week at least, even if i dont take it out
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sgettin · Post by **sgettin** » December 24, 2009, 7:51 am

dwbr wrote:truck stays in the garage, but its been really humid here last few weeks, garage floor was soaked the other day just from humidity,,,
hasnt been on a trickle charger, usually hood is open, but drove it last week and left it closed, i usually start it once a week at least, even if i dont take it out

crack a couple windows or a door or something on oposite sides of the garage your holding moisture. thats unless the garage is heated, in that crase turn up the thermostat.

also if your garage is anything like my barn the concrete will pull moisture under the right temp/humidy conditions, similar to a cold beer can on a hot day.

and don't keep your hogs in that wet garage in the winter, turn em out or they'll get pneumonia(sp?).

Post by **Greg D** » December 24, 2009, 8:35 am

dwbr wrote:truck stays in the garage, but its been really humid here last few weeks, garage floor was soaked the other day just from humidity,,,

There would be the culprit. Real PITA to clean that all back up too. Might be worth coating after you get it done.

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Gary Seymour · Post by **Gary Seymour** » December 24, 2009, 9:28 am

Humidity along with a change in temp from cold to warmer will make the water condense on a cold truck. Had this happen on my Galaxie conv. that I stuck in a largely non-insulated metal pole building. It's not only attacking the aluminum. I had my new Magnum 500's all pitted up after season in that pole building. It would have been better for the car to be outside so it could adjust to the air temps. When the garage floor is wet with condensation, it's time to insulate.

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » December 24, 2009, 10:41 am

not surprised, with that super humidity you folks have.
back when i lived down there and worked in the machine shop had to spray all the parts with wd 40 or similar right after doing them or they would start rust or oxidizing by the end of the day.

motormount1 · Post by **motormount1** » December 24, 2009, 10:53 am

it looks like humidity got to them.

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » December 24, 2009, 11:04 am

Most definitely the humidity. I had the same problem when I lived in Houston. Central Texas is much better with less humidity but we still will have a few days like that from time to time. Insulating the garage is the best defense.

BarnieTrk · Post by **BarnieTrk** » December 24, 2009, 10:49 pm

dwbr,
The floor and metal "sweats" or draws condensation because of the temperature difference between its surface and the temperature of the surrounding air. So, if you can insulate or prevent the outside warmer, moist air from coming inside and around the cooler concrete floor and the metal within the garage, no moisture will condense onto the metal which is what causes the oxidation on the un-coated metals.

If you don't stop the moist air infiltrating into the garage space, even if you coat the metal via oil, powdercoat, paint, etc. it will still gather condensation....it just won't oxidize - as long as there is a protective coating on the metal.

The biggest mistake a person can make is to open the doors wide the morning after a cool evening. This allows the warmer, moist, humid, dew-ladened air from outside the garage to rush in onto all the cooler surfaces and cause them to bead up with condensation. Leave the doors & windows closed on those 'nice days'. Plug the cracks. Prevent the outside air from coming into the indoor space. Let the whole place warm up slowly. On warm & humid spring days, if I don't HAVE to go into my garage, I don't....just so I don't open the door even once.

BarnieTrk

macgiobuin · Post by **macgiobuin** » December 25, 2009, 1:57 am

Man...I feel like a neglectful parent. Mine just sits out front of the house...not even a car cover.

motormount1 · Post by **motormount1** » December 25, 2009, 2:25 am

get a big fan or do some thing with the ventelation.

sgettin · Post by **sgettin** » December 25, 2009, 8:50 am

it's a mistake to open the doors if you can seal up the garage. if you can't seal up the garage best you can do is crack open a couple doors or windows permanately and get some cross ventilation.

my garage has two overheads and a slider for the tractor so no way it's going to seal up tight. next best thing is cross ventelate it there by keeping the interior contents the same temperature as surrounding air and preventing condensation. unless you can seal up your garage the floor, due to the mass of concrete, will still sweat but ventelation may be your only alternative.

Post by **Greg D** » December 25, 2009, 9:58 am

That is a shame though - you have a real good looking engine.

BarnieTrk · Post by **BarnieTrk** » December 25, 2009, 11:46 am

sgettin wrote:it's a mistake to open the doors if you can seal up the garage. if you can't seal up the garage best you can do is crack open a couple doors or windows permanately and get some cross ventilation.

my garage has two overheads and a slider for the tractor so no way it's going to seal up tight. next best thing is cross ventelate it there by keeping the interior contents the same temperature as surrounding air and preventing condensation. unless you can seal up your garage the floor, due to the mass of concrete, will still sweat but ventelation may be your only alternative.

Agreed.

"Area ventilation" can be as simple as a 10" diameter fan sitting on the floor beneath the front license plate and blowing under & towards the rear of your truck.

BarnieTrk

sgettin · Post by **sgettin** » December 25, 2009, 8:12 pm

i never thought about a fan. would be a good idea in pasadena texas as i bet the number of warm humid days and cool nights is minimal.

sorry to see the damage to your aluminum dwbr. hope you can clean it up.

oxidation

oxidation

motormount

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