Rust from salt blues-Help

Fakrwee · 02-17-2008, 06:13 PM

We went to visit the grandkids in Kansas City this Christmas. On my way back we ran into a lot of snow in Ok. And Texas panhandle. Most of the roads were salted and dirtied the MH with that whitish dirt.

I live in Ca. and have read of the effects of the salt if not washed off ASAP. Well when I got back home to Ca. due to one thing or another I put off washing the undersides. I did however wash the exterior.

Yesterday I went to the storage to start up the genny and make sure everything was OK. I looked underneath and rust has started to eat away at anything not protected. Springs, bolts, screws, raw metal, it's just one big mess.

Is there anyway to reverse the rusting process and get it back to more or less to prior condition. I'm thinking of first washing with engine cleaner from Griott and then either spray painting with black paint or spraying WD-40. What do you the East Coast buddies do in this situation?

Thanks
Tom

Fakrwee · 02-17-2008, 06:13 PM

We went to visit the grandkids in Kansas City this Christmas. On my way back we ran into a lot of snow in Ok. And Texas panhandle. Most of the roads were salted and dirtied the MH with that whitish dirt.

I live in Ca. and have read of the effects of the salt if not washed off ASAP. Well when I got back home to Ca. due to one thing or another I put off washing the undersides. I did however wash the exterior.

Yesterday I went to the storage to start up the genny and make sure everything was OK. I looked underneath and rust has started to eat away at anything not protected. Springs, bolts, screws, raw metal, it's just one big mess.

Is there anyway to reverse the rusting process and get it back to more or less to prior condition. I'm thinking of first washing with engine cleaner from Griott and then either spray painting with black paint or spraying WD-40. What do you the East Coast buddies do in this situation?

Thanks
Tom

UFO Pilot · 02-17-2008, 06:52 PM

There is a product called "Phospho" (not sure of the spelling) that kills the rust and puts a "prime" coat on the metal that can be painted over. I used to use it when restoring old cars and it really works. I am told that the secret for success is to kill the rust. The only place I could ever find it around here was at marine supply shops.

RotorWing · 02-18-2008, 03:47 AM

Just did a search, and the product you are talking about is called "Ospho".

Chris

John_Canfield · 02-18-2008, 03:53 AM

Phosphoric acid in the rust-converting chemical which is marketed as "Ospho." Doubtless there are others based on phosphoric acid.

There are also other rust-converting products. Do a forum search for 'rust.'

Unfortunately treating/stopping the rust completely is a difficult and time consuming task. Best situation would be to find a shop that can use crushed walnut shells or beads to blast the rust away, then prime and paint.

A much less effective process is to use a wire brush to remove as much of the surface rust as possible and then paint on a rust-converting product.

Petro · 02-18-2008, 04:59 AM

John is correct in his assessment of rust. About 10 years ago I purchased a used motor home from the owner of a campground in northern Wisconsin. The MH appeared to be well cared for and the owner had all the service records. I did not bother to crawl under it and check for rust. The guy forgot to tell me he wintered near the beach on the gulf in AL. When my first oil change was due I crawled under and got the shock of my life. It was rust from one end to the other.

I had a service center who wanted to put it on a hoist and spray the underside with drain oil. My DW would have no part of that because it would be dripping drain oil for days if not weeks. I found a product called Rust Converter made by a firm named Plasti-kote Co. Inc Medina, Ohio 44256. I spent the summer painting this product on all the areas I could reach and sprayed it on the areas I could not reach. A year later I decided to sell the Rust Bucket and the buyer brought his mechanic along and crawled under it. The mechanic told the buyer it was in great shape and I sold it.

The sooner you deal with it the better.

Don

smlranger · 02-18-2008, 05:35 AM

We learn valuable lessons. My current coach had some rust that I did not detect when I inspected it before purchase. I have done quite of bit of media blasting of the undercarriage and have had success with a Rustoleum product called Rust Reformer. I don't believe you can absolutely kill it all but mine surely looks better than it did.

My lessons learned are:

1. don't buy another coach that lives in the north and spends the winter in Florida,

2. don't buy any coach unless you spend a lot of time on a creeper with a flashlight inspecting it's under belly,

3. stay off salted roads if possible...if not possible, wash the underbelly as soon as you can.

rgrstndgby · 02-18-2008, 11:14 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Phosphoric acid in the rust-converting chemical which is marketed as "Ospho." Doubtless there are others based on phosphoric acid. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

A word of caution about Phosphoric Acid. It will remove surface rust, tho it requires some mechanical action to do so, it also slightly etches the treated surface, giving new paint a nice "bitey" surface to adhear to(bad grammar

), BUT, it also removes all oil from the surface and once cleaned you should re coat, paint or whatever,the surface as soon a possible. Those who have been around when a car is painted, the last "wipe Down", is generally with a PA product, "Metal Prep", removing all fingerprints etc. I was a Wrought Iron Contractor in years past, and PA was what we used just prior to paint. I'll say this, once we did that, we NEVER had any paint peel, even from mill rolled smooth surfaces..If you use this stuff, get it by the gallon at auto paint supply, and cut about 3-5 to one with H20, H20 being the 3-5 parts. Tho its a few years ago, I think I paid about $ 12/15 a gallon...rgr...*
*Tom as a ps to this, I dont know where in Cal you live, but as a previous poster, John Canfield and smallrngr, recommended, blasting with media, (crushed walnut shells, and also baking soda are 2 ), is a commom thing car restorers do to remove all rust from projects. Cal probably has more car restorers than anywhere else. Know tho, that rust is a destructive process, and when rust is removed, the metal it replaced is gone, so "absolute prior condition is out of reach.Also,Pa is an ingredient in Coca Cola

... enjoy..Good Luck...

Fakrwee · 02-18-2008, 06:20 PM

Thanks to all for the great suggestions and ideas. I'm on the road right now working and haven't had time to digest all the info. I have all next week off and I'm going to dedicate a couple of days to this project.

What do you guy's think of spraying affected areas, after cleaning with WD-40, for example the springs and base of the leveling jacks is one of the areas affected. Can I clean the rust off and then spray with WD-40, being careful not to get it on the pistons.

I have a 92 4X4 which I use to go extreme off roading and most of the time it's just parked. Living close to the beach the four link custom front suspension and coilover shocks tend to start rusting. I usually just spray the rusted areas and next day they look great. I was wondering why no one mentioned WD-40.

Unfortunately like rgrstndby say's prior condition is out of reach and believe me I'm really kicking myself in the butt for this stupidity on my behalf. I'm always very careful with all my vehicles. The best I can do is try and stop the rusting and contain further damage while trying to make it look as best as I can.

Thanks-Tom

FrontRangeRVer · 02-18-2008, 07:20 PM

Tom, I wouldn't get all worked up about it. Your frame will rust somewhat, but won't rust through.

We drive through salt all the time up here and use Salt Terminator with much success.

NeilV · 02-19-2008, 12:27 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Fakrwee:
We went to visit the grandkids in Kansas City this Christmas. On my way back we ran into a lot of snow in Ok. And Texas panhandle. Most of the roads were salted and dirtied the MH with that whitish dirt.

I live in Ca. and have read of the effects of the salt if not washed off ASAP. Well when I got back home to Ca. due to one thing or another I put off washing the undersides. I did however wash the exterior.

Yesterday I went to the storage to start up the genny and make sure everything was OK. I looked underneath and rust has started to eat away at anything not protected. Springs, bolts, screws, raw metal, it's just one big mess.

Is there anyway to reverse the rusting process and get it back to more or less to prior condition. I'm thinking of first washing with engine cleaner from Griott and then either spray painting with black paint or spraying WD-40. What do you the East Coast buddies do in this situation?

Thanks
Tom </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Tom,

We see this alot in Sunny Florida and it is not something to take lightly. People who live in other areas that do not see temperature approching 100 degrees for months on end will have no idead how salt damage is amplified by extended high temperatures and humidity. I have seen relatively new and beautiful looking coaches for sale here that you could grab large handfulls of rotton steel from when you reached underneath to the bin and other supporting frames.

Some people would start with a good wash of the undercarriage by a dealer who is expert at cleaning up new coaches delivered in the winter time while others use a lawn sprinkler set up under the coach which they move a few feet at a time until they have rinsed off the entire bottom of the coach with fresh/sweet water. Get all that salt film and dust cleaned up from all the nooks and crannies before using any abrasive methods of rust removal or you will just redistribute the salt dust to cause problems in other areas.

If you plan on keeping the coach don't let this one linger. Get her cleaned up before the heat of spring/summer puts it out of control.

rgrstndgby · 02-19-2008, 02:59 AM

NeilV said..<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Get all that salt film and dust cleaned up from all the nooks and crannies before using any abrasive methods of rust removal or you will just redistribute the salt dust to cause problems in other areas. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

NeilV experience with this problem brings up a situation I hadn't considered. Living in Tucson, I know NOTHING about salt removal, only wanted to point out that Phosphoric Acid, can actually encourage rust. When my shop got a job that called for a "rusty" final finish, we used PA to achieve that... FWIW, the "WD" in WD40 indicates that its a "water displacement" product, 40th formulation. .rgr...