Cleaning aluminum tranny, screwed up...

Ok, I'm a dumbass. Used brake cleaner to clean grease off of my transmission. Didn't think about that it was aluminum. Now there is a chalky residue.

What's the best solution here. Just use soap and water? Took all kinds of time to clean it, don't want to waist any more with another bad solution....

Help!!!!

 

NAPA sells a product called aluminum brightener that works well for cleaning up cast aluminum surfaces. It is nasty stuff, so be careful when using it. http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=MCR1458_0075100080

 

Agreed it's nasty. It attacks glass and burns skin in a hard to treat way. If it were me, I'd try a bit of sudsy ammonia from the supermarket on a small area to see if it'll remove the residue. Let it set a bit and wash off with water.

Jack E/NJ

 

I take mine to the local pay n wash , they have engine clean and mag wheel brightener , and the water is hot ! ( its a yuppie neighborhood ) cleans off any crud on the cases ,

at home I scrap the heavy stuff off , and spray ez off on it let it sit an bubble and rinse cleans the aluminum real good , just make sure you only let it sit for the 3-5 minutes otherwise it will eat the aluminum ,

 

Aluminum brightener is an acid, really nasty to breath etc. use precautions when using it.

 

I'm going to paint it, just need to get the chalky stuff off. Don't need a shiny aluminum look/

 

Easy-off oven cleaner is what I used before I panted my aluminum T-5. HRP

 

I would wash it down with lacquer thinner or Acetone then blow dry followed by self etching primer then paint.

 

Do as aaggie says if you want the paint to adhere to the aluminum

 

Stevie: I've used lemon juice (concentrate) to remove rust from sheet metal. I'd try it on the aluminum. Tim

 

Don't use any citrus on aluminum. It will damage.

 

Yep, what he said, especially if the areas of concern are purely cosmetic.

 

Stevie,
First baking soda solution then soap and water. The brake cleaner needs to be neutralized the chalky coating is a chemical reaction caused by the brake cleaner and the aluminum and backing soda is a good basic chemical for neutralizing a multitude of reactions.

Now for cleaning the outside of the transmission case eagle mag wheel cleaner for non coated aluminum wheels is a good way to go, it is an acid but whatever acid it is does not have an adverse reaction with aluminum. it is knarly stuff but it will turn the aluminum clean to the max. Almost white clean on a lot of alloys used in the automotive industry.

 

x2 on the Eagle 1 mag cleaner. Spray it on, leave it for a minute or so, give it a quick scrub with a brush, then rinse with lots of water. Takes less than 5 minutes and it should come out looking great. Wear eye protection - it's nasty stuff.

 

In a Matls lab, someone asked how much time before clean AL corrodes...
the Prof said, "It already has!"

 

Aluminum, stainless, copper, brass and any metal that needs no protective coating is corroded. The corrosion is what protects the metal. They even have a steel alloy now ( I can't remember the name if it) that develops a layer of protective corrosion and needs to paint or other protective coating to keep it from succumbing to oxidization and time.

On an as cast piece of aluminum one needs to close the pores to help keep it clean or make it so that it can be easily cleaned. I used lemon pledge, but there are some other protective coatings out there that one can use and spend lots of money for.

 

Core-10, Beaner, I think.

 

That sounds right. I was reading about it about 5 or 6 years ago.

 

Super Clean in the purple jug or spray bottle. Oven cleaner to loosen heavy crud. Don't let either get on your skin for more than a few seconds! 409 spray if it's just the powdery dust you're going after. That's what I do when I rebuild/build Powerglides for friends and a few drag racers. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Easy Off worked great guys, and it was cheap!

 

Amazing stuff. I've used it to strip paint off plastic model cars.

 

There is a building in Des Moines that is skinned with core-ten, I think built in the 50s, so the stuff isn't real new.
Back to the aluminum problem, baking soda and rinse, then if there is still white stuff remove with a wire wheel. The "white stuff" is an over abundance of aluminum oxide.

 

I guess I don't see the big issue here.
If it was cleaned for painting...whatever you used, just do it again.
What kind of paint would you be using that wouldn't hide a bit of oxidation on a rough cast trans case?
If it was deburred and smoothed, just do that again in the bad area.
Guys, I don't think we need oven cleaner or acid here... Just sayin'

 

I could wipe it off with my fingers. Common sense tells me that the paint would peel eventually.

 

The paint won't stick anyway unless you hit it first with Zinc oxide primer. its kind of yellowy green lookin' stuff.

What you need to do first is make sure that the cleaner is neutralized either with tons of water or something that will neutralize it so you can stop the reaction. You also want to keep it as clean as possible so be careful with the fingerprints.

 

( Coreten ) yep , been around for many ages , John Hancock building in Chicago is made from it .depending on the alloys it can be red or black when it oxidizes . they use it alot in overseas containers .

as for the cleaning for painting aluminum, acid etching ( purple stuff , ez-off , mag cleaner ( which is HFS w Phos acid or HCL ) works best as it cleans the pores and the paint will grip , the white chalky stuff when he cleaned with brake clean was the Chlorine in the TRichlor Oxidizing the alumimum . a simple wash off with a weak acid ( diluted vinager ) gets rid of it .

 

Thanks Stimpy, between the two of us, electrochem behaviors can be conjured!
Rust; is a 'spe-ciality'

 

2 years of NDt and 2 years of material science is hard to remember when one doesn't use it everyday .( been almost 30 years since I left school ) just remember the biggest one of all Never use a chlorinated product on anything Titanium ! I watched a guy destroy a $10K motor with a $2.99 can of that stuff ... as for the electron exchange it gets complicated to explain and will make a normal person into to a poltergeist with the head spins.

 

Ruan building built in mid 70s. Still looks good IMHO.

 

Hi Stimpy,

What is the issue you recall?

Dow says this.
http://dowac.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2767/~/chlorinated-solvents-and-cleaning-titanium