SonicStanGirl

After the torrential rain storm a couple of months ago the aluminum strip that sits behind the plastic panel that is on top of the radiator had become corroded. It isn't too bad but has oxidized and looks like salt has accumulated on the aluminum. I went in to the dealer for my first service and O/C and they said that this is NORMAL. The service writer acted like they had never seen this before when they looked at the car in line then when my car was done they said it was normal and they had seen it before. A function of water getting up under the hood during heavy rain.

I hear that when aluminum oxidizes it is fairly harmless. I still think it looks crappy to have this stuff on my otherwise pristine engine.

Anyone else have this oxidation/corrosion?

lodom

If the part has a whitish spotted appearance, then it is likely oxidizing, but since it is under the hood and only cosmetic, I doubt the dealer would do anything about it.

Have you tried taking some metal polish that will work on Al and see if that removes it? I would try a wheel polish made for aluminum wheels available at your local auto parts store. It should do the trick. I had a set of polished, but unifnished wheels on a car years ago, and to keep them looking new I had to polish them every few months. I used Mother's wheel polish, and they looked great every time.

ford4v429

you ought to take a look at the underside of your transmission case/engine block...nothing looks worse than oxidized aluminum...my car had 300 miles on ir, drove one time in the rain, three weeks into it, all the underside aluminum already powdery white...I'm still looking for something to seal it- theres got to be something out there that can be sprayed on/rinsed off like metalprep for steel(phosphoric acid), but havent found what could be used for aluminum, and if it would attack plastic/rubber/paint...worst case I guess I'll need to try to clean and paint. yuck.

if you havent sent in your customer surveys yet, write in 'please add painted engine components/axles, etc' as a gripe- maybe someday the factory will start painting stuff again...if enough people complain about it. Sadly most folks keep a car 4-6 years and never look under it, and mfg knows it...even if paint were an 'option' I'd gladly have paid a few hundred bucks for it- wouldnt cost ford a couple bucks, but would save me many many hours of trying to do myself...304 grade stainless option for pipes would be cool too- the exhaust is made of low grade stainless that wont rust out, but will still 'look' rusty...better grades can be polished and will stay that way except for heat/water splash discoloration.

ps- take a look at your axle housing/driveshaft...i guess there is one thing that looks worse than oxidized aluminum...oxidized iron.

SonicStanGirl

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lodom @ February 6, 2006, 1:13 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
If the part has a whitish spotted appearance, then it is likely oxidizing, but since it is under the hood and only cosmetic, I doubt the dealer would do anything about it.

Have you tried taking some metal polish that will work on Al and see if that removes it? I would try a wheel polish made for aluminum wheels available at your local auto parts store. It should do the trick. I had a set of polished, but unifnished wheels on a car years ago, and to keep them looking new I had to polish them every few months. I used Mother's wheel polish, and they looked great every time.
[/b][/quote]


Yep it has a "whitish spotted" appearance....kind of looks like salt. I like the idea about trying to hit it with some aluminum polish. When you pop your hood, there is a plastic piece that covers the radiator and extends towards the motor. Right where the plastic trim piece ends is where this aluminum strip is and the radiator run-off hose runs along it (I should have included a picture). The aluminum is very close to the plastic trim so I'd probably have to tape the plastic to make sure not to get any polish on it.

Still love to know if anyone else has noticed this oxidation.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ford4v429 @ February 6, 2006, 3:32 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
you ought to take a look at the underside of your transmission case/engine block...nothing looks worse than oxidized aluminum...my car had 300 miles on ir, drove one time in the rain, three weeks into it, all the underside aluminum already powdery white...I'm still looking for something to seal it- theres got to be something out there that can be sprayed on/rinsed off like metalprep for steel(phosphoric acid), but havent found what could be used for aluminum, and if it would attack plastic/rubber/paint...worst case I guess I'll need to try to clean and paint. yuck.

if you havent sent in your customer surveys yet, write in 'please add painted engine components/axles, etc' as a gripe- maybe someday the factory will start painting stuff again...if enough people complain about it. Sadly most folks keep a car 4-6 years and never look under it, and mfg knows it...even if paint were an 'option' I'd gladly have paid a few hundred bucks for it- wouldnt cost ford a couple bucks, but would save me many many hours of trying to do myself...304 grade stainless option for pipes would be cool too- the exhaust is made of low grade stainless that wont rust out, but will still 'look' rusty...better grades can be polished and will stay that way except for heat/water splash discoloration.

ps- take a look at your axle housing/driveshaft...i guess there is one thing that looks worse than oxidized aluminum...oxidized iron.
[/b][/quote]

I will definately look under there the next chance I get!!

the cable guy

I see it to. My throttle body has some oxidation as well. If you are somewhere they salt the roads, you're going to see this. All you can do is polish it away and possibly paint the metal or put some mag wheel finish protection on it.
If I do anything with kine, I will probably buff it back to a clean surface and paint it to match the car with some good touch up paint.

ford4v429

I think I might try something simple out...spray/ wipe off wd-40 to see if it might help- shouldnt hurt anything as long as it dont puddle/catch fire(yikes!) but think some oil on the porous aluminum might help keep water away, and 'seal' the surface just a little...only thing is if it dont help, paint might not ever stick [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

think I'll try the bottom of tranny first


ps- I would be careful with polish on a casting...ever see what a bit of wax on pebblegrained trim looks like? My wife waxed the mirrors on her windstar...took me forever to get that cleaned off...

I think polish would be same unless the casting is already buffed smooth(no grainy texture at all).

Oil should stop it, but oil attracts dust...WD40 dries pretty darn thin, thats why I'm thinking it might be worth a shot.

speaking of corrosion...you might want to look at pics here:

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/index....pic=42484&st=0
scroll down, theres some pics I took with fenders off too...

hurricaneGT

[size=1]Last year I was cleaning up the engine in my 86Gt and used this to seal all the Al parts valve covers, throtle body, ect (after I cleaned them) http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product...&iProductID=415 After a year no oxidation at all. I have been thinking about saeling the Al parts on my 06 with the same stuff.

the cable guy

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ford4v429 @ February 6, 2006, 11:06 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
I think I might try something simple out...spray/ wipe off wd-40 to see if it might help- shouldnt hurt anything as long as it dont puddle/catch fire(yikes!) but think some oil on the porous aluminum might help keep water away, and 'seal' the surface just a little...only thing is if it dont help, paint might not ever stick [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

think I'll try the bottom of tranny first
ps- I would be careful with polish on a casting...ever see what a bit of wax on pebblegrained trim looks like? My wife waxed the mirrors on her windstar...took me forever to get that cleaned off...

I think polish would be same unless the casting is already buffed smooth(no grainy texture at all).

Oil should stop it, but oil attracts dust...WD40 dries pretty darn thin, thats why I'm thinking it might be worth a shot.

speaking of corrosion...you might want to look at pics here:

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/index....pic=42484&st=0
scroll down, theres some pics I took with fenders off too...
[/b][/quote]


WD-40 is water based and won't last long. If you're going to coat it, you may want something that will last a little while.