MILO Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 plain & simple, i couldn't get the outside of my bottom case cleaned up with anything i tried, so i decided to just let it soak in HOT water for a while to loosen some stuff up. well i thru in some good ole oxyclean hoping it may help to break things up a bit. when i pulled the case out the outside of it seemed to be lighter colored and the inner side seems to be darker, like an oily type residue on everything. i rinsed and washed it off the best i could but the inner parts are still a darker grayish color now instead of the shiny polished appearance that it had before. wtf did i do here? i didn't trash my case did i? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidos76 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 I've never used oxyclean. just good ol degreaser works great. if you have a smooth finish on your case you should be able to get it to shine back up using some neverdull or whatever kinda polish you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swrbansheeboy Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 i'm pretty sure your alright... as long as the aluminum is still intact structuraly and the mating surfaces are still true then you shouldnt have anything to worry about. i doubt oxyclean is capable of altering the molecular structure of aluminum so you should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MILO Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 well, i tried just scrubbing it off first, which didn't do much. i took it to work and ran it thru the parts washer for a few hours, and it didn't do much good. i tried gunk engine degreaser and it didn't do any better. other than carb & choke cleaner and a scrub brush i was running out of ideas. so while i was cleaning the top case with carb & choke cleaner i figured i'd let the bottom half soak in the hot water/oxyclean. it's worked wonders for some other things so i figured it's worth a shot. i can't imagine how so many other harsh cleaners / chemicals won't hurt it but the oxyclean seemed to do something to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blowit Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) well, i tried just scrubbing it off first, which didn't do much. i took it to work and ran it thru the parts washer for a few hours, and it didn't do much good. i tried gunk engine degreaser and it didn't do any better. other than carb & choke cleaner and a scrub brush i was running out of ideas. so while i was cleaning the top case with carb & choke cleaner i figured i'd let the bottom half soak in the hot water/oxyclean. it's worked wonders for some other things so i figured it's worth a shot. i can't imagine how so many other harsh cleaners / chemicals won't hurt it but the oxyclean seemed to do something to it. I am not familiar with Oxyclean but it sounda like an alkaline issue. Alkaline products remove the oxide layer of Al but if left on too long, They will further oxidize the surface of the part and eventually turn it near black. Structurally, you are fine. Just is not that pretty. One product you might try is I thing carb bright which is a more aggressive alky cleaner. possibly cut the surface again and get it off. Remove the part after a few minutes. You can also try some other alkys like NaOH (sodium hydroxide) that will surely cut the surface but that should only be on for a couple minutes max. Edited February 21, 2009 by blowit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swrbansheeboy Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 you might also try some type of spray on mag wheel polish, i know eagle makes some that has a small amount of acid in it and is designed to cut through brake dust and crap. i've used it before on my mustang and it does a good job of cutting the stains on aluminum rims but it leaves a white residue. just an idea... http://www.eagleone.com/pages/products/pro...01&cat=5006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurdy Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 I am not familiar with Oxyclean but it sounda like an alkaline issue. Alkaline products remove the oxide layer of Al but if left on too long, They will further oxidize the surface of the part and eventually turn it near black. Structurally, you are fine. Just is not that pretty. One product you might try is I thing carb bright which is a more aggressive alky cleaner. possibly cut the surface again and get it off. Remove the part after a few minutes. You can also try some other alkys like NaOH (sodium hydroxide) that will surely cut the surface but that should only be on for a couple minutes max. I second Brandon. Sounds like the surface is just oxidized. SP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MILO Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 i''m not conerned about the appearance so much as being structurally sound, but it sounds like i should be ok with it. i only need it clean for reassembly and after that it's gonna get covered in mud and stuff pretty quick again anyway. it's a trail bike, not a show bike, lol. thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overboost Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 now I know what to try in my laundry. if it does that do aluminum, imagine what it can do to a ketchup stain.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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