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Cleaning Parts with WD40

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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:13 PM
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Cleaning Parts with WD40

I noticed that no one ever says clean the parts off with WD-40. My dad used to cleaned parts that had oil on them etc with Wd40 all the time it broke it down super fast and really all you ever had to do was wipe it off...

Is there a negative to doing this??? Besides possibly Lubricating a part that shouldnt be?
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:14 PM
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Not that I know of, I use it also along with brakelean
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:15 PM
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shouldnt be bad..

i would think people would try to conserve their wd40 for when its needed.

wd40 works great to clean off adhesives
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:16 PM
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the only downside i can think of is that wd leaves a residue whereas brake cleaner leaves virtually none, but i don't think wd is as corrosive as the brake cleaner on certain plastics, wire insulation etc...
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:20 PM
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ok cool I was startin to get nervous that I was doin an old school method that wasnt the greatest... you can go to like a local hardware shop and buy a container of it in liquid form. I had a bad oil EXPLOSION in my engine bay so everything was CAKED with Oil some parts I just let sit like some bolts etc in cups of wd40 while I scrubbed or cleaned off the other parts... the oil and crud just fell off and all I did was wipe it dry and it was perfectly clean....
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:20 PM
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I use WD for everything from removing stick adhesive left behind to cleaning hard stuff off my hands. (Cant be healthy, but does a hell of a job.) Works great on tar too. You could use it to clean your engine, but theirs other less expensive products that yeild the same results. I break out the WD for situations where other stuff wont work.
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:21 PM
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its not that bad if you just buy the container of it in liquid form its more expensive if you buy the spray....

think it would be ok to clean parts like my rotors and things???????
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:22 PM
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I was wondering this as well, ive researched a little on this as I am currently cleaning my UIM and LIM and was going to use WD-40 since ive read its easy to wipe off dirt later but I used brake cleaner on the block and it worked ok, just left it a little dull. Ill clean the manifolds with it tonight.
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:31 PM
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thats what started the whole Wd 40 thing was the manifolds Im going to rebuild my engine and I wanted to clean the parts and I liked the cast look so I didnt want to sand them down or have a polished look to them so i used the wd40 it was quicker... and sometimes I did use a brass brush they come in a set of three brass, plastic and some other sort of metal thats silver and alot harder and abrasive.... I always used the brass...
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 05:46 PM
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WD40 is freakin great for cleaning stuff. I'd just be careful about where you use it.

For example, I'd think if you were trying to clean a brake caliper with it, and accidentally hit the brake pad, you might decompose a pad or something. I'd think there's probably a handful of little situations like this where it would be bad to use, but for generic cleaning, it's good stuff!
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 07:33 PM
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WD-40 is mostly thin oil. Hence it dissolves thicker oil and grease. It also has some anti-rust stuff and what not in out to help it be a penetrating lube.
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 08:49 PM
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Working great on LIM. It looked terrible from the 1k miles of exhast leak but now i let it soak for a min or 2 and it slides right off. I massage dawn dish liquid on it and it gets rid of the greasy feel that comes with dousing something with WD-40 and is shiny clean. Now to get back to work.
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 11:05 PM
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about 2 hours of soaking and wiping and getting the details and a half can of WD-40
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by backroad-junkie
about 2 hours of soaking and wiping and getting the details and a half can of WD-40
Oh wow I better get a stock pile of WD-40.
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Old Mar 19, 2008 | 01:15 AM
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Hmm, I'm busy cleaing up a UIM/dynamic chamber right now for painting. Maybe I'll try soaking them in WD . Been using brake clean and scotchbrite.
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Old Mar 19, 2008 | 08:07 AM
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Carb cleaner has been really good to me for cleaning metal parts, but I wouldn't use it on any wiring or "wear items" like brakes, etc. I might have to try out wd40 though. I use PB Blaster for loosening bolts, so the wd40 just sits around doing nothing, looks like I have a use for it now.
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Old Mar 20, 2008 | 09:24 PM
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Originally Posted by backroad-junkie
about 2 hours of soaking and wiping and getting the details and a half can of WD-40
WOW MAN YOU DID AN EFFN GREAT JOB MAN!
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Old Mar 20, 2008 | 11:34 PM
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container of it in liquid form? where from and how much shoot me a pm plz
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Old Mar 21, 2008 | 12:08 AM
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Go to your local Home Depot or home improvement store. They sell them there.

Buy the gallon WD-40, then buy the little squirter bottle if you want.
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Old Mar 21, 2008 | 10:28 AM
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WD-40 leaves an oily film that makes things look great until it starts to evaporate or attract crud. If you clean with WD-40, you need to degrease afterward.
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Old Mar 21, 2008 | 11:00 AM
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WD-40 is a perfect lube for your rotors. When I clean mine for storage, I would spray them all over and put them in a clear bag to keep the moisture out. The rotors would stay moist and rust free for months like this. Two of these rotors are actually in my vert as we speak.
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Old Mar 21, 2008 | 12:45 PM
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yeah, WD-40 is great for protecting parts from flash rust, cleaning off tar, and lubricating tools. I spary my tools with it, then wipe off with a dry rag, and they are nice and clean all the time.
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