Penetrating Oils

bscutt · Post by **bscutt** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:30 am

MEK is a little more toxic and potent than acetone! Could be why it was banned a few years back. We used to use all sorts of nasty solvents in the manufacture of circuit cards to remove solder flux. They would remove paint too and a few other things you might not want to remove. We avoided MEK since it would desolve some components.

Acetone is an excellent prep for surfaces that you want to glue rubber or plastic to. We used to clean the metal surfaces with acetone and gently clean the plastic parts too and let them dry before applying adhesives. It improved the bonding significantly.

I'm a little surprised to see that it improves the ability of ATF to penetrate rust but this is good info - maybe it thins it out and allows it to penetrate better? I'll have to mix up a batch and try it on my next immovable rusty bolt.

rabbit_man · Post by **rabbit_man** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:32 pm

Weird, we still use MEK quite a bit........

Probably why acetone helps ATF free stuff up is 'cause it's so thin it'll creep in just about anywhere and when mixed with ATF it drags the ATF along with it.

82vdub · Post by **82vdub** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 12:06 am

I mentioned this to my mechanic yesterday. He commented that acetone isn't used much because of the damage that it can do to surfaces etc. He also says that heating the part up and melting parafin wax on the part works better than the acetone mixture. I know he uses that all the time with his business. Just thought I'd mention it too.

bscutt · Post by **bscutt** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:09 am

Yep I stand corrected, you can still get MEK but it's gotten expensive and harder to get. We used to use tetrachlorethane and perchlorethane (probably spelled those wrong) which are now unavailable. Either way it's nasty stuff. Yes I have heard the wax thing too, but I'm going for the acetone/atf mix next time to see how it works.

MPalm · Post by **MPalm** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 7:53 am

I found a DIY diesel fuel additive mix on a Isuzu forum (I have bought a Isuzu pickup, a 3.1td crew cab 4x4 -00

)
Here's a link to the thread:
http://www.itocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopi ... 9d4a809b57

My formula is 85% paraffin or kerosene, 5% ATF, 5% IPA, 5% acetone (nail polish remover) or any aromatic hydrocarbon such as Naptha or Methyl Ether Ketone, etc.

The theory is the paraffin cleans the fuel lines, pumps, etc. the ATF offsets the lack of lubricity in the other ingredients, the IPA and acetone clean combustion deposits & varnish. Added bonus is that the IPA and acetone will also absorb any water in your fuel tank and burn it off nicely.

Do you think one could use diesel instead of paraffin or kerosene without loosing too much of the "cleaning power"?
Ethanol or methanol can be used instead of the IPA.
So diesel+ATF+ethanol+acetone = good fuel additive?

I will try this 50/50 acetone/ATF mix to loosen the locknuts on the tie rods, IÂ´ve used WD40 but to no good so far...

rabbit_man · Post by **rabbit_man** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:17 pm

MPalm wrote:So diesel+ATF+ethanol+acetone = good fuel additive?

Well you already have a tankful of diesel........

82vdub · Post by **82vdub** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:45 pm

I do believe that you need to be careful what you dump in the tank. The acetone will weaken/destroy rubber, so depending on what concentration level (if much above zero) destroyes rubber, you may have issues with that. You also don't want to mix too many chemicals that are "dry" chemicals, meaning that they don't have much lubrication properties to them. That will create more wear on parts that come in contact with it, in things like the IP.

MPalm · Post by **MPalm** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:55 pm

rabbit_man wrote:
MPalm wrote:So diesel+ATF+ethanol+acetone = good fuel additive?
Well you already have a tankful of diesel........

Yes but the amount of the other ingredients is so small that if I pour them in the tank theyÂ´ll probably just lube the filling tube

Mixed in diesel they are easier to handle.

If the acetone is so agressive it may be best to not use it.
I know that ethanol is a good detergent, I converted a bike to run on ethanol and as a side effect it cleaned the carb really well!

What do you think about ethanol+ATF as a additive?

82vdub · Post by **82vdub** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:42 pm

In the summer months, I melt parafin wax along with Stanadyne diesel lube additive and run an ounce ounce of wax and the recommended Stanadyne in a 8-10 gallon fillup. I can mix more, but I don't believe it's needed. The Stanadyne is made to be mixed and run in the fuel system. Adding gas "dries" out the fuel, making it's lubrication less than that of diesel. Assuming ethanol is the same "dryness" as gas, I wouldn't do it. You may be defeating the process, unless you add enough ATF to counteract the ethanol. Given that, why not skip the ethanol and use the ATF with a marketed fuel diesel injection cleaner, or something similar to that?

rabbit_man · Post by **rabbit_man** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:52 pm

I run ATF once in a while, I don't know if it such a good idea though.

Some have mentioned that it's got friction modifiers in it and that's not what you want in the IP.

Also I was pouring some into a funnel the other day and noticed if poured just right it would bead up and the little beads would zip down on top of the fluid that was stuck to the funnel. Like it had high surface tension.

mtran · Post by **mtran** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:00 pm

Well (5% acetone (nail polish remover)) I don`t know for for rust but for TANK USE,
after 1 yr of use MY advice is that is to much 0.1 summer - 0.3 in winter is OK, and NOT (nail polish remover) just pure 99% acetone so call medical.Best