Hello gang,

I will be detailing my fathers car next month for a BIG show. I remember looking at his engine and seeing a white oxidation on his engine block. Would anyone know how it got there...and what I can do to remove it? Thanks!

 

Magnesium Oxide.

Mine cleaned up pretty nice with a degreaser and Scotchbrite.

Whole lotta' work, though.

 

I with Max...on this, or you can purchase a small cone shaped buffing wheel for your power drill, and some aluminum cleaner, and buff away...

 

I've read where soapy steel wool pads work well too.

 

You guys realize our blocks are less than 20% magnesium right, same goes for the valve covers and intake manifold.

Its corrosion from salt, people in florida and up north have the problem a lot. My car came from detriot (mfg rep. car) and had the same problem, uncoated aluminum (not magnesium) turns white when corroded by salt. magnesium turns to its natural color, dark grey when it oxidizes.

with the low magnesium content, it has nothing to do with the magnesium.. its all about the aluminum.

You can get rid of it two ways. etch the block with hydrofluoric acid. or break out a scotchbrite pad and get to work

 

NICE JOB Max…whole lot of work there! How many hours you think you got into it? Your giving FP a run for his money.

 

Thanks, bud!

Well, here's the trick:

I never let it get dirty in the first place.

So all I have to do is Simple Green it twice or thrice a year and use my assortment of specific-use toilet brushes for the hard-to-reach places and Voila-clean!

And her sister Violet thinks it's pretty snazzy too.

And it's all about the magnesium content in our engine parts. I've tried 2 different aluminum cleaners (oxidation removers). No joy. I called ZEP and was told that it would be ineffective on an alu-mag alloy. Any acids would only dull the finish. Geez-that's exactly what happened.

Go figure.

Mechanical polishing is their best suggestion.

Worked for me.

 

Magnesium oxide is white. Period.

Magnesium oxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The metal, un-oxidized is, in appearance, indistinguishable from: aluminum.

(Excerpt from WIKI

Physical and chemical
Elemental magnesium is a fairly strong, silvery-white, light-weight metal (two thirds the density of aluminium). It tarnishes slightly when exposed to air, although unlike the alkali metals, storage in an oxygen-free environment is unnecessary because magnesium is protected by a thin layer of oxide which is fairly impermeable and hard to remove.

Information is a wonderful thing. Opinions are usually not.

 

Wiki says that MgO is also used to treat heartburn. So if you're not feeling good, you can lick your block. Self healing and cleaning up your engine bay...

Two birds...

 

That's a pretty odd way of looking at this.

But you are right!

 

Polish - Polish - Polish ! ! !

 

I just knew you'd stick yours out!

As always-nicely done.

 

yes, magnesium oxide is white, but when aluminum oxidizes it too turns white, the magnesium content in the parts on our cars is too low for it to oxidize. What you're seeing is from the aluminum

 

Just love showing off that SWEET battery cover...

 

I had to put on my sun glasses to view that Brian....lots of work there....
Max, always the teacher....but, some students never listen....lol..they just talk in class...

 

Doc, you're right. I'm outta' here. Some folks speak from experience-some just speak.

Seeya' at CICCI.