rust and winter riding

[sunshinen]

Ok, I'm pretty much getting rid of my car, cause everytime I go to use it it is so poorly maintained I have to either add an accumulative 100 pounds of pressure to all the tires or jump start the battery.

But riding around on the salt after the last snow storm wreaked havoc on my metal parts. Is there something safe for hot parts that will help protect from rust? What's the worst case scenario here?

Can you even spray water underneath to get the salt off or is that going to cause electrical stuff to short?

Any suggestions?

[Kevin K]

Many of us winter riders rely on Pam cooking spray to help ward off the rust.
It's high temp so it will hold up well on hot engine parts.
I have had the stuff bake itself onto some of the hotter metal bits, so you might want to try it on an inconspicuous place first.

As always, YMMV.
-K

[ScooterDave]

Can you even spray water underneath to get the salt off or is that going to cause electrical stuff to short?

I am sure I have never gotten the bottom of my scooter wet riding in the rain or snow.

Dave

[sunshinen]

Can you even spray water underneath to get the salt off or is that going to cause electrical stuff to short?

I am sure I have never gotten the bottom of my scooter wet riding in the rain or snow.

Dave

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My scooter has certainly seen its fair share of rain. But rain coming down is not really the same as power spray coming from the side. I know people have ended up walking their scooters home after a trip to the car wash station. Is there a way to quickly rinse things off, without risking shorting things out? a particular area to avoid? or were such individuals just over aggressive in their washing efforts and a reasonable hose down should be fine?

[Ed Hit]

+1 on Sunshinen.

Chi-town gets a lot of salt kicked up from the road. (I got this yesterday! One of the first days I could ride in like a month! )

Rain spray is several degrees removed from Garden hose spray, which is several degrees removed from Car wash type water jets.

Seems like one should probably not spray anything in the vicinity of the battery compartment under the floorboard. ANy other spots we should avoid? Or any thoughts on overall deep cleaning?

PAM spray seems like a great idea. DO you spray that on the black part of the exhaust pipe as well, or is that where it tends to get baked on?

Thanks all.

[Kevin K]

PAM spray seems like a great idea. DO you spray that on the black part of the exhaust pipe as well, or is that where it tends to get baked on?

I recommend spraying it on an inconspicuous area first. I've used it on the painted metal engine parts on my BMW without any problems, and all over the engine and exhaust of my sidecar (winter beater) since I'm not too worried about appearance.
-K

[jmazza]

There's some good info on washing in this thread and this thread. A couple people mention the underside and places to stay away from with high pressure washers.