WD40 the wonder lube?

[Nelly]

I cleaned my bike tonight but ran out of engine de-greaser half way through prepping it. I read a great post by Steve saying that there was no concrete evidence that WD40 would rot o-rings.

I used a large can to degrease the engine and the oily bits. It worked a treat.
Is this ok as a one off or as it is about half the price of GUNK is it worth continuing using it for this purpose.
Also did you know? If you spray WD40 on your plant pots slugs wont climb up and eat the foliage? Its on the tin.

I also found that the car dash board shiner (wonder Dash) worked a treat on the plastics. My bike looks mint.

Nelly

PS Vegas after my last comment I do not plan on dropping it, you know what I mean LOL.

 

[Rocky529]

It definitely isn't the wonder lube... it is more appropriate for displacing water (WD). It is great to remove stickers and clean up sticky residue, but it tends to leave a greasy layer behind that attracts dust and dirt. I would stick to soap and water to clean the bike and follow up with a product that I like to use, 303 Aerospace Protectant. It is great for plastics, won't attract dust, and provides protection against the sun.

 

[Nelly]

It definitely isn't the wonder lube... it is more appropriate for displacing water (WD). It is great to remove stickers and clean up sticky residue, but it tends to leave a greasy layer behind that attracts dust and dirt. I would stick to soap and water to clean the bike and follow up with a product that I like to use, 303 Aerospace Protectant. It is great for plastics, won't attract dust, and provides protection against the sun.

Thanks mate,

I sprayed it on first to displace the oil and then washed with my normal soap and water.

Nelly

 

[wrightme43]

I dont know who, but someone soaked o-rings in it over night and they did swell. I dont mind using it to clean my chain with though. I just thought you should know that there is updated info it was just a month or so ago that the test was done and it does make the oring swell a little bit if you fill a pill box with it and let the oring soak for 24 hours. Then again, imagine that, if you let rubber soak in a solvent for 24 hours what exactly do you expect would happen. LOL

 

[Nelly]

Cheers Steve,

I guess the proof is in the pudding, if we end up changing our chains 10k short of everyone else then we have an answer. I clean my Chain with it 7000 miles and only required one adjustment.

Nelly

 

[abacall]

What do you guys think of Simple Green? That stuff will clean engine bays beautifully.

 

[Nelly]

I have not used it, I normally use GUNK but, am open to suggestions.

Nelly

 

[abacall]

I'm going to try it this week. It comes in concentrated form (cheap) and you dilute it as you need. I usually use 1:1 with water and that will get any grease off.
If it's ok to use in an engine bay, it should be fine to use on the bike.

 

[Nelly]

I'm going to try it this week. It comes in concentrated form (cheap) and you dilute it as you need. I usually use 1:1 with water and that will get any grease off.
If it's ok to use in an engine bay, it should be fine to use on the bike.

Who makes it? It may not be availible in the UK.

Nelly

 

[abacall]

Here's the product list...


This is what I use for the engine bay..

I love this stuff for wheels and my cage's engine. It's also great that it's non-toxic.

EDIT:
They recommend it for bikes soo..

Where to Use
Ideal for pressure washing of construction and landscaping equipment, boats, RVs, dirt bikes & motorcycles, ATVs, campers, bicycles, outdoor furniture, sheds and other outdoor surfaces such as patios, driveways, brick and block walls, structures, and more. See product label for specific use and dilution instructions.

 

[Nelly]

Here's the product list...


This is what I use for the engine bay..

I love this stuff for wheels and my cage's engine.

EDIT:
They recommend it for bikes soo..

Where to Use
Ideal for pressure washing of construction and landscaping equipment, boats, RVs, dirt bikes & motorcycles, ATVs, campers, bicycles, outdoor furniture, sheds and other outdoor surfaces such as patios, driveways, brick and block walls, structures, and more. See product label for specific use and dilution instructions.

Thanks they have a UK contact, it is probably the distributor. I will give them a call.

Nelly

Global Partners - United Kingdom

 

[Troubl]

My father has a saying that cracks me up:

"If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape."

 

[mdr]

:hijack:
Sorry to divert a bit, but how much trouble is it to remove the chain for cleaning (soaking overnight) in a degreaser? I have a MC chain tool but I'm reluctant to break the chain if there's a simple (but perhaps more labor intensive) way around it. Obviously I'd have to remove rear wheel and front sprocket cover. Will chain just slide out once I've got all the bits out of the way or is there a "gotcha"?

 

[HavBlue]

I dont know who, but someone soaked o-rings in it over night and they did swell. I dont mind using it to clean my chain with though. I just thought you should know that there is updated info it was just a month or so ago that the test was done and it does make the oring swell a little bit if you fill a pill box with it and let the oring soak for 24 hours. Then again, imagine that, if you let rubber soak in a solvent for 24 hours what exactly do you expect would happen. LOL

That would depend on what kind of solvent you were using. An example would be mineral spirits mixed with ATF which is what I used for years when rebuilding automatic transmissions. Didn't bother the lip seals or O rings at all. I use Simple Green to clean my engine and Hoppe's 9 with a soft nylon tooth brush to clean the chain when servicing it. That gun solvent rocks and I haven't had a single problem using it on street or dirt toys.

I don't see a problem using WD40 and there are many that do with good results. It's only there for a limited period and you'll be lubing the chain after the wash job anyway.

 

[Rushiku]

WD40 is a great product with many uses, but please do not refer to it as a 'lube'.

No one, ever, anywhere, should have the idea in their head that they can spray on some WD40 to provide lubrication for moving parts of any kind.

Sure, at first it seems like it's doing a great job, but the lubricating properties of WD40 quickly evaporate (quite literally) leaving a sticky mess behind. This residue, especially when combined with heat from friction, provides the opposite of lubrication.

My favorite example is when my brother killed a desk fan. It squeaked, he sprayed on WD40, it stopped squeaking for a little while - lather, rinse, repeat over the course of a few days - the fan finally seized so badly we couldn't even turn it by hand.

This happens all over the world, everyday, because of the mistaken idea that WD40 is a lube - do your part in preventing seized parts by correcting people with this wrong-headed thinking whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Think of the equipment!

/crusade

 

[Bo67]

I use kerosene but even in the service manual it states to only soak the chain for no more than 10 minutes. Just my 2 cents worth since I've seen some posts about soaking the chain overnight.
I just use a rag w/kerosene. it takes a while but gets the job done in the end.

 

[Nelly]

:hijack:
Sorry to divert a bit, but how much trouble is it to remove the chain for cleaning (soaking overnight) in a degreaser? I have a MC chain tool but I'm reluctant to break the chain if there's a simple (but perhaps more labor intensive) way around it. Obviously I'd have to remove rear wheel and front sprocket cover. Will chain just slide out once I've got all the bits out of the way or is there a "gotcha"?

Why would you want to remove the chain unless it is really rusty.

It can be cleaned perfectly well on the bike, I would only suggest breaking it to replace it with a new one.

 

[mdr]

Why would you want to remove the chain unless it is really rusty.

It can be cleaned perfectly well on the bike, I would only suggest breaking it to replace it with a new one.

Well, in my case I live about 150 meters south of a river with a sandy beach - and the sand washes / blows up on the road constantly. Most of the products I have tried for chain lube end up catching the sand and making an abrasive paste that sticks to the chain. I was thinking I'd only take the chain off maybe twice a year but I wanted to do the best job of cleaning possible. I agree that overnight is probably a bad idea now that I think about it. I do that with bicycle chains, but no O rings there.

I'm open to suggestions. Currently I use WD40 and a small brush on every link, but I can still see gunky sand-paste stuck between the plates. I try to clean it every 500 miles and for lube I use 90wt gear oil - cheap, effective, not quite as sticky as some of the spraycan stuff as I can tell by the "sling" I have to clean off my tire.

 

[Nelly]

Well, in my case I live about 150 meters south of a river with a sandy beach - and the sand washes / blows up on the road constantly. Most of the products I have tried for chain lube end up catching the sand and making an abrasive paste that sticks to the chain. I was thinking I'd only take the chain off maybe twice a year but I wanted to do the best job of cleaning possible. I agree that overnight is probably a bad idea now that I think about it. I do that with bicycle chains, but no O rings there.

I'm open to suggestions. Currently I use WD40 and a small brush on every link, but I can still see gunky sand-paste stuck between the plates. I try to clean it every 500 miles and for lube I use 90wt gear oil - cheap, effective, not quite as sticky as some of the spraycan stuff as I can tell by the "sling" I have to clean off my tire.

That makes perfect sense now mate, sand is so destructive. I reckon your best bet is an enclosed chain. Pitty no one makes one.

Nelly

 

[snowmannn]

WD40 is cool but I use it with care. AFAIK it eats paint.

My 0.02$