WD-40. Is it safe to spray it on ignition-related parts?
Radde Majeed
Hello.
Is it safe and useful (preventing/removing moisture build-up) to spray
WD-40 over the distributor and spark plug wires? (Of course, I mean
while the engine is off.) What about inside the distributor, i.e. by
removing the cap and spraying the parts inside?
Thanks for any pointers! :-)
jtjohnsn
Maieed, It is ok to spray wiring with wd-40 to dry it. I also think it
is ok to spray it inside the distributor. Jim in Md.
Roger Sircar
I have sprayed WD-40 for years inside distributer caps, sparkplug boots
etc. without any problem. Just keep it out of open flames while spraying.
tfpary
Roger Sircar <roger....@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<52cinp$7...@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net>...
> I have sprayed WD-40 for years inside distributer caps, sparkplug boots
> etc. without any problem. Just keep it out of open flames while spraying.
>
>
Good point. But it does make a good emergency starting fluid :)
Ron J
maj...@qucdnee.ee.queensu.ca (Radde Majeed) wrote:
Great stuff. Do exactly what you descibe until I break down and buy
new wires for it. Unless you have points in the distributor, you
won't hurt anything.
RonJ.
Rudy Hiebert
--
Rudy Hiebert <Rudy_H...@mindlink.bc.ca>
There is another product that I would prefer to WD-40, because
it will cause the water left behind by WD-40 to bubble and
vanish. In other words its better.
RH.
Nathan J Nagel
Excerpts from netnews.rec.autos.tech: 26-Sep-96 Re: WD-40. Is it safe to
sp.. by Rudy Hie...@mindlink.ne
So what is it? ;)
nate
Vartan Narinian
maj...@qucdnee.ee.queensu.ca writes:
>
>Is it safe and useful (preventing/removing moisture build-up) to spray
>WD-40 over the distributor and spark plug wires? (Of course, I mean
I once sprayed WD-40 all over the inside of my starter motor. It cleaned it
from the crap real nice :-)
--
Vartan
darkstar
Well, it should. It's mostly kerosene...
--
*** dark...@superlink.net '73 ironhead '67 Tiger chopper
*** FLIP YER PATCH ! AND YER AMERICAN FLAG !
*** Ride to Work - Work to Ride - Motorcycling is Not a Sport
*** chop: to cut, cut off, reduce in size or length, remove
Rick Colombo
I don't know what they are talking about, but there is a product called
Wire Dry. You can safely spray it inside your distributor cap and drive
the vehicle immediately.
Rick Col...@fnal.gov
Chris
maj...@qucdnee.ee.queensu.ca writes:
>>
>>Is it safe and useful (preventing/removing moisture build-up) to spray
>>WD-40 over the distributor and spark plug wires? (Of course, I mean
yeah - splosh it on - it won't hurt!
The Johnson's
> Is it safe and useful (preventing/removing moisture build-up) to spray
> WD-40 over the distributor and spark plug wires? (Of course, I mean
> removing the cap and spraying the parts inside?
I'm in minnesota, and we had a very nasty (-60) winter, and I
used some Wd-40 and it froze in the wind. Don't get me wrong, I love the
product. You might want to try Liquid Wrench, it will put OUT a
fire...heh. And I don't think it froze, but I don't remember.
--
The Johnson's! Receiving Internet access from Starnet
Communications--
(om...@winternet.com) for free. For 1 year and running!
Member of Radio Association Defending Airwave Rights, Inc. (RADAR)
Markus Wandel
Just the other day I wanted to start up my beater car which had been sitting
in the rain for a week. No go. Well, the battery was healthy anyway, it just
kept cranking and cranking... We popped the hood and found these yellowish
sparks where the ignition wire comes off the coil. Instead of cleaning the
mess and getting my hands all dirty, I just squirted some WD40 on there.
Tried again and it started instantly. Still ran rough (not all cylinders)
so we squirted some more WD40 on the connections to the individual spark plug
wires, and then it ran perfectly.
Is it safe? Who knows. But it sure is effective! So far I'm aware that WD40
works as: 1. Rust proofer, 2. Bolt unseizer, 3. Hand cleaner and
4. Electrical connection quick fix. Amazing stuff.
--
Markus Wandel Ottawa Ont. Canada (613) 592-1225
mar...@pinetree.org <-- NOT 'mwa...@bnr.ca' (that's for work only)
*** DISCLAIMER *** Not speaking for or representing my employer in any way.
Matt Tiemeyer
In article f...@bcarh8ab.bnr.ca, mwa...@bnr.ca (Markus Wandel) writes:
> Is it safe? Who knows. But it sure is effective! So far I'm aware that WD40
> works as: 1. Rust proofer, 2. Bolt unseizer, 3. Hand cleaner and
> 4. Electrical connection quick fix. Amazing stuff.
Just a side note...for those of you who like WD-40, see
if you can get your hands on a different product:
Deutz-Allis Chain and Cable Lube. My dad's a farmer, and
has used both. I'm inclined to agree with him that
this stuff does what WD-40 does, but better. It's been
great in my experience.
Of course, you don't find this stuff in auto parts stores,
but it might be worth the effort to find a vendor.
And, though I wish it would go without saying, I am not
a Deutz-Allis employee or representative, and the above
are my own recommendations.
Matt
Michael Dobbs
Markus Wandel wrote:
>
> Is it safe? Who knows. But it sure is effective! So far I'm aware that WD40
> works as: 1. Rust proofer, 2. Bolt unseizer, 3. Hand cleaner and
> 4. Electrical connection quick fix. Amazing stuff.
You can add "5. Gummy-Gooey Adhesive Remover" to your list :-)
Mike.
*** Disclaimer: These are the opinions of the poster not Amgen Inc.***
Sean F. Garnett
Michael Dobbs wrote:
>
> Markus Wandel wrote:
> >
> > Is it safe? Who knows. But it sure is effective! So far I'm aware that WD40
> > works as: 1. Rust proofer, 2. Bolt unseizer, 3. Hand cleaner and
> > 4. Electrical connection quick fix. Amazing stuff.
> > --
>
> You can add "5. Gummy-Gooey Adhesive Remover" to your list :-)
I carry WD40 and Lysol in my cars always (though I wouldn't use either
inside a distributor)
More uses:
WD40 - Fix a sticking throttle cable. (Boy was that an exciting ride)
- Can be used like starting fluid (ether). It's not as good in
really low temperatures, but it's also less explosive
Lysol - Use regularly in A/C to keep the mildew under control
- Makes an even better hand cleaner than WD40 (less oily residue)
- Non-automotive: Lysol is great for refinishing old/antique
(before urethane) furniture. Spray it on very heavy, wait a
few seconds for it to disolve the old varnish, then wipe it
off with one quick light pass of a paper towel (leave it wet).
Leaves a nice, smooth, light brown finish of rejuvenated
varnish.
- Spray on/under the floor mats any time they get wet.
tanso
I use this stuff practically on everything, including circuit boards of
televison and computer, not to mention mechanical equipment and cars.
Many people tell me not to use this stuff on electrical contacts but I
could not believe until I use the stuff to repair my electrical contacts
in the fuel pump. My car got stuck in the middle of the road because
of failure in the contact point of the fuel pump. Apparently, I learnt
that this stuff had kerosine or other similar stuff in it and it w ould
build up carbons over time to prevent proper electrical contact if WD40
is used discriminately. I do not know whether others have similar
experience.
The other problem I have experienced is the building up of dust. To
prevent dust building up, one would have to do clean up and remove the
excess oil. This is always difficult I found vaccum cleaner very
effective for cleaning up the excess oil in areas that cannot be reach
my hands and fingures but .... my wife would always disagree.
Steve Cutchen
Here is an article published today in the Houston Chronicle:
----begin repost----
Company, consumers both pay for exploding WD-40 cans
By JOSEPH MENN
Bloomberg Business News
SAN DIEGO -- Leon Fields was squirting WD-40 under his Winnebago
camper to stop corrosion, one of the advertised "1,000 uses" for the
spray lubricant, when the can touched a live wire and another piece of
metal and burst into a fiery ball of oil and propane.
"It just spread like napalm," said Fields, a 58-year-old math teacher
in Florida who was burned over 24 percent of his body in the 1994
accident. Fields sued WD-40 Co., the lubricant's maker, and in
December walked away with a $5 million settlement.
Incidents like that are common for the company. Since the late 1970s,
there have been dozens of claims and lawsuits. Many, like Fields', are
by customers injured by exploding WD-40 cans that use propane as a
propellant.
The San Diego company's strategy is to settle out of court -- as
quietly as possible. In fact, WD-40 still hasn't mentioned the rash of
injuries and suits in any securities filings. The most recent
quarterly report says only: "The company is party to various claims,
legal actions and complaints arising in the ordinary course of
business."
Consumers haven't fared any better. The company didn't change the
label on its flagship product to warn that its cans could blow up if
they touched live wires or battery terminals until earlier this year.
It still doesn't test the safety of its products. And it only made its
product, which is in 80 percent of U.S. homes, safer after a
California environmental law forced the company to do so.
WD-40 says that it doesn't feel obligated to tell investors and
consumers about the product's problems. "It's not known what the risk
is," said Chief Executive Gerald Schleif.
Even if the company thinks it can prevail in court, experts said, the
best policy is to be open with customers about the risks.
"You have to avoid being convinced by your own rhetoric," said lawyer
Harvey Pitt, a former general counsel for the Securities and Exchange
Commission. "You have to say, `What if this were true, is there
something more we should be doing?' "
Being taciturn hasn't hurt WD-40 yet. Net income reached a record
$20.5 million in 1995, up from $15.3 million in 1991.
So far, insurance has covered almost all of the legal settlements. But
if plaintiffs' lawyers succeed in winning punitive damages, California
and some other states require the company to pay.
The most serious cases against WD-40 involved cans that exploded after
touching electrical parts or wires, according to documents obtained by
Bloomberg Business News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Among the incidents:
· In November 1988, Dan Horton of Ocean Springs, Miss., was
lubricating a wall fan with WD-40 when the can touched a live wire.
The container burst into flames, burning Horton's 18-month-old
daughter, Lauren.
· Three days later, in Jackson, Miss., William Sharp was spraying a
speedometer cable in his truck when the can touched an amp meter. The
can exploded, trapping his wife Susie -- who survived -- in the
flaming cab.
· In April 1994, Toni McLane of Yreka, Calif., was using WD-40 to
quiet a squeak in a dryer when the can touched a live switch. It blew
up, burning her face and arms.
WD-40's problems with exploding cans began when the company in the
late 1970s switched to propane as a propellant after federal
environmental laws restricted Freon, according to testimony by WD-40
Technical Director Ray Miles in one lawsuit. While Freon is less
flammable than propane, it damages the Earth's atmosphere.
Two months ago, WD-40 changed its propellant again -- this time to far
safer carbon dioxide -- after California placed new restrictions on
releasing volatile compounds into the atmosphere.
In August 1995 -- before the new state regulations took effect --
Miles said in a deposition that the company wasn't considering using
other propellants because they wouldn't work.
The company also never researched coating its cans so that they
wouldn't conduct electricity, executives said in sworn interviews.
In January, as more and more people complained about injuries from
exploding cans, the Consumer Product Safety Commission sent an
inspector to the company's headquarters.
The commission declined to discuss what it found during its
inspection. Shortly after the visit, WD-40 introduced labels warning
that electrical contact "may result in flash fire, causing serious
injury."
CEO Schleif defends the company's decision not to move faster in
replacing propane by saying that the company depends on its suppliers
and contractors for improving its technology. "Research and
development wouldn't have helped," he said. In fact, the company has
no research and development budget.
-----end repost----
---Steve
--------
Steve Cutchen If we always do what we've always done,
scut...@phoenix.net we'll always get what we've always got...
dl...@inreach.com
WD-40 works great for dirty spots on clothing. Just spray a little on the spot
and throw it in the wash. My wife uses about a gallon a year for this purpose.
--
Don, retired in Tracy, Calif.
Anthony Horton
One of my workers uses it for deodorant.
Sean F. Garnett <sgar...@lexmark.com> wrote in article
<3254AD...@lexmark.com>...
Jim Treber
Anthony Horton wrote:
>
> One of my workers uses it for deodorant.
>
Which one? WD-40 or Lysol? :)
James G. Stovall
Anthony Horton wrote:
>
> One of my workers uses it for deodorant.
>
Heard of a doctor prescirbing it for arthritis. No joke.
Jeff
Bob Cook
I use it as a tar remover around the fender wells. It works
as well as anything else you can buy.
I've never had any luck with it helping remove rusted bolts.
Bob
David Littlefield
Michael Dobbs wrote:
>
> Markus Wandel wrote:
> >
> > Is it safe? Who knows. But it sure is effective! So far I'm aware that WD40
> > works as: 1. Rust proofer, 2. Bolt unseizer, 3. Hand cleaner and
> > 4. Electrical connection quick fix. Amazing stuff.
> > --
>
> You can add "5. Gummy-Gooey Adhesive Remover" to your list :-)
>
> *** Disclaimer: These are the opinions of the poster not Amgen Inc.***
Watch it! If you have an older can of WD-40 it is powered by propane.
A recent Wall Street Joural article (this past week) noted how WD-40 has
quietly settled numerous lawsuits resulting from exploding WD-40 cans.
Earlier this year WD-40 changed propellants so the newer cans don't have
it. But if you are like me, my can is probably a year old. The danger
is that the can will come into contact with a live electrical connection
and explode. Make sure everything is switched off before coming near
it.
David Littlefield
Houston, TX
j...@teclink.net
WD-40 is great in baked beans
Dick Flanagan
...and bran muffins and toothpaste!
Nathan J Nagel
Excerpts from netnews.rec.autos.tech: 5-Oct-96 Re: WD-40, Lysol, etc by
Jim Tre...@cris.com
> >
> > One of my workers uses it for deodorant.
> >
>
Damn, must have been a braver man than me... I had a nasty case of
athlete's foot once and was out of cash (ObAutoContent: the reason I was
out of cash was because some F*()$%(* MORON had left off a bracket that
held the negine and tranny together on my dart, and the flexplate had
flexed one two many times, destroying the front tranny pump.) so I
figured, hey, Lysol kills nasty buggies, why pay money for stuff when I
have Lysol right here... I'll just use that OH S^^T THAT BURNS....
well, you get the idea.
nate
dand...@digex.net
In <01bbb2d3$76513e20$01a6...@homenet.hom.net>, "Anthony Horton " <aho...@hom.net> writes:
>One of my workers uses it for deodorant.
>
>> >
>> > Markus Wandel wrote:
>> > >
>> > > Is it safe? Who knows. But it sure is effective! So far I'm aware
>that WD40
>> > > works as: 1. Rust proofer, 2. Bolt unseizer, 3. Hand cleaner and
>> > > 4. Electrical connection quick fix. Amazing stuff.
>> > > --
>> >
>> > You can add "5. Gummy-Gooey Adhesive Remover" to your list :-)
>>
>> inside a distributor)
>>
>> More uses:
>>
>> WD40 - Fix a sticking throttle cable. (Boy was that an exciting ride)
>> - Can be used like starting fluid (ether). It's not as good in
>> really low temperatures, but it's also less explosive
>> Lysol - Use regularly in A/C to keep the mildew under control
>> - Makes an even better hand cleaner than WD40 (less oily residue)
>> - Non-automotive: Lysol is great for refinishing old/antique
>> (before urethane) furniture. Spray it on very heavy, wait a
>> few seconds for it to disolve the old varnish, then wipe it
>> off with one quick light pass of a paper towel (leave it wet).
>> Leaves a nice, smooth, light brown finish of rejuvenated
>> varnish.
>> - Spray on/under the floor mats any time they get wet.
It also works good as a makeshift torch.
----Steve
Stephen Amadei
Director of MIS
Dandy Connections, Inc.
Atlantic City, NJ
Greg Ebert
I found WD-40 and a lighted match is an excellent way to control
black widow spiders, wasps, mosquitos, tarantulas, stink bugs,
earwigs, minor ant invasions, and farts. Other than
rattlesnakes and door-to-door solicitors (untested), I can't
think of any other hazards I've run into during car repairs
that WD40 wont handle.....