Experiment in rust removal
 

Recently there was a discussion about various rust removal products such as P B blaster, WD-40 etc. Also included was acetone+ATF mix.

I must move a DS21 with brake pads rusted to the rotors, which is why I was given the car.

Bottom line: I did an experiment in which I soaked one side with PB blaster, the other with acetone+ATF. I'm doing this every day for three days, then attempting the move. I'll try a basic push on the car each day to see if anything is now free. This way we'll know how many days it took each type of material to work.

Not a perfect experiment but it should tell us something.

Will keep everyone posted after day 2.

Here's a trick using malt vinegar,household limescale removers will do as well as they are caustic based.

http://www.cookhaus.co.uk/vinegar/index.htm

This is a great "recipe" for rust removal. Two questions:

1. What's the concentration of malt vinegar? Here we use 5% vinegar.

2. What do you do about rust where parts cannot be dunked in the pan? This was my problem: I got the car because the entire front axle was immobilized.

Oh, third question: can you filter the vinegar and use it on chips?:eek::D

In the Uk ours is 100% so maybe the kitchen/bathroom limescale removers would be of better benefit.

With the entire front axle I would go for a large pan placed under the suspension and use a small pump to keep it circulating and constantly poured over the area to be treated,maybe something simple such as those cheap solar powered garden fountains that give a smallish 1/4 pint a minute flow may suffice or a screen wash pump working from a transformer supply.

Give the kitchen products a try,a few days ago I fitted new discs and pads to the rear of my 1990 w124.

Rust was everywhere and thick crusts of it that needed tapping off with small hammer and screw driver tip,I soaked the callipers (let them hang on cable ties) in a product called 'cillit bang' for around 20 minutes after which they were rinsed and looked as new.

They were bad as one inboard pad was unable to move due to rust crusts sticking it in place,but once clean they could have had a coat of paint and passed as new

The experiment is over: success!
 

After a second soaking of the brake pads and calipers, the axle broke free and rolled like a new car!

Each soaking with acetone and ATF 50-50 mix involved spraying the stuff directly into the areas and soaking the brake pad and rotor areas.

This thing was REALLY stuck. When I got it, one of the tires had been dragged and had a wear spot because even backwards dragging did not free up the axle.

Two soaks of about 20 minutes each with this stuff did the trick.

My suggestion: do it outside, you can smell the acetone!!