Removing Fluid Film and the filth it collects

The past two winters I sprayed Fluid Film underneath my truck. It has helps keep things from rusting, but the underside of my truck is filthy. The Fluid Film has mixed with all the road grime to create a sludge on everything.

I used 2 different degreasers and neither helped. I was able to scrub some off, but I need suggesting for a spray on rise off solution.

 

I'm in the same boat, put FF on last yr. and getting ready to do it again. I also have grime on the frame and was thinking about cleaning it. I think I'm going to try one of those ortho dial and spray for your yard things and fill it up with dawn soap, attach it to the garden hose and spray it down.

I read you can cut FF with soap, but I bet you still need to scrub it a bit. We will see. What did you use as a degreaser ?

 

I used Gunk foam and some cheap stuff I had from AutoZone. Even with those I had to scrub a lot. There are a lot of tight spots and it sucks because you have to lay on the ground underneath your scrubbing. So it gets all over you. I was covered in greasy sludge. I gave up after 15 minutes.

 

Yea, I think like DD said were going to need heated water to blast it off. I know FF gets real liquified and flows real easy when it's warmed up. Matter fact I warm it up before I put it on with my undercoating gun and compressor .

 

I'll have to give that a try. My dad has a hot water pressure washer.

 

I'm thinking about going ahead and adding a hot water faucet outside. It would be pretty easy for me to tap into a hot water line, I only need about 3 ft of copper pipe and the faucet. I have everything else.

I think the hot water is the ticket along with one of those tapered water nozzles.

 

The big question is why do you want to take the protective layer off? Spray it again with FF and maintain the rust protection you already have. FF is a "creeping oil" unlike I have ever seen. Believe it or not the grime/dust that it accumulates is helping keep the oil in place on metal surfaces. In areas where salt is spread for snow and ice removal this extra protection is your friend. I am in Eastern Canada and after a trip to the undercoater/rustproofer the first thing you do is find a dusty road. This lessens drippage (wasting the oil) and keeps the oil affixed to metal surfaces.

Sorry, maybe I am missing something. But do you want it shiny and clean or rust proofed?

 

Your probably right ! Lol. I tend to over think things sometimes, but I was thinking that the dirt would also accumulate to the point it would hold salt and moisture and tend to always be damp with that corrosive mixture. And a little preventive maintenance would prevent that.

 

^^^^^ this. I just keep adding FF each year. It doesn't look pretty and is messy if you have to work under the truck, but it is protected.

 

I get your point. But it's more about being completely utterly filthy from working on my truck. I have some suspension upgrades planned and after how dirty I got bolting on my sliders, I'm not looking forward to it. I'd don't need it to be perfectly clean but I'd like to get off the heavy stuff. Before winter come, after I'm done my work, I will reapply it.

 

Do you use a hot water pressure washer?

 

Our salt, sand and calcium crud mix they apply to winter roads up here is a frame eater so we tend to be aggressive with oil and rust proofing materials.

 

I would not worry about it, there is super fine silt stuck to the fluid film that we cant even see. As already stated, i thought the dust and dirt collection was normal, also shown on the fluid film video.
I applied it last november and its just evaporating off in some sections now. I actually called them and asked if i could apply it with a paint brush and they said yes. So i stirred the gallon up at room temp, poured some off into a gallon bucket and applied it with a regular 3" paint brush. Its more time consuming, but you can apply it that way too. Before this winters application, i will spray some soapy water with a lawn sprayer and then just spray w hose nozzle, to get whatever granular particles off and then fluid film.

 

I'm not worried about it. It just makes it a pain to work on my truck. Everything is filthy and I get so dirty it makes it hard to even complete the job. I'd like to have the option of cleaning up the underside before working and then reapplying the fluid afterward. If you could see just how dirty I was when installing my bolt on sliders, you would understand. I shouldn't have even gotten dirty doing it. It was really bad.

 

I applied it the same way the first time but it came out way to thick. I used 1/2 gallon to do one coat. The can said I should be able to do at least 3 coats with one can. I changed to a paint gun. I have more control over how much comes out.

 

I never bought the compressor applicator. With brushing it on, i used less than half a gallon, maybe more than a third. So i have enough for maybe another 2 years. Being that its evaporating or wearing off, i think it will be easier to dislodge any collected silt and dirt. I think you can use less product and apply a thinner layer with a brush. Just my 2 cents and observation, last fall was the first time ive ever used the stuff, it seems like a great product.

 

I hear ya...i get the film on me every time i change my oil, always forget about it. But how great is it, changing oil without having to jack the vehicle up and use jack stands.

 

Thanks man, i did not know about the marine grade.
I tell people about this product, especially for marine use here where i live and most everybody has never heard of it. I keep some in a spray bottle and in an old mayo jar w small brush and use it on hinges, electrical connections etc.

 

Do you guys who use ff still wash your frame in the winter when the weather permits? I try to use the touchless washes with underbody spray. Also, i like how the above poster said he brushes on ff rather than spray. Last time i sprayed, it was extremely messy/ p.i.t.a.

 

Yeah I was spending about $80 in FF spray cans and then found a guy that will spray green rustcheck for $60. A mess in his garage is better than in mine...lol. Every second year I get the plugs pulled and spray red rustcheck inside body panels. So far over 8 yrs old and 170K mi and so far nothing more than surface rust on running gear that gets washed off from road spray over the span of the year.

I spray out the inner fenders but no I don't wash the underside. Road spray will strip some off but that can't be avoided. Part of life.

The downside is when the recalls came around on my 98 Tacoma (260K mi) frame I was SOL because my frame was in excellent shape. Damn me and my looking after things. I sold my 9 yr Taco for $6500 and Toyota would have given me $11,000 for it if the frame had been rotten....LOL