forgive me father for I have sinned....

[TrollFromDownBelow]

Doing the front brakes on my wife's '98 Camaro Convertible today (actually started yesterday). What was supposed to be a 30 min job replacing the pads, has turned into a 5 hour job... but I digress...

Finished the passenger side (that was fun... I don't know when Cheby changed over to the style of caliper pin that is completely encased in the bracket the holds the pads, but they all seem to get seized/rusted in side). Moved on to the Driver's side got the caliper off, but one of the two pistons won't compress into the body, and the rubber gasket around the piston is toast ...err go so is the caliper. It's is now after 5p on a Sunday. Call around, and Score! Pep Boys has one! But, the wife has taken my car to her pool league shoot off, and won't be home for another hour. The ole' Ford pick up is parked in tight next to the camaro (which is up on jack stands and is now missing a caliper). Roads are still snowy/sloppy from the snow yesterday.

So I had to sacrifice poor Tripod to the nasty vagaries of a wet, sloppy, salt encrusted roads. But I figured it was for a good cause..get the wifes car running. But alas, I get to the parts store 10 minutes too late I thought they were open until 7p, but they closed at 6p. So now I've exposed the poor girl to the nasty salty weather and it was all for naught. At least I was able to squeak the old ford out of the garage so I won't have to take Tripod to work tommorrow.

[RussellK]

your penance has been dispensated until spring and shall be one oil change, a valve adjustment and complete paste waxing. Go and sin no more.

[Amskeptic]

your penance has been dispensated until spring and shall be one oil change, a valve adjustment and complete paste waxing. Go and sin no more.

Sorry Father Russell ... the Bat-in-a-Can has demanded through paypal decree, that brother Troll must scrape and bow and gravel under Tripod with 1/2 cup baking soda to 5 gallons warm water in a plastic pressure sprayer to get into every secret nook and cranny of the result of his unclean choice to satisfy base desires and appetites (like brakes for a Camaro), then must baptise the entire chassis with clean warm water. Go and stop no more ... til Spring.

[TrollFromDownBelow]

Round 2 with the Camaro brakes. Of course, both pins sheared off in the bracket on the driver's side (side that needed the new caliper). Started drilling out the first pin and veered off course, through the side of the bracket. Doh!

Hey Colin, what does the baking soda do... neutralize the corrosive quality of the salt? If so how? I never heard of doing that before. If the temps stay relatively mild this weekend (and the roads are clear!) I will go pay my penance with said holy water.

Cheers,
Mike

[Amskeptic]

Round 2 with the Camaro brakes. Of course, both pins sheared off in the bracket on the driver's side (side that needed the new caliper). Started drilling out the first pin and veered off course, through the side of the bracket. Doh!

Hey Colin, what does the baking soda do... neutralize the corrosive quality of the salt?

from www.dmv.org

Wear a pair of waterproof gloves.
Begin by spraying down your vehicle using a garden hose equipped with a high-pressure nozzle, moving from top to bottom.
Be sure to get as much mud and muck from beneath the wheel wells, under the bumpers, behind the fenders and in any other areas prone to salty slush splashes.
Follow with a warm, bubbly scrub down, using soap made especially for car washing. Dish soap strips your car's wax. Use a wash mitt or a sponge, never a shop rag, which may have metal bits in it.
If the vehicle is really salty, add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to the wash water to help remove and neutralize the salt.
Don't neglect to scrub all the rubber, trim, outside door seals, tires, and the wheel covers.
Rinse thoroughly, making sure to remove all traces of soap.

[jtauxe]

from http://www.dmv.org

<snip>
If the vehicle is really salty, add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to the wash water to help remove and neutralize the salt.
</snip>

I'm calling BS on that. Baking soda will neutralize acid, but there is no "neutralizing" salt. The only way to get rid of the salt is to use plenty of water. Warm water is good, because the solubility of NaCl is greater in warm water. But baking soda? I don't see how that could help.

[Amskeptic]

from http://www.dmv.org

<snip>
If the vehicle is really salty, add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to the wash water to help remove and neutralize the salt.
</snip>

I'm calling BS on that. Baking soda will neutralize acid, but there is no "neutralizing" salt. The only way to get rid of the salt is to use plenty of water. Warm water is good, because the solubility of NaCl is greater in warm water. But baking soda? I don't see how that could help.

Whut I herd from Camdenton Missouri ....

the most commonly used road salt is sodium cloridie (NaCl). since NaCl is a solid precipitate of HCl(aq) and NaOH(aq), the dissociation of HCl is pretty much equal to to the dissociation of NaOH. Therefore [H+][A-]/[HA] will approach a pKa value of pretty damn near seven. In short, a salt solution of sodium chloride is neutral with pH of 7--not acidic nor basic. i don't think that adding baking soda (base) will help any better than just flushing with fresh water.

sometimes calcium chloride is used in lieu of sodium chloride. in that case, the salt is comprised of a higher charged metal (Ca+2 as opposed to Na+1). Because of the slightly higher charge it will decrease the dissociation of A-. this means that calcium chloride is barely acidic--almost negligible.

water is an amphoteric compound meaning that it can act as either (very) weak acid or (very) weak base--enough water will bring an acid or a base close to neutrality.

save your baking soda for cleaning battery terminals. flushing already neutral road salt with baking soda is unnecessary--just flush with lots of water.

The Church has been wrong before ....

[whc03grady]

[T]he solubility of NaCl is greater in warm water. But baking soda? I don't see how that could help.

Is road salt is just plain ol' table salt (NaCl)? I think it's got CaCl2, and/or MaCl2, and/or KCl in it too. And probably a lot of other crap.

[TrollFromDownBelow]

Chemistry class aside.... I didn't make a baking soda concoction, but I did take it to the local U-Do-It car wash and vigorously cleaned the under body, and everything else for that matter. Now she look all purdy.

[56ovalbug]

Problem with that is some of those car washes recycle/filter the water which means you may be washing your vehicle with slightly salty water.

[Sylvester]

Problem with that is some of those car washes recycle/filter the water which means you may be washing your vehicle with slightly salty water.

I never thought of that, I bet they filter it, but that may just to get the big crap out like sand. Anyone know how they recycle the water?

[RussellK]

We send ours to New Orleans and they recycle it down there.

[TrollFromDownBelow]

Problem with that is some of those car washes recycle/filter the water which means you may be washing your vehicle with slightly salty water.

I have heard that before ... and also have heard that it is not cost effective to recycle the water so therefore this is not practiced. I'll take my chances vs. leaving everything all cruddy.

[RussellK]

They do use water softeners which I think might have some salt. That wouldn't stop me from using one.