Rust in engine bay...

[Kimo]

I have a 2001 Eclipse GT. I had a battery problem some time ago, a LOT of corrosion. I`m actually going to need to change my battery cables but that is a different story.

The problem for you all is that I have some rust (I think it`s just surface rust) in the areas around the battery tray (The battery tray is in bad shape too) that I want to take care of before it gets too serious. I am going to trade in/sell this car by the end of the year, so this is as much for that as it is for my own sanity and practice.

Do you all have any suggestions how to tackle this problem? I know I`ll have to take out the battery, battery tray, etc. I`ll try to get some pictures of what I am dealing with.

Thanks!

Jamie

[GregCavi]

I have heard that coca cola will do the trick? Seems Odd but you could give it a shot.

Greg

[Jngrbrdman]

Coke won`t do anything for the rust, but it has been known to help clean up corrosion on battery terminals. When the posts aren`t connecting to the clamps due to corrosion, I have found that pouring some Coke on them helps eat away the corrosion and allow the post to make contact. Its a Mickey Mouse fix for a problem that really needs some attention with a wire brush, but it does work.

As for the rust... Where in the engine bay is it at? If its just surface rust then you will probably be able to just use some Meguiar`s ScratchX and take care of it. That`s what I use for surface rust spots. When trucks with that diamond plate stuff around the edges starts to drip rust I always reach for my ScratchX to clean it up.

Another option for you is just getting some Lime Away or CLR and try that. Its not especially good for your paint, so I wouldn`t use it on the outside of your car, but I doubt its going to do any harm to your engine bay paint. I do know that it works great on rust stains. I`ve used it to clean up rust stains on concrete before and I`m know it can get rid of rust stains on paint.

[djpolak]

i have same problem , i just got the car and i have some area rusted around and under batter tray, will scratchX remove rust ?

[tubafeak]

If it`s really bad you`ll want to get a drill with a sanding disc on it and sand away the rust. You`ll have to repaint the area where you sanded. It might be worthwile if you`re selling the car anyway, no rust is always a good thing. If it`s just surface rust then take a wire brush and get as much of it off as you can and then follow with ScratchX, it`ll clean right up.

[djpolak]

thanx