Simple Green discolored my valve cover....

What type of material is it? If it happens to be open (not sealed) porous metal, short of polishing the cover you might be hosed. If it is coated or plastic there may be several finish products to help the situation. :(
 
Simple Green eats aluminum.



The Air Force even has a directive to not allow it near airframes!



There are so many other cleaners available...



Jim
 
What? Simple Green eats aluminum? Thats not good cause I dilute it 50/50 with water and wash my motor with it. I'm assuming diluted and since it only sits a minute or so that it shouldn't hurt anything.
 
I have Crystal Simple Green which is the industrial product. it does'nt contain the green dye that Simple Green has. but you have to dilute it really bad. for light stains they suggest up to 1:150 ratio.
 
It's a mildly strong base. I've seen it discolor aluminum several times. One time it was me who did it on a set of rims. I think it is more of a problem when it sits on the surface for a while or if the surface is hot. My wheels were pretty warm when I damaged them. If you check Simple Green's web site they warn of this possibility. :(
 
That's very odd, because certain wheel manufacturers that make expensive billet aluminum wheels recommend cleaning w/simple green...
 
MattZ28 said:
That's very odd, because certain wheel manufacturers that make expensive billet aluminum wheels recommend cleaning w/simple green...
Click to expand...





.... and this isn't a problem when diluted/used properly, it's full strength (concentration), length of exposure and heat in my situation where the problems begin.



From SG's web-site:



Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum?

Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All-Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.







I could be a poster child for SG. I love this stuff. You just need to exercise a little caution with it.



Here's more information than the average guy will ever need about SG products:



http://simplegreen.com/faq.html
 
Yeah, this is good to know. I have used simple green on my wheels also in the past. I will continue to use it the same but with a little more caution.
 
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