Steel Injector Line Questions

[tomblue01]

First, some pictures:
The dirtier of the two are the ones attached to the injectors. The other picture shows them at the p-pump. In 24 years, I don't think they've ever been removed from the truck.

What I've labelled as "c", I'm calling a collar. That should move freely, yes? Does it matter that mine are frozen in place? How important is it for "c" to be cleaned?

I'm thinking of sanding by hand the flared portion at the tip of the line. 400grit, 600, then 1000. How aggressive can I be? Is there a better way of removing the corrosion?

 

[tomblue01]

A pop tester uses these little green o-rings. My truck doesn't utilize them, and I'm thinking that they'd be a good investment. Thoughts?

 

[tomblue01]

Last one: Has anybody stripped the paint off their injector lines? As can be seen, the paint is flaking off mine. The metal looks good, so I'm tempted to remove all the paint. Any suggestions on the best paint stripper? Tips?

 

[Ozymandias]

I'd put them back in as they are - don't mess with something that worked fine.

My2ct

 

[honobiahunter]

If I were to use anything abrasive I’d use 0000 steel wool. I use it on light surface rust on gun barrels as it doesn’t remove any of the bluing and is pretty mild even when getting pretty rough with it

 

[tomblue01]

As far as removing the corrosion, wet sanding worked, but it didn't remove the pitting because it wasn't nearly aggressive enough. I'm hesitant to use a tool like a dremel because I fear I'll make it out of round. Haven't gone for a test drive yet, so I'll find out tomorrow how well they seal; 22ft#. I think o-rings on the collars are the way to go. I think the corrosion occurred because moisture passed through the line nuts. Will have to research a proper fitting o-ring. The collar OD is 8mm, fyi. I used a brass wire wheel on the collar to clean that up, but I took this picture before doing that. Also, that wire wheel flicked the nearby old paint off reasonably easy. (Still on the fence as to whether or not do all the high pressure lines...)

 

[tomblue01]

Any suggestions on how to clean the inside of the line nuts? I hit them with brake clean, but I can still see some rust.
Hah! Just thought of something: pull the nuts down tight over the "olive" and then use a wire brush to access the rusty threads (or at least most of them). Sucks that I didn't think of it before reinstalling them. That's what happens when you're pressed for time. *sigh*

One last question: The color of the metal lines had a yellowish tint to them. The wire wheel seemed to remove that color by bringing out the typical silver metal color. Am I removing a protective finish? I'll take some photos tomorrow.

 

[Chief USA]

Have you tried WD-40 rust remover soak and follow up with an ultra sonic soak cleaning?

 

[tomblue01]

I like that idea. TY, Chief
Been looking at the HF ultra sonic cleaner... coupons are good until the 20th of June! Here's what I'm thinking: after a rust penetrating soak, get rid of the WD with some brake cleaner, then place the line nuts in the ultra sonic cleaner using a solution of vinegar and dish soap. Vinegar eats rust, yes? Anyone have a different cleaning solution in mind?

 

[Timd32]

Citric Acid solution might do the trick. Its pretty effective at removing rust.

There is some speciality stuff like from Kano Labs called Exrust, its a little pricey, same folks who make Aerokroil, love that stuff. Its like a ATF/Kerosene fluid.

 

[Ozymandias]

One last question: The color of the metal lines had a yellowish tint to them. The wire wheel seemed to remove that color by bringing out the typical silver metal color. Am I removing a protective finish? I'll take some photos tomorrow.

Yes you do.

 

[tomblue01]

The yellowish tint results from the chemical passivation done to the metal at the factory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passivation_(chemistry)
This thin protective coating can be removed when using a wire wheel or an acid bath. Surprisingly, paint stripper had no effect on the micro coating.

 

[tomblue01]

Citric acid can be purchased at Walmart in the canning section. Powder only. The small container of 14.5oz cost <$6.
For use in the ultrasonic cleaner (usc), I went with a ~12% solution: 1 cup to a half gallon of water. The little usc that i picked up at HF only operates for only 8min at a time. After 3 back to back operations, the machine activates its own 15min cooldown period.
The 1st iteration took care of 90% of rust inside the line nuts. However, after 8 iterations, it did not seem to want to remove the last 1% of the toughest, crustiest rust inside those threads. I even used an angled pick in between the latter iterations in order to try & physically scrape out the deep rust.
So I upped the ante: muriatic acid. 1/3 m.a. : 2/3 water. Too strong, but it worked. What I would find out several hours later is this:

The muriatic acid ate the rust, but it also ate some of the metal. Note the flash rust above. When I removed the line from the usc, I washed it in fresh water for 1 min; then I immediately used the air compressor to dry everything. The line just picked up the moisture of the humid air, and without its previous protective microcoating, it flash rusted.

Lesson: From the acid cleaning to the rinsing; from the rinsing to the drying; from the drying to the final degreasing; and from there to painting! Don't wait.