surface rust

[Big White]

i have 02 2500. i brought the truck about a year ago. when i brought it it had and still does surface rust on the following parts:

transfer case,complete drive line,including u-joints. i can remove the surface rust with some 400 grit sandpaper by hand. is it normal to have surface rust on these parts????will it make any difference if the rust stays on these parts???and if not how can i keep the rust down to a minimum? any info in this area would be great. thanks

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by b white

i have 02 2500. i brought the truck about a year ago. when i brought it it had and still does surface rust on the following parts:

transfer case,complete drive line,including u-joints. i can remove the surface rust with some 400 grit sandpaper by hand. is it normal to have surface rust on these parts????will it make any difference if the rust stays on these parts???and if not how can i keep the rust down to a minimum? any info in this area would be great. thanks

It's normal, I paint my axles and frame every 6 months to keep the rust off. The transmission, and the parts you mentioned come with rust when new for no extra charge. The word is that the coating of rust keeps them from rusting further. I did use navel jelly rust remover on all of the mentioned parts removing the rust and then painted all of the visible part of my 6 speed with black paint. Don't paint the drive shift because it can unbalance it. Good luck.

 

[JFirebaugh]

Rust

IMHO,



I you spray paint the driveshafts and don't overload the paint in spots it shouldn't effect the balance! The mass of the paint at 4 to 6 Mils thick is a much smaller mass than the weight of the driveshafts. Just be careful...



Besides, remember the axioms: 1. "If it moves, Salute it, if it doesn't move, paint it"! 2. "A good coat of paint will cover a multitude of sins"!



In this case if it rotates ... . paint it too! Oo.



John

 

[CRSmith]

Isn't your transfer case aluminum?



Anywho, the rust is normal and won't hurt a thing. Painting will be purely a cosmetic exercise, as the body will rust out long before the drivetrain. I live in a salty environment. I've started coating the underside of my rig w/ a mixture on linseed oil, and used rotella to keep the body rust from starting.

 

[rbattelle]

It's true that iron (such as your transmission case) will form a thin layer of surface rust, then stop. The small layer of rust chokes off oxygen from the metal underneith. As long as you leave it alone, it will never rust further. If you sand it off then paint it, make darn sure you use a high-quality paint, because if it rusts again and you sand again and repaint and keep that up eventually you'll run out of Iron. I say, leave it alone.

 

[Pit Bull]

I used rust arrester on mine and sprayed it once. That is it for me. If/when it rusts through again it will just end up rust colored