Had flood at work, rims are coated in tar

97FLAIRSIDE

97FLAIRSIDE

I like blue! :oP
Well this nor easter pounded us here in NNJ. My job in hackensack was surrounded by water and since i had a truck was able to make it to the front door. There was maybe 10" of water on teh streets already and it had risen to maybe 15" total. But at around 1am we all started to smell fuel oil coming from outside. The water had seeped into the fuel pumps and also floated away 55 gallon drums or used motor oil/gas and tar or something similar to it from the dpw garages. This all was floating in the water around our building and my rear rims were in the water. I thought it was poo but it's not. It has the consistancy of tar and look too. But I dont want to tough it with my hands. Its quiet a bit too.

Is there anything I can use that is strong enough to get this stuff off? I have 3m bug/tar/adhesive remover but this stuff takes forever to take things off with. I want something I can kinda spray on and let soak for a while, scrub and then spray again.

can anyone help me out?
 
Not everyone will agree with my suggestion so wait until you have some more comments before you run out and try it. :)
"Kerosene"
Kerosene did a great job removing road oil from the lower portions of a van a few years back. I got caught on a two lane road with a "chip seal" repair and the stuff was almost thick enough to look like it had been sprayed on. It actually looked like a bad case of undercoating overspray.
I washed it off with kerosene and a shop rag. It took a couple of tries to get it all, but your idea of spraying something on and letting it soak for a while would probably make it easier. I think most OTC tar removers are some type of petroleum distillate as is kerosene. After the kerosene wash, I did a Dawn wash to remove the kerosene. Polished/waxed the vehicle and it looked good again. As far as long term effect, I had the van abouit 10 years after that and the paint was still fine.

Charles
 
thanks. Im going to take a look at what autozone may have in stock and start there. I may try the stuff i already have but its cold and windy out, again.
 
Steve,

You can also use Spray & Rinse on them as long as they are the factory coated rims. It would be fast and no real work involved :)
 
What are your rims made from?

Its one time that I would think that Dawn would be appropriate...You want something that is a release agent...in some cases, another oil can be that..like soybean oil...sounds odd but I sell a tar release agent for asphalt pavers that is made in-part with soybean oil...

Still would be good to understand what the rims are made from
 
CharlesW said:
Not everyone will agree with my suggestion so wait until you have some more comments before you run out and try it. :)
"Kerosene"
the paint was still fine.

Charles
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I agree with Charles....kerosene or Diesel fuel...that's what road crews use to clean equipment with ..I use diesel to remove tar a lot and works great... great cleaner....does not effect paint..will remove any wax or sealant though....

spray it on..let dwell...spray a APC over it to remove oils and residue..grime gone...

AL
 
AL-53 said:
I agree with Charles....kerosene or Diesel fuel...that's what road crews use to clean equipment with ..I use diesel to remove tar a lot and works great... great cleaner....does not effect paint..will remove any wax or sealant though....

spray it on..let dwell...spray a APC over it to remove oils and residue..grime gone...

AL
Click to expand...

Bio-Diesel is one that the pavers / road crewes also use and quite safe on any finish...its a good release agent
 
I love D-lamin-E (sp?) for tar removal--Zep Big Orange/Big Orange E for example.
Body prep solvents sometimes work, as well as any mineral spirit based product. But I love using the Orange.
 
i stopped by a local hardware store to see if they had anything. I picked up this stuff for bug/tar remover. Kinda goopy. I tried it out and was surprised at what it was able to remove. I will have to maybe take a plastic scraper of some sort and get the really thick spots. Its going to take awhile to get this stuff off. I'll try and post a few pics tomorrow.

The rims are i believe factory clear coated. No paint.
 
oh and steve i asked the autobody shop that did the repairs on my truck last week about detailing the new paint. He said i should be able to within 2 weeks of the painting.
 
97FLAIRSIDE said:
The rims are i believe factory clear coated. No paint.
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This comment may not have come through to me the way you meant it, but.....
The factory clear coat on the wheels is paint and needs to be treated with the same care as the clear coat on the rest of your truck.

Charles
 
Just a thought ... you might want to check your break pads, calipers, etc. to make sure the gunk didn't get in those areas too. Excess oils and grease can play havoc with the pads and rotors.
 
kimwallace said:
Just a thought ... you might want to check your break pads, calipers, etc. to make sure the gunk didn't get in those areas too. Excess oils and grease can play havoc with the pads and rotors.
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Wasn't that high, if you see the pic when i get a chance to post it you'll see it pretty much came right to the bottom of the rear drum.
 
It's good to hear that you found something that is working for you. You might want to consider writing a review of it after you're done.
 
Well i tackled the tar or whatever it was, cause it sure didn't smell like tar. Drivers side was easier since the crud that was floating in the water came from the drivers side first. I know there's probably some on the inside of the rim and tire. I'll deal with that another day.

Here's the pics.
Before, Drivers side
tar2.jpg

Before, Passenger side.
tar1.jpg


After, drivers side
clean2.jpg

After, passenger side
clean1.jpg

And the towels.
tartowels.jpg

I used turtle wax bug and tar remover. Only problem is it seems that the substance tar or whatever stained some area's and may have eaten at the clear coat along the tire line where it was submerged.
 
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It might just be some staining. Go after those spots with a mild polish and your PC and see how they turn out. Otherwise, the wheels look so much better now. :)
 
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