Removing Oxidation in Housings

Q. We assemble and repair car distributors, I am trying to reclaim the oxidized housings. We have been using brake clean and another organic degreser type of cleaner which is ok for part with little grime on them. However i am looking at a larger scale cleaning process and have a lot of oxidized housings. To start I am looking at anywhere from 10-15,000 parts. I was wondering if you had some samples I could try and maybe a method of cleaning that would work for us without too much chemical to dispose of and minimal contact with the employees.

A. The best methodology for reclaiming oxidized distributor housings is a cleaning process using 2% Citranox® Liquid Acid Cleaner and Detergent soak cleaner at a warm temperature (120°F, 2.5 oz/gal or 20 mL/L). Make sure to disconnect all wiring, cap, coil, igniter, o-ring, and gasket. Immerse the part entirely into the cleaning solution to avoid oxidation caused by the oxygen-rich air-liquid interface, and making sure to avoid mixing different metals in the solution to avoid plating. Once the part is clean and oxidation is removed, make sure to rinse the part entirely as quickly as possible using cold water (either distilled or RO water is recommended – do not use deionized or tap water as this may cause oxidation) upon removing the part from the detergent, and removing the water immediately using compressed air, wiping off, or alcohol displacement. Do not use heated air or oven drying as this will cause further oxidation. O-rings and gaskets may need to be replaced as elastomers tend to become brittle over time.

Ultrasonics may also assist in the speed and efficiency of cleaning, especially with large volumes of parts to clean. We recommend contacting an ultrasonic manufacturing company, such as Branson Ultrasonics, Crest Ultrasonics, or CTG Technologies, that will assist in recommending a tank for your application size and scope.

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