Stock holes in frame

[unclewho]

i took the xr400 for a good ride yestarday and good clean for the first time this spring. when i finished washing i noticed alot of rust water coming out from the bottom. I have the aftermarket skid plate so the stock bolt hole for the skid plate is open and water was coming out of there. so i took the compressor and shot some air into the hole and brown water shot out onto the swingarm and under the bike. I realize these holes must be stock but they are just helping my frame rust, like ive seen others happen to on this forum. How can i prevent my frame from rusting further?

my ideas

- periodically spray the inside with grease or wd-40

-dry it out completely with the aircompressor and spraying that expanding foam inside the frame to keep out the water

- use little rubber grommets to plug the holes

i plan on keeping this bike for 5 or more years and i dont want to worry about the frame weakening from rusting inside out.

[Trailryder42]

I plugged all mine with silicone. I like the expanding foam idea tho.

[unclewho]

only thing im afraid with the foam is what if i trap some water inside the frame and it wouldnt be able to escape?

[JoeBlow Kokomo]

only thing im afraid with the foam is what if i trap some water inside the frame and it wouldnt be able to escape?

Yep, it will do that. With Mazda Miata's guys were filling the rear "bulkhead" behind the seats with foam, trying to help the structural integrity. Instead it trapped water and rusted them out.

[unclewho]

Yep, it will do that. With Mazda Miata's guys were filling the rear "bulkhead" behind the seats with foam, trying to help the structural integrity. Instead it trapped water and rusted them out.

alright then how about popping in a couple balls of silica gel (like the ones you find in products) to dry up the inside of any water residue, then seal the holes with silicon or rubber and forget about it.

[Delete Me]

I thought about using the Wax Oil spray which would cling to the inside of the frame and help prevent rust, my frame had rusted real bad @ the lowest point only on the side stand side.

[Paul47]

Silica gel only works until it is saturated, then it is worthless. It's for tiny amounts of water, not what we are talking about here.

There is some stuff called "Rusteco" that is used to clean rust out of motorcycle gas tanks. I did that and it worked great. You could fill your tubes with it for a day, and then wash it out with water and dry it (or attempt to dry it, anyway) and then fill your tubes with paint, or some sealer or other. Maybe even hot tar, ha ha.

[JoeBlow Kokomo]

Who's got a bare frame to look at? Is it realistic to be able to really seal all possible entry points for moisture?

I'm guessing no, but it could vary by bike.

I would think another solution would be to drill a few small drains at the lowest points on the various structural members, cover them with some kind of cap and then open them after water exposure.

[67GT]

I've heard a lot of good things about Waxoyl from British car owners. If anybody knows about rust it's someone with a British car. I'm not sure how well you could get the stuff in there but it does come in small aerosol cans.

[unclewho]

Silica gel only works until it is saturated, then it is worthless. It's for tiny amounts of water, not what we are talking about here.

There is some stuff called "Rusteco" that is used to clean rust out of motorcycle gas tanks. I did that and it worked great. You could fill your tubes with it for a day, and then wash it out with water and dry it (or attempt to dry it, anyway) and then fill your tubes with paint, or some sealer or other. Maybe even hot tar, ha ha.

good point on the silica,

as for filling your tubes with paint, that sounds like it could be incredibly messy and would require rotating the bike so insure full coverage inside.

Who's got a bare frame to look at? Is it realistic to be able to really seal all possible entry points for moisture?

I'm guessing no, but it could vary by bike.

I would think another solution would be to drill a few small drains at the lowest points on the various structural members, cover them with some kind of cap and then open them after water exposure.

I saw 3 holes along the bottom of the frame towards the back near the swing arm and one hole behind the rear brake cylinder, i think it was cause by a mistake in the welding.

how about flushing the frame, get the bike hot to make the tube evaporate the water, and use compressed air to make sure, coat inside with wd40, plug holes, repeat twice a year along with swingarm bolt maintenance.

[Delete Me]

If you had plenty of grease handy you could add a grease nipple and pump the frame full of grease, no water would get in problem solved ?.

[DarrellT]

As mentioned the spray foam is the best way to increase the rate of corrosion.

Rubber plugs aren't much better, even condensation that can't be aired out will cause an accelerated rust rate. You could plug the holes with something that wouldn't leak and put in some linseed oil. The oil will coat the inside of the tube preventing rust and will slosh around as you ride...and will get to those higher up points when your bike takes a nap. This was done on old tractors..later inspections 50 years later showed no rust..believe it or not.

Other than that coating the inside of the frame tubes with a good metal coating or paint would be your best bet.

DT

[unclewho]

As mentioned the spray foam is the best way to increase the rate of corrosion.

Rubber plugs aren't much better, even condensation that can't be aired out will cause an accelerated rust rate. You could plug the holes with something that wouldn't leak and put in some linseed oil. The oil will coat the inside of the tube preventing rust and will slosh around as you ride...and will get to those higher up points when your bike takes a nap. This was done on old tractors..later inspections 50 years later showed no rust..believe it or not.

Other than that coating the inside of the frame tubes with a good metal coating or paint would be your best bet.

DT

where can someone buy some linseed oil?

[DarrellT]

Hardware stores carry linseed oil. At least they used to. It was used to treat wood that would be used for food...like salad forks and wooden bowls and whatnot. I suppose you could use thin motor oil in place of linseed.

DT

[JoeBlow Kokomo]

Sounds like a mess waiting to happen to me. It is going to leak out. A dirbike is going to get shaken, crashed, even turned upside down. Tractors usually don't. ?

If you really want to be obcessive about it (and it might be justified) take it to Ziebart and let them fog the insides of those pieces with their rustproofing. Seal it up and it will never need touched up. Just a thought.

[jleblanc321]

LPS-3 would be a good option for this application. It drys overnight and becomes a waxy film that does not run and last much longer than WD-40. It is used as a corrosion preventitive spray on the interior of unprimed aircraft wings and fuselages.

Jay

[DarrellT]

Jay.

Is LPS 3 available to the public? I remember using LPS 2..a good lube IIRC when I was an A&P.

Also I think LPS 3 was supposed to be reapplied every 3 or 4 years..Not as critical on your bike as an A/C.

DT

[jleblanc321]

Jay.

Is LPS 3 available to the public? I remember using LPS 2..a good lube IIRC when I was an A&P.

Also I think LPS 3 was supposed to be reapplied every 3 or 4 years..Not as critical on your bike as an A/C.

DT

Darrell,

You can get it at several places including amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/LPS-Chemicals-00316/dp/B000Z34GWK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1270695494&sr=1-9) or aircraft supply stores (http://www.marvgolden.com/aircraft-supply/lps3.htm). Do a goople search, and you should be able to locate other sources with reasonable shipping prices. Note the approvals in the description:

Boeing BMS 3-23 G Type II

DMS 2150

Lockheed G39.2004

Mil-PRF-16173E Grade 2 Class 1

Airbus TN A.007.10138 Type 1 Grade 2

Also read: http://www.lpslabs.com/technical_info/tds/LPS3.pdf

Hope this helps.

Jay