Long story short, the cam bearing in my motorcycle seized. The cam is hardened steel but the cam bearing is aluminum. The cam itself looks like it can be reused and I was advised by a shop to use muriatic acid to eat away the aluminum that's stuck on the cam. The problem I have is that I've never handled or used muriatic acid for any purpose, and I don't want to ruin the cam.

What kind of container should I use to hold the acid [would a tupperware container work or do I need a heavier duty plastic]?

How long would you advise that I soak the cam for? I can post pics of how it looks if that would help.

Thanks so much.

 

muratic acid is a very strong chemical. i used to use it in swimming pools for a few different purposes. it will cause the metal to rust some and may etch the surface. it will smoke and it will take your breath quick so be careful. it should eat away the aluminum but i would be very cautious about using it for that purpose. call another shop and see if they suggest the same process.

 

Right, and the shop essentially said the same thing. He told me to keep a close eye on it as it was soaking. [which, btw, I plan on doing outdoors]

But thanks for the tip. I will see if any other shops recommend the same process.

 

NOT recommended for health reasons however...........

muriatic acid is commonly used to clean rust out of fuel tanks.

do NOT breathe the smoke.
OUTside with a breeze.
Stay upwind.

make sure you have a garden hose to dilutedilutedilute
and some baking soda to neutralize it especially if it splashes on you
or anywhere else.

Having said that, I tested some in a rusty coffee can.
poured it in, it smoked for a while, rinsed it out with some baking soda
and the can came out like new.
Tried some in a non rusty coffee can and nothing happened.

It's almost like it needed rust to react.
Both cans rusted almost immediately after the rinse
but it was a super fine rust dust called 'flash rust'.

Good for gas tanks but all I do now is pressure wash, blow out the chunks
rattle a chain in there,
blow them out real good and keep them full and they'll never rust again.

Now, as far as aluminum? or removing aluminum from a heat bonded cam?

I gave all my chemistry books away but I'll check with my other support group. 3wheelerworld.com and see what they say.

#1 cause seems to be the leack of zinc and phosphorus in the new motor oils that allow that to happen, among other reasons.

I don't know if it eats aluminum? or just may separate the 2 metals thru some alchemical magic.

Just be careful, safety glasses etc.

How much are new cams?

 

muriatic acid and aluminum will react very violently! Ever heard of the kids making "acid bombs"? With those two chemicals in a sealed item, boom! If you do use this way, take MUCH CARE as its nasty stuff.

THe best way I removed a "spun welded" bearing on my 3-wheelers is cut it in half(bearing) and hope the cam did not get munged up.

 

Thanks for all the safety tips guys. I haven't yet checked with another shop for advice, but the shop I did speak to is one I've dealt with several times in the past and they've never led me astray.

The bearing itself isn't seized on there, but there's small chunks of aluminum that are stuck on. I don't want to try to chip or chisel at it for fear of really marring up the cam surface.

Perhaps I'll just dip it in the acid very quickly. Not so quick I splash acid everywhere, but don't allow it to soak either. If it eats aluminum as fast as you guys are telling me, it's not going to take much.

I'm still wondering what kind of container to use. Will any plastic container work?

 

I would imagine most any plastic container should work since I've only seen that the acid comes in a plastic bottle these days. A large glass jar would be a good choice too.

I've also used the acid to clean out badly rusted cooling systems. Works like a charm but I would warn you to do it at your own risk and never on an engine with any aluminum components.

 

Id rather sand the AL away (its very soft anyways) than use acid. Dremel or grinder with a sand flap disk should work.

 

As CJM said, i would sand away, then use a torch. Aluminum melts way faster than steel (about 1220 °F), if you can attain that with a torch you can melt away whatever residue there is in there.

 

Please don't put a torch to your camshaft.

 

I'm not saying he should, lol, just stating that aluminum melts faster than steel. There surely are sensitive parts near the damaged area that shouldn't be near that kind of heat, ever.

 

Use some of that scratch pad to clean it up. Or emery cloth. Really shouldnt take much to get it off

 

Emery cloth was my next step. The shop told me to use the acid to eat away the aluminum, and once that was gone, use the finest grade emery cloth I could find and WD40 to polish the surface.

This has really gotten more attention than I thought. Give me a few minutes and I will post a picture of the cam so you guys can give me better direction.

 

Sorry for the blurriness, it's the best I could get.

 

Id go a lil bit course with emery cloth at first to get that off there. Our ultrasonic tank where i work would get that right off there,whatever chemicals they use in it dont like aluminum or plastic!