I was changing my oil today in my 2004 6.0 and I noticed that my oil fill cap was showing some deterioration. The top of the cap looked like some acid or something had ate away at the plastic. The only thing I have used to clean the engine was "simple green". Nothing else in the engine compartment has these symptoms. Has this happened to anyone else ??

 

Simple Green can and will eat most anything if not throughly washed...easy cure get a new OilGuard system....

 

Not a plastic issues but...

I've used Simple Green and BioDyne which is the same product.. I've used it in the past on my motorcycles/cars, but had an issue with it discoloring/fogging the clear coat on the rims/wheels ect. and even the hot/warm painted surfaces can also be damaged if not careful.. Hard to believe it would 'eat' plastic though, as the spray pump on the bottle is made of plastic. But 'have' had the pump applicators 'fail' as well. If I remember correctly, it states on the bottle that its safe on 'all' surfaces, BUT also tells you to try it on a test surface before use? This topic/product was covered in the past as the 'caustic' nature of cleaners, Simple Green being one, and the causes/affects of cleaning the engine compartment/electrical components with them.. It IS a degreasing product.. One of my concerns would be that it would be absorbed into the inner fender insulation/hood blanket (if equiped), and/or any other area it's allowed to sit 'or' trapped and can't be washed out thoroughly.. So, maybe a 'Simple' test is in order.. Drop an oil filler cap into a container filled with Simple Green and see how long it takes to dissolve!! And, If I recall correctly, one of the posts even related a 'warning' in regards to the use of Simple Green in the Aircraft Industry.. Maybe something to it.. Still use it, but sparingly, and depends on where/what..

........................HP...................

 

The US Army has released a statement about the corrosiveness of Simple green...ug...cannot find it.
There was a thread in the General area...if someone wants to do a search for it.

 

I've used simple green to remove the crome off of plastic wheels for R/C trucks, just goes to show it is pretty potent stuff, I try to delute it 1:1 with water to use it for light cleaning,

 

my oil cap looks the same way let me know if you find out why.

Southern Turf

 

MAYBE... were all missing the REAL root cause... It's being 'eaten' from the inside out!

.................HP....................

 

I got a new cap from the Ford Dealer but they kept the old one. I was going to drop it in some simple green for a few days like it was suggested but now I can't conduct the test.

The cap was not being eaten from the inside, the threads were intact. Only the outer exposed surface appeared to be wasted by a caustic solution.

 

I got the same thing with my oil cap, I recently brought the truck in for it's
15K service and I thought that the tech. may have given me the wrong cap.
Guess I'll be going to the local dealership to get a new one, I don't like the
way the pitted one looks amidst the 6.0.

 

Kidd'n just a bit.. But I have an old oil cap and some Biodyne (simple green) and will give a very scientific test

Hope it don't eat through the container!! or the 1 1/2" thick steel plate work bench while testing..

.................HP.................

 

I understand the air force put out a bulletin on it as well due to the corrosion to electrical connectors.

 

I just recently order my new aluminum cap for the return line for my OilGuard system, it is cool, why don’t you guys call out there and order a red, blue, or chrome cap to replace the plastic one for the fill tube…..it does look very clean and dresses up the engine compartment a bit....

 

Yeah! You never know when Off Road magazine is going to want to come out with a bikini clad honey and take pictures of your engine compartment.

 

OK I will back my truck out of the garage pop the hood and wait….hope it does not take too long ....

 

A fist full of cash may help some too!!

.....................HP..............