Fuel splash/paint staining
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Fuel splash/paint staining
Awhile back I spilled some fuel on the back deck of my '69, and it stained/bleached the paint. I've spilled plenty of fuel over the years (pouring fuel out of cans at the track), but a little bit of water cleaned it up with no telltale signs of paint damage. I'm trying to figure out what happened this last time. I wouldn't think the ethanol in the fuel would damage the paint, but I don't know what's changed since my last spill episode. Any idea of the cause here?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 109
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From: Caldwell Idaho
People think I am crazy because I keep a small plastic cup (a little bit bigger then what comes with NyQuil) I hold it over the nozzle going to the fill hole, and I place it over the nozzle when returning and going over the car. It works and has saved me quite a few times. Not all pump trigger guns are created equal.
c-ya
ToddG
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
[QUOTE=SH-60B;1573240830]IDK, I've spilled before with an easy clean-up, but it's urathane. Maybe you just have crappy paint.[/QUOTE]
Yet another post where you're overwhelming me with your technical depth.
Yet another post where you're overwhelming me with your technical depth.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
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From: Savannah GA
New paint recently? Race or pump fuel? Were you in Abilene or Detroit? Fuel composition varies both by geography and season. Ethanol is not the only nasty compound added to the pee we call gasoline today. MTBE, an oxygenate common in some race fuels can eat paint; there are others as well.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,850
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
New paint recently? Race or pump fuel? Were you in Abilene or Detroit? Fuel composition varies both by geography and season. Ethanol is not the only nasty compound added to the pee we call gasoline today. MTBE, an oxygenate common in some race fuels can eat paint; there are others as well.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
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From: Savannah GA
I'll bet if you concentrate on midwest fillups, and compare the olfactory memory of those compared to Florida you'll find the answer. I guarantee there is a difference you can smell in the composition of the fuel in both locales. Your car will run on both, but southern fuel often smells stale or moldy, more northern fuel more like solvents. This is because of the chemicals added by local blenders who "finalize" fuel content for your local market. There is a vast difference in aromatic and other content between the states.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Fremont CA
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,989
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From: Meriden CT
[QUOTE=69427;1573243052]Get some good paint on that car and be done with it for chrissake.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,374
Likes: 86
From: Corbin KY
[QUOTE=SH-60B;1573245273]
NOOO! He can not repaint the car! I was lucky enough to see it again last summer and it still looked like it did when I was a kid and he let me ride in it after the events (payment for picking up damn cones all day). For almost 30YO paint on the car it still looks good. 
NOOO! He can not repaint the car! I was lucky enough to see it again last summer and it still looked like it did when I was a kid and he let me ride in it after the events (payment for picking up damn cones all day
). For almost 30YO paint on the car it still looks good.
Last edited by SCCA VETTE; Feb 27, 2010 at 12:33 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
Ethanol is the prime cause for dissoving some of the older resins in fiberglass gas tanks etc, so it's probable it also affects the resins in old lacquer finishes.
It is classified as a mild paint remover.
The good news is that it can probably be compunded out to be unnoticeable.
It is classified as a mild paint remover.
The good news is that it can probably be compunded out to be unnoticeable.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 782
Likes: 1
From: Magic Valley ID
Depending on what type of paint you have, that may be a factor in this issue. A single stage paint doesn't have the protection that a base coat/clear coat has...but where you painted the car 20 years ago and have not had this issue come up before, leads me to suspect the fuel additive as well. What I would suggest is to get some FINE CUT cleaner... http://www.jcwhitney.com/meguiars-mi...41&zmap=369564 since you can apply this by hand. Just take a clean rag, place some on the rag itself, and apply with small circular motions. Then use a clean part of the rag to remove the excess and polish. Meguiers makes an outstanding product, and this may help to restore the "moisture", so to speak, to your paint. It definitely can't hurt it at all. That cleaner should remove oxidation, tree sap, and dirt in the top layer of the paint or clearcoat. Then apply a good wax over the top of the cleaned area to provide some long term shine and protection. I really think you will be happy with this product, and it should fix it. Let me know how that works out for you! Good luck.
Deja
Deja
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
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From: Dayton, Ohio
New paint recently? Race or pump fuel? Were you in Abilene or Detroit? Fuel composition varies both by geography and season. Ethanol is not the only nasty compound added to the pee we call gasoline today. MTBE, an oxygenate common in some race fuels can eat paint; there are others as well.
There is no telling what you might find in gas. I siphon off the bottom of all tanks during a tune-up process (to remove water) into a glass jar,the different levels in the jar after settling makes me go
. Water on the bottom and then sometimes up to 4 visible layers of whatever.( All this crap on the bottom of the tank generally below the pickup. ) A call to the local fuel supplier I was told there are many additives that can separate depending on what was in the tank from the previous fillup and also the season.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Thanks again for all the constructive suggestions, guys. I appreciate it.
The spill in question occurred when transferring new fuel from a 5 gallon gas can. When I tipped the can over to empty it out, the seal between the spout and the can leaked rather quickly, causing fuel to dribble all over the deck. (I had the body off for quite a while, and the license plates expired during that time, so I couldn't drive it to the gas station once I got it back together.) I hosed the deck off as soon as I could get the garden hose turned on, but the discoloration had already occurred.
The spill in question occurred when transferring new fuel from a 5 gallon gas can. When I tipped the can over to empty it out, the seal between the spout and the can leaked rather quickly, causing fuel to dribble all over the deck. (I had the body off for quite a while, and the license plates expired during that time, so I couldn't drive it to the gas station once I got it back together.) I hosed the deck off as soon as I could get the garden hose turned on, but the discoloration had already occurred.