Dr. Blockhed

I've been using WD-40 on all the moving parts of my nitro buggy. I've seen some posts saying that it isn't the best to use. Anyone use anything else and for what reasons?

Thanks

Shabbernigdo

wd 40 isint good because it atracts dust and debris stick to it. for bearings i use teflon oil / for gears i use AW/ Cera grease or Dow 33.

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

WD-40 also contain a portion of water which can actually cause small parts to rust

redfisher1974

Funny it was invented by rocket scientists to spray on the bare metal of rocket proto-types so they would not rust.

Ducat1

Lotion

Dr. Blockhed

Foxy

WD40 is a water displacer (hence WD - Water Displacer 40), it is designed to remove water from stuff. However, it is NOT a lubricant AT ALL. It's not meant to be a lubricant, and as such it doesn't lubricate. Different lubricants should be used for different things. The main use of WD 40 is in nitro engines as after run, due to the fact that nitro fuel is hydroscopic (it attracts water from the air, and deposits it in the engine).

sheograth

Like Foxy said, WD40 is not a lubricant. It is however a very good protectant.

378

My Feedback: (4)

WD40 did jack to keep my old 460ci V8 from rusting. I liberally coated the exposed cylinder bores and crank journals, within a week they rusted anyway. WD40 makes a handy flamethrower, starting fluid for gasoline engines and a way to loosen rusty bolts, nothing more.



As for lube, I use Dexron III ATF and/or light machine oil.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Funny, It worked perfectly when I used it to fog VW jugs, cranks, and cams. Stayed rust free for over a year. It does have lubricating properties, It's just not an oil, so dont treat it as such.

The best all purpose oil to use for RC or household applications is 3-in-1, or Marvel Mystery oil.

378

My Feedback: (4)

Dunno what the deal was with that big block then. I used a whole can on the crank journals(Rods only, the main caps were still bolted down and had an oil film left) and 3/4ths of a can on the cylinder bores, but they didn't last a week. Oh well. Sold that to someone who's putting it in a Fox mustang and aiming for mid 10s. Shouldn't disappoint.

DaveG55

I wouldn't use WD40 as a lubricant for anything important. There are better lubricants out there out there, both general and use specific. I do use it on things like door hinges because it's easy to get into hard to reach places and does have some penatrating qualities but I do expect to have to reapply it after a few months and I do expcet it to attract dust and dirt. It has very poor staying power.
As for rust prevention in an engine, I'd use something like a Marine fogging oil - something that's intended to protect against rust for prolonged periods in a harsh environment.

1QwkSport2.5r

For after run maintenance, I use nothing extra. Just fuel with lots of castor oil. For bearings I use ARO which is basically ATF. Tranny gears I use white lithium wheel bearing grease.

My auto shop teacher in high school called WD-40 squirrel pee.

Airplanes400

My Feedback: (349)

Well, I use WD 40 and think its great stuff. I used to call my shop teacher, Mr. Wipple.

FLYING FREDDIE

My Feedback: (15)

I USE KY JELLY!!!!! GOOD STUFF

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Have you ever smelled KY burning? Someone told me it made good assembly lube, so I used it when I rebuilt a Tomos A35 engine... god it smelled bad when I first fired that thing up. Like putrid cooking oil.

FloridaDude

I always use CRC 6-56 best stuff I know of. If I don't have access to it I use Boesheild T-9 (designed by Boeing to lube the planes.

john01374

As other have said WD40 is not a lube. Yes it will work for a few days on a squeaky hinge but long term is stinks. It does a great job keeping stuff from rusting. I've used it to protect engine blocks that had to sit outside for months Just coat it once and forget about it.. Wont rust but it will be covered in every spec of dust that gets near it...

What I use is actually something from a different hobby all together. I don't want to mention what it's used for here but google it and you'll see. It's called froglube and it's about the best lube/metal cleaner/metal protectant I have ever seen. Just clean the parts real well, paste this stuff on and get the parts a little warm. It soaks into the metal. Wipe off the excess and put things back together. The first time I used it on an RC was in my VXL bandits gearbox. As we all know the gearbox on the VXL cars is noisy due to the metal gears. I applied this stuff, warmed it slightly and let it soak. Once cool I coated the gears with more of the paste just like you would with normal grease and put it back together. Smooth as butter which is saying a lot for a VXL gearbox. I now use it on everything that is metal from suspension pins to bearings.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

ThunderbirdJunkie lubes absolutely nothing on an RC car, aside from bearings and diffs and...

uh

That's it[&:]
x2, the 306 pulled from the last T-bird and the shortblock 331 that have both been sitting for almost six years were ghosted with WD40 and have stayed delicious for a year.

Then ThunderbirdJunkie's grampa (it's in his garage) looked at both of them and noticed "AW JEEZ THAT BOY DIDN'T HAVE THE SENSE TO PUT NO OIL IN THESE THINGS TO KEEP EM FROM RUSTIN" and pumped the combustion chambers and crankcase FULL of 60wt Rotella he uses for his tractors until it started coming out of the fill caps of the valve covers on both engines.

God bless that man...and it's a good thing he gets oil by the drum....

BTW, ATF isn't a lubricant. Its primary purpose is to clean.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Actually, ATF is a hydraulic fluid, similar to Skydrol. Dexron makes a fantastic cold weather hydraulic fluid, and is even used in a lot of industrial applications because of its ability to remain at a lower viscosity in below-freezing conditions. It's primary purpose is to transfer energy (open switches, valves, etc.), absorb heat, and lubricate moving parts (brake bands). It's not an oil, but it is a lubricant, and is petroleum based. It is a good cleaner because of the corrosion inhibitors added.

lez1troubles

Maybe some of you guys should read what the WD-40 manufacturers say about there product, YES IT IS A LUB but it also has other uses.
Its great stuff.

1QwkSport2.5r

I like PB Blaster far better than WD-40. When you need immediate penetration to loosen a bolt or just need temporary lubrication, these types of lubes are fine. For long term lubrication, one would want to use a heavier oil the will stick to the surfaces to be lubricated longer. Some oils have a better affinity to metal than others so some protect better than others. ATF in particular is a unique oil in regards to it's ability to retard rust and corrosion, handle high pressure loads, has a phemonenal ability to clean, and low temperature sensitivity. It has a very low foaming quality as well. IIRC, it was designed around aluminum since many automatic transmissions are predominantly made of aluminum. Ive seen transmissions come out of Minnesota cars with 150k miles on it and it'll look like it spent 20 years under sea water but inside looks like it left the machine shop. If I ever use ARO again, I'd use synthetic ATF. Since I like my castor goo, ARO is a thing of the past for me.

Wheel bearings, clutch bearings, and spur gear bearings (if equipped) are all I lube. One-way clutches I keep clean and dry and any other bearings I leave as-is since most of them are protected.