White “corrosion” on engine

Yesterday I got back after an extended three month vacation. I stored my truck in my neighbors covered car port with the battery disconnected. I live in Alaska where it has been obviously cold this past winter but on the coast so not as cold as say the midwest. However lots of moisture in the air. When I popped the hood to connect the battery and check things out I noticed white dust all over every aluminum surface. I’m not sure what these deposits are? Truck fired up without any issue. I also noticed the exhaust pipe coming out of engine was all rusted. I have 2900 miles on the truck.

 

pics?

 

It’s oxidation, like rust but on aluminum. It won’t hurt anything, it actually provides a hard layer of protection once it oxidizes and prevents any further corrosion.

 

Mineral corrosions/oxidation. Often salt related. At this stage it should clean up easily for you.

Once I was shopping once for a specific vehicle, which happened to have lots of aluminum bits under hood. Every time I saw what you described (and worse, as in pitted and beyond cleanup) I knew it had been a northern car that had not had the engine bay cosmetically maintained.

Which since it was a performance oriented vehicle, made me question other maintenance as well.

Clean it up and you'll be fine.

 

Haha! Guess I would need snow first. Pretty week snow year up north. There’s grass in my yard!

 

So do I need to clean this up?? Did it collect because it sat or because it just happens?

 

salt coverage?

 

sea air . How close are you to the ocean?

 

Hose it off with the water hose...if it isn't frozen.

 

Its Al2O3, otherwise known as Aluminum(III)Oxide - as @crazysccrmd mentioned above, it will help prevent further corrosion on aluminum surfaces. Leave it if uou dont mind, otherwise clean and coat with something if it bothers you. Some environments will cause it to form faster than others (temp, moisture, salt, etc.)

 

Thanks. I will leave it. I haven’t noticed it on my other vehicles but this is the first new vehicle I’ve owned. All others were acquired with 100,000 miles or more.