Applying Fluid Film

Read post 75 to answer your questions and concerns.

 

i will copy/paste that for reference!
...

Late to the game, but that's what I found so far in my 2 years experience:
1. Pressure washer (especially soap and hot water) will remove fluid film from frame. I do it after the end of winter to clean the frame from the all the dirt that was stuck to the frame (fluid film is sticky on the surface) and wash out any trace of winter salt from the truck.
2. I use "drain cleaning wand" to flush the dirt from the inside of the frame. It is cold water and tap pressure so most of the last year fluid film probably stays in. I just want to clean any dust or mud that might be accumulated inside boxed frame after the winter.
Here is how the pressure washed frame looks like (hot water and soap at self car wash). You see most of the last year fluid film got washed out



After the frame is dried I apply generous dose of fluid film outside and inside boxed frame. I hit also some suspension parts, inside chrome bumpers and any mounting bolts and nuts. Basically any metal exposed to the environment. That how the fresh fluid film looks like (I have to admit I overdid it, and the first time I hit 50mph after applying FF I saw the cloud of mist fluid film (sorry for the guy driving behind me - his windshield wipers were not able to clean the mess)




Four months later all over-application was gone, some dist collected to the surface and the frame looked like that.




Another four months passed, and nothing really changed




And finally after 12 months (just before washing the frame after the winter again):




The last picture is taken after I returned from a hot water + soap pressure washing




An that cycle continues. I have not seen even a spec of the new surface rust (besides the one that I brought from California).

I am 100% sold on fluid film. First year I did using spray cans, but the next year I bought a gun, as the fluid film by gallon is half of the price spry cans.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/spray-por-15-inside-frame.614253/page-2#post-21175850

 

No pics, but the reapplication used less of the FF than the initial application. I basically did a quickie recoat, with most of it inside the box sections of the frame.

 

so you did not have to completely wash it all off to reapply?

 

Nah, I figured it would be fine as an added layer on top of the residual that was there. It was between the spring and fall so it was never really exposed to anything bad, other than just driving in the rain. I just did the reapplication in October and called it good.



Or maybe I'm just lazy.

 

you also have a 2wd? that is probably rather low to the ground?
mine is 4wd not lifted but can still manage to wiggle like a snake underneath (but getting older and more difficult) with getting an occasional shoulder stuck on something, didn't like the FF dripping all down my face and in the mouth a couple times, was wearing safety glasses but could hardly see out of those

 

Yep, 2WD and really does have low ground clearance for a pick up (just one reason why I love it). I had the whole thing up on four jackstands when I did the job.

When I went to do the reapplication in October, I stuck my pinky finger into several of the ports of the frame and there was still plenty of FF inside, and it still looked fine. It had mostly rinsed away from the exterior of the frame from driving in the summer rain, but I did a quick reapplication there as well. I should mention that I had painted the entire frame with gloss black Rust-Oleum when I bought the truck, since it was mostly rust-free. The FF probably didn't have much of a chance of sticking to that clean glossy paint.

 

at least you don't probably have delaminating paint chips coming out from the inside there, i gotta deal with that next spring and summer once i figure out what to properly do about it, the ignorant dealer service department manager here had no clue about it!
probably has never heard of FF before either

 

WoolWax comes in natural color or black . Here’s black.

 

I noticed someone might criticize that Fluid Film (or Wool Wax) has to be applied every year, and it costs time and money to do that. I'd say treat it as a normal maintenance item. You care about durability of the engine and you change the oil, right. You do it in specified intervals, and you replace it according to the factory procedure. Same thing goes on a frame. If you care about durability of the frame just follow the "maintenance schedule". Do the math, and you will find that it is cheaper to do FF treatment every year then welding on T-caps or replacing the frame every 10-15 years. Currently o gallon of Fluid Film on Amazon costs 41.23 with prime (OK, plus sales tax which for poor suckers like me used to be living in CA is additional $3.30). 1 gallon is more than enough to do the entire Tacoma for a season.


By the way, for DIY guys I really recommend buying it by gallon, not in a spray cans, and invest in some spray gun. Pays off in one year.

From what I see WoolWax is really the same stuff as FF and works exactly the same way. I can't tell more as it is available only in USA and Canada while luckily for me Fluid Film is available world wide.

 

Make sure to use a respirator if you applying FF to the frame, I bought a 3M respirator on eBay and works out great with safety glass.

 

i am curious if wool wax holds up well in the fender wells
the other product i used here seemed to just wash right off of the plastic fender liners while out driving the highway in nearly 2 inches of heavy rain yesterday, it was sprayed on fairly heavily too

also i can not really tell if there is any product left protecting the arch moulding bolts that i made a big investment in getting all new ones earlier this year, 26 of them!

 

I have been using FF for 4+ years now on my 2004 Tacoma in Wyoming. To me it works great. I think the biggest problem is car washes filtering the water so that it still has salt in it so this winter I have only done a few undercarriage washes. The other thing I noticed with FF is that it's best to apply it when it's still warm at the end of summer and let it sit and creep into all the various crevices. Then let it solidify as it gets colder with no washing of the undercarriage and then keep the undercarriage washes during winter to a minimum if not at all.

I skipped a year with FF and it was still seeping out of the holes in the frame. Even though I used hot, soapy water at the local car wash with the wand to clean out the inside of the frame numerous times in preparation for a new FF treatment. I blow out the frame every year and nothing really comes out of it as far as dirt unless I do some off-roading in the mud and such during winter and fill it up with dust and dirt during the summer.

IMHO FF works very well. Just don't wash the underside all winter long and if you do use the wand at the local car wash and don't use soap. Just spray it down from a distance to get the surface crap off.

 

What mind of spar guns you using?

 

how about FF in inner door panels, doorjams,tailgate etc and its durability to heavy rain, this is a very big concern to keep those from rotting like pretty much everything else regional, especially trucks!
the big rainstorm we had seemed to just wash everything out through the door drain holes but maybe i did not apply it properly, i.e. it was 40-50 degrees out when i got to it.
i still need to check the FF i sprayed on the passenger front wheel well and suspension to see if it its holding, applied at the same temps.


i recently ordered some 'salts gone' stuff https://saltsgone.com/pages/automative to use at the wand wash that is supposed to do a much better job at removing the salt spray from everywhere than the simple spot free rinse, which basically just turns the caked on white stuff back to salt water. It had been used in commericial and industrial apps and was just released to the public in November
the only way i have ever been able to thoroughly remove the white haze off of my black paint is to hand sponge it off
it really stinks that i am still breaking this truck in after almost 23 years and have to worry about all this winter weathering lol or i could be looking for a new one, its insane

 

T9 Boeshield

$21 BOESHIELD T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection/Inhibitor and Waterproof Lubrication, 12 oz.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001447PE.../Inhibitor+and+Waterproof+Lubrication,+12+oz.

 

that stuff is developed by Boeing

 

Decided to do a bit of preventive rust protection this winter. Bought 3 cans of Liquid Wrench rust inhibitor. I mainly focused on the problem areas around the cats. With all the holes in those areas it was easy to fill the inside of the frame. Put a coating on the outside as well.

I also sprayed down my leaf springs...lifting the body so the axle would droop. That way I could get the product in between the leafs.

 

my relative's '11 has a very thick rubbery undercoating all over everywhere, a lot thicker coating than they had applied to mine in the '90s
i was inspecting with my little dog barking orders at me and it is already showing cracks through the coating by the Cats and hinting of rust already

 

Yeah...sounds like Toyota's infamous undercoating they started having dealers apply as a countermeasure to the rot.

While I think it's great that Toyota is willing to extend the frame warranty for 12 years on the '11-'17s...you have to have the undercoating applied to qualify.

I"ve seen too many horror stories of frames rotting out underneath that coating. Not to mention it doesn't really address the root cause of moisture and salt getting inside the frame...especially around the cats.

I'm rolling the dice and forgoing Toyota's Micky Mouse undercoating and taking matters into my own hands. Thankfully where I live doesn't usually get huge amounts of salt used during the winter....although Toyota does list Kentucky as one of the "cold weather" states.