Hardened gear oil on bed mat

Did my diff and transfer case oil changes several weeks ago, put my enclosed collection pan in the bed, and promptly forgot about it for about a week. Lucky me, discovered that the pan was leaking at the pour spout because someone lovely in assembly doubled up on the o-ring in the cap.

Recently washed the truck, including drill brushing the bed mat with soap and water, and there are a couple spots of hardened, sticky gear oil that wouldn’t budge.

Any thoughts on how to remove it without harsh chemicals that will f up the bed mat?

 

not sure what drill brushing is

i know several mechanics that work on 18 wheelers in fleet shops

regular gasoline will usually work

if not just low sulfur diesel fuel will work used on that thick fifth wheel grease

does NOt take a lot with either actually just a few ounces

the diesel fuel is my go to in the shop

 

Reference pics. Yes, I know, total first world problem. But these stains are collecting sand and creating little patches of sandpaper on the mat.

 

A drill brush is simply a brush attachment that goes on a drill. Car detailers use them quite a bit.

 

Drill brushes look like this:



Gasoline acts like a solvent right? I wonder if mineral spirits would do the trick, though I’m not above pouring a little lawnmower gas on there.

 

i dont doubt or contradict what U say

car detailers use it where ?????

sounds like it would do more damage than good

every New Thang is not always a Good Thang !

what ever happened to elbow grease

 

Detailers commonly use them on floor mats and auto carpets, they’re extremely effective. They’ve been around for a long time.

But that’s besides the point, which is that I’m trying to remove some hardened gear oil, so any advice along those lines would be more useful than a discussion of the merits of drill brushes…

 

thanks for the pix

tho i cant think of a single place on ANY of my vehicles i would use 1

learned long ago even the wipe on / wipe of over time will leave swirls

Iv seen body shops use buffing wheels with various compounds

long term not so good

O C D guy with just a cloth/rag can actually dull a finish in the quest to polish & shine

if i were cleaning / cutting down to bare metal to prep...................................maybe

 

What about a degreaser cleaner like Simple Green?

 

already mentioned 2

U could avail yourself of

varsol

acetone

 

Brake clean

 

*Sigh*

They make more than just those particular brushes on vehicles and they don't typically use them on the exterior aside from the wheels. You don't use the same type of brush on the wheels that you would on the carpet. On the carpet/cloth seats in particular, they are fantastic for agitating the cleaning products or loosening up embedded dirt. They're also great on floor mats. Check out the Detail Geek on YouTube to see some drill brushes in action.

 

no need to sigh

iv already taken Ur word on it

yet i will take a pass

didnt know what or how to start with ............................no loss

 

Good grief y'all go straight to the nuclear option of solvents. Mineral spirits first, gasoline second, and if that fails, a dab of xylene or toluene. Never clean with a chlorinated solvent (brake cleaner), unless it's on brakes.

 

My kid and I love Detail Geek!

 

Would you just soak the affected areas in mineral spirits and then scrub by hand?

 

Soak a rag and apply vigorous elbow grease would be my first approach.

 

I’ll hit it up with some SG just for the hell of it, but because it’s hardened I figured I’d need something more powerful.

 

if U get to home depot

ZEP is stronger than SG

 

Spray some WD-40 on it, let it set for about 30 seconds, and wipe it up with a shop rag. Make sure the mat is cool and not in the sun. Then wash it off with soap and water. I use WD to remove grease and oil from my hands and my clothes.