Is sand corrosive?

Did some offroading over some sandy dirt roads, wondering if I need to take it for an undercarriage wash. Not sure if sand itself will corrode the frame. There hasn't been any snow yet this winer (ie no road salts). There is a layer of sand all over the undercarriage.

FWIW, I did get a corrosion undercoating put on before going offroading.

 

Salty beach sand, yes! Other sand, not so much.

Any material coating the frame over time with give a place for moisture to absorb and stay in contact with the frame.

In the short term that’s not a problem, but in the long term, a clean dry frame is best.

 

Just sand from forest access roads. Shouldn't be any salt in it. Has never come near the beach.

The sand has only been on there about two months, and I did get the whole thing professionally undercoated before I started offroading. I notice the undercoating causes the sand to stick to the frame like a glue, and was worried this would cause rust.

Hoping this truck outlives my old ass, so I want to make sure my lack of knowledge doesnt lead to problems.

No sign of snow at all in the weather forecast yet.

Thanks all.

 

Sand itself is not corrosive, but it is abrasive, which can lead to corrosion issues down the line.

I’d wash the truck off gently with a garden hose after the beach. Worked great for me. Only place I ever had issues was on the rocker panels...must have smashed the sand into the paint getting in and out of the truck. Easy enough to touch up though.

 

Sand traps water, which you really don't want laying anywhere on your truck for extended periods. 10/10 ... would hose it down.

 

You absolutely will not know unless you taste it first.

 

Depends on what all is mixed with the sand.

Pure sand? Nope.

 

I would remove any foreign material from the vehicle... sand by nature is abrasive and can easily get in between components with small tolerances, thus increasing the wear of any moving parts. Fresh water rinse applied to the undercarriage and wheel well areas would be practical and help the paint and other protectants remain effective. After all... will only take a few minutes to perform now, and can save you headache and heartburn later.

 

If or when you get around to cleaning it, did you coat it with Fluid Film? If so, check this:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/removing-fluid-film-and-the-filth-it-collects.391626/

His solution to cleaning it was using a hot water pressure washer. But wait until after winter because it removes the old undercoating too.

 

The issue is more the salt the sand brings with it.
The sand is not corrosive, the salt is.

Sand also causes issues in any greased area.

 

Depends on where the sand is. We have a lot of sand out by Wendover that is close enough to the Bonneville Salt Flats, I have a hard time believing there isn't some corrosive elements in it naturally.

The sandy dirt in some parts of the SLC area contain arsenic as well which can brittle metal over time, making frame damage potentially more likely.

 

My brother made a recktangle out of 3/4 PVC pipe. Installed a few lines across from side to side.....Drilled small holes on the upward side.

He would hook this up to the hose and then drive back and forth over it. Removed a lot of sand and soil from the undercarridge. He made sore to not have the power on full, so it would not wash off the undercoating.

 

For sure. I guess I was speaking in generalities.

I would wash beach sand off the same day, right after getting home. The sand from a gravel road I am ok with being on the frame until I have a chance to wash it. However, if I knew I was driving some corrosive alkali road as you have described, I’d treat it the same as beach sand. It’s just not a typical thing where I live.

 

So fun story: The new facebook data center they are building in the Utah desert got slated for a piece of land where they found arsenic infiltrated dirt. But rather than move the build site to a location 10 miles away that was good, they elected to scape up all the bad dirt at the zoned site, truck it to the area with good dirt, dump it, refill the truck with good dirt, and truck the good dirt in to fill in the hole. Yeah...

 

How about abrasive as in sandpaper or sand blasting?

 

Ooh another fun story. It’s been theorized that while life forms on earth are carbon based, that doesn’t mean all life in the universe follows that same plan, and that it is entirely possible for life to be silica based. Imagine that. Aliens made of sand!

 

***
That would be hard to have fun with their females...

 

Just go to the drive through touchless car wash with the undercarriage wash once in a while...

 

Were just lumps of coal then so I guess it couldn't be to hard to imagine.

 

When in doubt bring the sprinkler out , put it under the truck and leave it a an hr or so.