Tacomas in Minnesota?

i forgot you were probably also using one of those crawlers on wheels?

i just slithered around on my shoulders like a slimy snake
rotating the front drive shaft was fun

 

Lots of rolling and shimmying around. Not fun times but curbing that rust makes it worth it!

 

that is a plus for the FF
being able to spray in cold temps
this other stuff i am testing is like a gel and is best above 50 and ideal at maybe 70 for it to mist properly, still troubleshooting it!

 

i just liked messing around with the air gun, forcing the blue gel to creep all over lol
as long as it did not drip in my face or clean hair like the FF was looking to do
maybe it was too cold out for the FF to drip on me like a few months ago

 

With all that oil on the bottom of our trucks how do you all wash them during the winter? Don’t want to wash off the fluid film but don’t want to leave the salt sitting on the paint. I know the popular answer is that you should just hand wash but unfortunately that’s not really an option when they freeze.

 

i have the same questions, this is the first winter i am using these types of anti corrosion sprays
some FF expert in NC told me just rinse it off with a garden hose lol, i told him he has no idea what its like with sub-freezing temps for an extended period where he lives.
I did some FF on frame testing through the underbody power wash a month or so ago and had mixed results with pics if you need them
i have a black truck and do not like seeing that salty white haze all over so wand washing is a must
does your area get so cold as to prohibit the outside garage DIY wand places?

 

did you do your driveshafts and rear axle?
darnit i wish i woulda done this to mine 20+ years ago

i suppose FF can handle the spinning shaft?

 

it does get pretty cold here -30 is not an uncommon event. We only have the 1 wand washing place in town and it’s really hit or miss if it even works. Lost a lot of quarters down that rabbit hole...lol

 

I did absolutely everything that I could see trying not to hit the exhaust. Everything else got a healthy coat.

 

i've only had to be out in that extreme cold once that i recall outside of Sioux Falls in southern MN for a couple months in the mid 90s
there was also a brutal wind factor that made it much worse!

 

If all you can do is get in a heated bay with a wand that will work just fine. Can get the body and wheels cleaned off. Just don’t go through those automatic with undercarriage wash, although mine held up in the spring even after washing the undercarriage. It takes heat and pressure to really get all the film off.

 

Yes
Yes

 

I was a little late in purchasing my FF... gonna wait to apply it until I get back to my dads heated garage over the holidays. Trying to wash off any salt underneath whenever it gets close to 32*.

 

You can wash it off below those temps also. Ive been washing my truck down to -20.

The only thing you need to watch out for is in the pressure car washes, the jets will blow water through the keyhole and cause the drivers lock to freeze. You can still get in on the passenger side, but it takes a little bit of sitting in the sun to melt it enough.

If you plan to do pressure washes, put a small bit of tape over the keyhole to prevent it from happening.



On the topic of fluid film, I did my truck last year right before winter, then again this year right before winter. I also got the unlimited wash pass from holiday. Since 11/8/2018 I have washed my truck 124 times (plus a few hand washes during the summer) Keep the salt off the frame with washes and you shouldnt have rust issues. The car wash usually blows all the fluid film of some surfaces, but im ok with that, im more concerned with the areas that end up not getting rinses with wash. So inside the frame rails got a heavy coat of film, and the pressure washers dont wash it away.

Pull your front grill off (2 bolt, 2 clips) and spray your core support, its a part thats often overlooked, but there are alot of spot welds in there that have no sealer on them, and the area doesnt get sprayed with the wash often enough. I would also recommend pulling the wheels liners out and spraying the clips for the fender flares, there can be chipped paint where the clips go in that will rust out pretty fast since was doesnt go there too often.

 

wouldn't the water freeze 'near' instantly at -20F
i was washing beneath my wheel molding trims i took off with warm soapy water at about +20F and soon after there was a nice glaze of ice!
thank goodness no rust was found behind those trims it was getting pretty dark out at 4:30pm

is the 3rd gen frame coating as pure junk as the 1st gen seem to be?

now i have to check my radiator core support area for those spot welds too!

 

I usually wait until close to 32* just because rust won't start forming until it's a bit warmer. Also for my own comfort . Thanks for the rest of that info, this will be the first time doing FF so I'll be sure to get some of those spots you mentioned.

 

Yeah I usually only run it through the car wash if it is above freezing or at least in the mid 20s and sunny. Have had stuff freeze up on me if I push it too much more than that.

 

Yes and no, if you use a car wash, the building its in is usually heated above 30 degrees, so the water with flash freeze when it hits the metal, but will melt off in a matter of seconds as more warm water is sprayed on. As you exit, any water that was not blown off by the driers will freeze, but usually evaporates off pretty quick.

All last winter I did this and there was never ice built up on the frame or body. The only place I had ice problems was behind the front wheels where slush was getting kicked up between the cab and frame and then freezing, this was solved with a mini hammer and a few hits.

 

what about your windows, i have power windows and seems to get stuck until the sun can melt the ice glaze by the rubber trim, i was told some olde english furniture polish on the rubber door and window trims could help to keep that from freezing

i was thinking this FF would keep the ice & slop from building up in the wheel wells and would just slide right off with no accumulation!

 

Isopropyl and water mixed in a spray bottle makes short work of ice on window seals, but I rarely have the issue, after a little bit of the heat running, the window seals free up.

I tried using FF to keep the ice from building up in the wheel wells, but it never worked. In the end I got mud flaps to try those out. If I have the same issue as last year with the slush freezing then making a loud banging on the cab (body mount flexes a little and smashes the ice chunks between the frame and cab) I will be making some rubber covers to block the area.