Reply With QuoteWhen my oil tank leaked I saved myself $400 by cleaning it and taking it to a rad shop to get repaired. They charged me $20. Obviously it was a metal tank. Ten years later still no problems.
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Yeah. My baby is a-leakin'. Spoke to my mechanic, probably gonna need to get oil tank replaced. Hope the warranty covers all that.
Unfortunately, I park on a rubber mat and over the course of 24 hours or so, the leak went beyond the mat, onto the sealed interlocking stones.
Normally I would shrug off the stain, but in this case the old lady has been a little down, so I want to clean up my mess as a little surprise I know she'll appreciate.
I searched the forums, couldn't find anything. I tried Google, found a site that recommended engine degreaser (GUNK engine lite), which I have, but I could have sworn I read something on the back of the bottle about not applying that to certain surfaces. Not sure :\
I have a pressure house that can blast the hell out of, well, stuff. I'm not sure if trying that is of any use or what the end result would be.
Unfortunately, there are no extra/left-over stones left so that eliminates my ability to experiment and thus I could use some advice so I don't make an even bigger mess lol.
Please post all thoughts/suggestions/etc. Try not to flame too much if possibleThanks!
Last edited by adri; 04-07-2008 at 01:43 AM. Reason: shortened it, way too longgg
When my oil tank leaked I saved myself $400 by cleaning it and taking it to a rad shop to get repaired. They charged me $20. Obviously it was a metal tank. Ten years later still no problems.
kerosene and pressure wash
.....get some sand or kitty litter.......dump it on the oily spots so that it can soak up as much as you can. repeat if necessary. Then, get some paint thinner or kerosene, douse ontop of the oily spot and top off with sand/kitty litter. Repeat. Final move to touch it all off is the powerwasher!
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....for the time being....bikeless!
If the stones were sealed it shouldn't be a tough job..that's what the sealing is for right?
Suggest using kitty litter or some other industrial type oil absoption material to get as much of it up as possible. Leave it down for a day, sweep it up and repeat. Then soak the stain with some environmentally friendly degreaser and put down another layer of aborption material. Hopefully that will get most if not all of it up. Do all that before you even think about taking a pressure washer to it
A.T.G.A.T.T. saves lives...everything else is just noise
Andrew - Courtice
1986 VF700C Magna (sold)
2003 ST1300 (current)
If you can find a place that specializes in interlock stone near your place they should have a special cleaner there. It won't cost that much and it definitely works. The easiest thing to do is match the brick and pull them out yourself. It's not hard to do at all. You just need a couple of screwdrivers.....If you can't find anything at all though muriatic acid will take off just about anything. Be careful when you're using it though as it is very potent. You'll need to use proper safety equipment with this stuff for sure!!
Moderator
Either brake cleaner or soap/water/scrub brush.
Morally Ambiguous (submissions welcome)
"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." - Oscar Wilde
You'll never get them completey clean...
Easiest fastest way to get rid of unsightly stains is to replace the stones.
When I did my driveway I made sure to order enough stones so that I'd have spares just in case... Glad I did.
We had left over stones, but a relative who lives across the street grabbed em. My family is kind of like Everybody Loves Raymond. Actually, it's very much like the show. *sigh*
Anyway, thank you all so much, gonna make a quick summary of all this in a .doc, print it out, and have a look at it after I write my next exam
i use brake cleaner and a toothbrush! works just fine!
This sounds gay, but try baby powder. It actually soaks up grease (like, if you spill grease on your shirt). Maybe it'll soak up some oil too? lol give it a shot
Moderator
They use cement dust and brooms at the track to soak up oil, but it leaves the residue for several rainfalls afterwards.Originally Posted by smooth1
Morally Ambiguous (submissions welcome)
"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." - Oscar Wilde
Months later, some follow up.
Sand worked, a bit, at first.
Didn't try break cleaner, but tried GUNK Engine Degreaser. It's been many many rainfalls later, but the tiles are looking good. Possible tiny tiny barely noticeable difference in color... but the tiles themselves range from a blue-ish gray to a clay-ish red sort of mixed together so no big deal.
GUNK did the job!
Now, I'm reviving this old thread not just to give follow-up, but also to a new question...
RUST! How do I get some rust stains from the last bike's old center stand off interlocking stones?
The rust only appeared a couple months after the old bike was stolen, but appeared where the old bike was left during the winter, and I know that's what it's from. Weird. I kind of like the stains, reminds me of my stolen baby, but of course, darling mother wants 'em gone
Turn the stained stones over.
grab a shop broom, house hold broom might be too soft. wet the stain with water and scrub away, you will need a bit more force than when just sweeping, repeat until clean. tested on rust although i'm not sure what effect in might have on the sealant as i did it on stone that wasn't sealed.
A bike is like a girl friend - expensive and high maintanance but it's all worth the ride...
Sauga area, always up for a ride if i'm not busy. Drop me a pm...
That's what I was going to suggest. Like flipping a sofa cushion.
Also you might try bleach and laundry detergent/dish soap.
x
If the stones are tumbled brick and are the same on the other side then jsut take a couple flat screwdrivers and flip the stones over. You wont ever be able to completely get rid of the stains.
The stones are interlocking, and sealed, think of it like puzzle peices, you can't just flip em over in this case. Replacing them altogether is an easier alternative, but I'll try scrubbing away first.
I'll probably try out an SOS pad before I try the shop broom, thanks guys
Last edited by adri; 09-28-2008 at 07:36 PM.
sand, kitty litter, or their is an actual product for this, I cant remember the name of it right now but we have used it at work from time to time, oonce your done make sure that you seal the bricks next year, it will make them shine and any blemishes will be covered also less noticeable
I had the same problem with light grey interlocking. Aerosol brake cleaner did the trick with no mark left afterwards.
John
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