Djxtrodinaire
Registered
Dupont!! 
WD40 for chain - No!!!!
- Thread starter jellyrug
- Start date
I can't understand why this WD40 debate continues to rage. Everything that possibly could be said has been said. It's been repeated for decades.
Obviously, a poor lubricant, leaned that in grade school I think, when I sprayed it on a squeaky door hinge, two days later the squeak was back. Found out not much later it would penetrate rusty bolts and nuts fairly well and was a good solvent. It would blow grease out of just about anything. Very shortly after that, I learned things start to squeak almost immediately after I blew the grease out of them. Since I learned in grade school WD40 only cures squeaks for two days, I started put grease back in the places that I had blown it out of.
The real issue is will it destroy o rings and will it get past them into the chain. It will at some point. O rings have bigger worries during their lifetime than what your using to clean the chain with. It's a harsh life heat, cold, water, grit, pressure, friction, solvents of some form or another.
Bottom line, the older o rings get the less effective their seal. If you force any solvent into them under pressure it's going to get past them sooner or later. Spray it on then blow it off with 125 psi compressed air, it's going to be sooner. Is your lube getting past them? No, not unless they are wasted. Is the cleaning solvent getting past them? Probably not unless they are wasted or you are forcing it in under pressure. Surely, the thin solvents are going to get in before the more viscous lubes, but by then you need a new chain anyway. Blowing a lube past o rings isn't much better than blowing a solvent past them. Neither is very compatible with the grease sealed inside.
I'm going to replace my chain by 25,000 miles, sooner if the links start to stick. I won't spray WD40 on it, I use kerosene. Harbor Freight sells rechargable aeresol cans and a gallon of kerosene lasts forever and is cheap compared to everything else. If you like WD40 spray on.
Spraying WD40 into a sealed wheel bearing? On an Airplane?
Not even on a skate board, but that's just me. Hey, I'm not an A&P so maybe I shouldn't comment, maybe they are taught that in school. ???
Obviously, a poor lubricant, leaned that in grade school I think, when I sprayed it on a squeaky door hinge, two days later the squeak was back. Found out not much later it would penetrate rusty bolts and nuts fairly well and was a good solvent. It would blow grease out of just about anything. Very shortly after that, I learned things start to squeak almost immediately after I blew the grease out of them. Since I learned in grade school WD40 only cures squeaks for two days, I started put grease back in the places that I had blown it out of.
The real issue is will it destroy o rings and will it get past them into the chain. It will at some point. O rings have bigger worries during their lifetime than what your using to clean the chain with. It's a harsh life heat, cold, water, grit, pressure, friction, solvents of some form or another.
Bottom line, the older o rings get the less effective their seal. If you force any solvent into them under pressure it's going to get past them sooner or later. Spray it on then blow it off with 125 psi compressed air, it's going to be sooner. Is your lube getting past them? No, not unless they are wasted. Is the cleaning solvent getting past them? Probably not unless they are wasted or you are forcing it in under pressure. Surely, the thin solvents are going to get in before the more viscous lubes, but by then you need a new chain anyway. Blowing a lube past o rings isn't much better than blowing a solvent past them. Neither is very compatible with the grease sealed inside.
I'm going to replace my chain by 25,000 miles, sooner if the links start to stick. I won't spray WD40 on it, I use kerosene. Harbor Freight sells rechargable aeresol cans and a gallon of kerosene lasts forever and is cheap compared to everything else. If you like WD40 spray on.
Spraying WD40 into a sealed wheel bearing? On an Airplane?
Not even on a skate board, but that's just me. Hey, I'm not an A&P so maybe I shouldn't comment, maybe they are taught that in school. ???
hayabuser
Registered
I use WD40 on my bike chains whenever I wash them to displace the water, per the name of the product. After application, I use a clean cloth to wipe away the excess and ride away. The o-ring chains are lubricated from within so anything applied to the outside just becomes a corrosion preventative. At least that's my understanding.
Knock on wood, never had a chain expire prematurely.
Knock on wood, never had a chain expire prematurely.
rockethead
Registered
i use wd40 to clean my wheels sometimes
rockethead
Registered
spray sum on a rag u kno, not directly spraying on wheels
DevilDawg1
Registered
One of the key ingredients in WD40 is mineral oil. Lots of riders will not use this or that or the other to clean a chain. Each to his own I say. If it cleans good enough for you then use it.
I use kerosene most of the time, because it is cheap and it does a superb job. You just can't beat it for the money. I have on occasion used penetrating oil (for the most part ever what is in the shop).
Now before anyone flames me (and I know you will) I have use brake parts cleaner.
It will NOT dry out the o-rings or the x-rings. These rings are made from the same material that seals and boots on wheel cylinders and calipers are made of. And Brake cleaner is designed with that in mind and does not harm these parts. Most formulas for brake cleaner consis of Perch, xylene, and one more chemical I don't recall the name of at this time (will find out and post later). Most brake cleaners are made with these three ingredients in different proportions.
Flame away.
I use kerosene most of the time, because it is cheap and it does a superb job. You just can't beat it for the money. I have on occasion used penetrating oil (for the most part ever what is in the shop).
Now before anyone flames me (and I know you will) I have use brake parts cleaner.
It will NOT dry out the o-rings or the x-rings. These rings are made from the same material that seals and boots on wheel cylinders and calipers are made of. And Brake cleaner is designed with that in mind and does not harm these parts. Most formulas for brake cleaner consis of Perch, xylene, and one more chemical I don't recall the name of at this time (will find out and post later). Most brake cleaners are made with these three ingredients in different proportions.
Flame away.
Paulie1300
Registered
I used a cleaner called Dirt Squirt to clean up my chain,soak my grunge brush with it, clean it on the stand, hose off, then used Bel-Ray chain lube, did that every couple thousand miles or when ever I had my wheel in the air. My stock chain was on there when I sold it, 10,000 some odd miles.
Dupont!!
Just tried it the first time, really impressed.
Seems whatever they put inside that can, is electrostatically charged, because it sticks to the chain and where there is dirt, it seems to creep under the dirt and shed it off the chain.
Must be magic!!! ???
I have always believed that the best thing for an o-ring chain, is to make sure the O-rings are kept in good contion, with a teflon or silicon lubricant and keep the chain complerely dry.
The link please
Looks good for cleaning.Will get one thanks for the intro
rmodel65
Registered
just got to the parts store and buy some... looks like this
pic from a guy on here after riding about 1k miles in the rain....
just got to the parts store and buy some... looks like this
pic from a guy on here after riding about 1k miles in the rain....
That's my bike right there.
After using Dupont, I'd never use any other brand again. It cleans and lubes the chain.
Here's another pic after riding 500 miles. I took this pic at a gas station just before I rode home. See how clean the chain is?
That's my bike right there.
After using Dupont, I'd never use any other brand again. It cleans and lubes the chain.
Here's another pic after riding 500 miles. I took this pic at a gas station just before I rode home. See how clean the chain is?
Haha your bike is the sites main example for cleanliness. You need dupont and pledge to sponsor you im tellin ya....
I myself use dupont. I did use WD-40 to clean the disgusting chain cause im slowly getting it to perfect shape cause i used all the wrong chain lubes in the past... dupont is the way to clean and lube the chain simultaneously
Thanks, RJ. I've tried a lot of chain lubes in the past and after trying the Dupont, I never looked back. I still have cans of other brand that's sitting in the garage and will never use them ever again.
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