Rusted diesel motor pulleys

I don't think there is an "easy" way. I suspect that a small right angle air die grinder with a wire wheel would to the job with the belts removed. Good deal on the tires, that will save a few bucks and keep the DOT folks off you back in any inspections.

Yes, plus these tires will last a long time.

Cool, 'cept for them being Chebbies. I'm a Ford and IH man.

Not cool.

A straight wire brush will remove the worst of it (about 80%) in a few minutes. (Well, it does in all the dry climates I've lived in, and up here in So. OR. I guess I have no idea about wet, salty climates like yours. )

Brush, blow off, crank the engine a hair, repeat. The rest will rub off in a few minutes of running.

On 12/10/2012 9:40 PM, Ignoramus26227 wrote: ...

I'd seriously doubt the rust will cause any problems whatever and certainly not enough to damage/ruin a belt unless it's almost gone, anyway...it's more likely if these haven't run in years that the belts will have deteriorated on their own, anyway. (Although I just cranked up the old ensilage blower w/ it's matched set of three last summer after it had sat in the open for probably 25 yr and while they lost some wedges, they ran long enough to let me run a few loads of straw bales thru it to break them up for lawn straw reseed cover... :) ) But they'd never serve under real load and it's likely yours won't either if try to actually put trucks in service but will probably survive long enough for proof-of-purpose demo's...

Blow and brush off what you can if you think you must, but I'd just give 'em a go...

As others noted along w/ you, the tires alone are probably worth the deal--good score!

Take the belts off and use a twisted/knotted wire brush on the grooves = preferably with the engine turning. It is not the safest thing to do - but it is likely the most effective.

A set of really rusty pulleys can totally destroy a belt in a matter of seconds - or minutes if you are lucky. At the very minimum you want to remove the belt and SCRAPE the pulleys

On 12/11/2012 11:59 AM, snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote: ...

Sorry, don't believe it...

I probably would just replace with new belts; rusty pulleys probably won't really hurt anything...

There are chemical means to remove rust, but would probably require an extended soak, meaning they'd have to be removed. Would also leave pits which would tear up the belts. Best bet is remove the belts, see what can be done with wire brushes and/or abrasive cloth. Would leave a smoother surface.

If the engines sat that long, I'd be worried that the cylinder(s) with open valves would have the rings rusted to the cylinder walls. Have seen that happen with old tractors sitting out. With gas engines, one solution for that is to pull plugs and run some penetrant and/or oil into the cylinders, then try barring the engine over by hand. Kind of hard to pull a spark plug on a diesel, though.

Stan

I've seen it happen a LOT. Take that snow blower that you used last year and let the nice clean pulleys rust up. You WILL be buying at least two belts before the rust wears down enough to not destroy them.

Even worse on a vehicle that has seen salt. The damn pits are like taking a grinding wheel to the belts.

Never been an issue I've ever seen on farm equipment that sits outside...and been around for nearly 70 yr now and some of the equipment is 50+...

If it is so pitted it's chewing the belts up it's not the rust it's the actual pulley and simply removing the rust isn't going to solve the problem.

Being in a salt/rust area myself I can say there isn't a real easy way BUT...

You can take an angle grinder with a wire wheel and get the worst of it off. This also takes the burr off the edges of the rust pits and that helps some more. IF you can take the pulleys off this is a LOT easier and you can take them into a blast cabinet, then paint them.

I get to do this quite a lot with snow equipment that has sat around for a year or so. Stuff that has ever seen salt will REALLY rot quick, even those stainless bodies come apart rather quickly with salt.

OK, one of these trucks works, starts and runs.

Sorry, you don't have to believe something for it to be true. I have had badly rusted pulleys throw off belts several times - and in most cases they are totally unuseable by the time they come off.

I have worked on construction and farm equipment as well as automobiles and other miscalaneous equipment since the sixties..

really hurt anything...

Depends on HOW rusty. Just a film of rust? No problem. But if there is a block of rusty scale over 1/8" built up between the belt and the pully, the belt will come off just about as quick as that guy with the VW. - and not in as good shape.

The pits won't be a serious problem

Pull the injectors or (on some engines) the glow plugs. As long as the complete intake system was still installed there is a good chance they will still be OK. If the intake snorkel is off or damaged, or the filter is damaged or removed, all bets are off. It COULD have a mouse nest in the cyl - as well as all the rust mouse-piss causes.

Does it run well? Or simply "runs"?

The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie

We started it, never drove anywhere, and one of the hoses started leaking trans fluid, so we shut it off.

No loping, no non-diesel rattling, no clunks, bangs, thumping sounds etc etc?

The hose is a minor issue.

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie