|
|
Posted by David Sherman on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 14:06:50 :
In Reply to: 420 Transmission posted by Dayle on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 09:42:14 :
I would take it all apart. Even if you break it loose, between actual rust flakes and rust pits on the bearings, it won't last long if you just free it up and run it. Most likely you'll need all new bearings. The slightest pits on bearing races or rollers tend to get pounded into bigger pits, then craters, then cracks, and then you have broken rollers churning around wreaking havoc on everything. Gear teeth and journal bearings are not so picky, and can be run with a fair amount of rust pits, if the oil is clean, but roller and ball bearings need to be pristine. You also want to get all the rust and dirt out of there so it doesn't grind things up. Sorry, but it's time to tear it down, clean all the pieces, and put it back together.
For removing rust from machine parts, I prefer the electrolytic method rather than pickling in acid -- not only is it cheaper and safer, but it doesn't leave an etched finish on what are supposed to be smooth surfaces. Pickling (acid) is fine for castings and is necessary if you need to de-rust the inside of something and you can't get an anode inside of it, but for the most part, the electrolytic method is better. Google "electrolytic rust removal".