Possibly a safer POR15 alternative?

[kings1527]

So I'm getting ready to POR15 my valley and I know that POR15 can get a bad rap if it's not done correctly. People say if it doesn't bond to the engine due to poor prep, you can actually trap moisture inside the cracked POR15 and cause problems that way. Usually it's the very deep channels in the valley that are difficult to clean out and have problems with POR15

I was thinking just now: what about squirting silicone inside the deep channels and virtually filling them up? They would be completely sealed and weatherproof/coolant proof, it won't harm the aluminum, and it doesn't cause a weight issue. And if coolant were to spill, it'd just sit on top of the silicone and eventually evaporate without eating away. Probably using a silicone that's friendly with water pumps would be best. And since the spill would be higher, it would evaporate easier than if it were sitting 6" down in the channel. Since the rest of the engine would be easier to prep, you could POR15 the rest. But just silicone the deep channels.

Any thoughts?

Alex
6575

[AirmanPika]

I would imagine silicon would have the same issue as POR-15. Engine cycles would cause it to separate from the aluminum and allow moisture in.

[kings1527]

I would imagine silicon would have the same issue as POR-15. Engine cycles would cause it to separate from the aluminum and allow moisture in.

I was thinking about that but I'm not sure if the quality of good silicone would peel away that easily. I was thinking it'd move with the vibration and stay on pretty well.

Alex
6575

[DMC3165]

IMHO.......

When it comes to the valley I say just leave it alone. I've heard of people using stuff like spray on truck bedliner and all kinds of stuff to protect it. Truthfully I'd just clean the block with Aluminum acid wash. Like what they use on heavy truck aluminum. This will stop any corrosion and really open the aluminum and clean out any dirt and contaminents. Then just reassamble and run. If your paying that much attention to begin with, your not going to miss any leaks. It's more likely the block will rot out from corrosion long before leaves or antifreeze would do any serious damage. Its overkill to coast it as far as a preventitive.

[Bitsyncmaster]

If you mean fill with RTV, you would need a special type to harden with that thick amount. Also normal RTV is not oil or gas resistant.

[David T]

The problem here is not so much what you choose to coat the block with, but preparation. If you don't (or can't) get the metal clean enough nothing will stick. The different ways to clean are either mechanical or chemical. Under mechanical there are abrasive, scraping, brushing, filing, grinding. Under chemical, there are various chemicals. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Without disassembling the block and trying to do it "in situ" your choices are limited. Probably one of the best options is to get a die grinder with a long arbor and use buffs such as they use to port and polish the channels in cylinder heads. Takes a lot of time. Then my personal choice would be to use Glyptal to coat the metal. It is the shiny red stuff you see inside electric motors. Leaves the surface very smooth and really bonds well to metal. Does take a while to dry because it is so thick. POR 15 seems to work better when you use it to coat rusty steel. It has chemicals in it that converts the rust to stop the rusting process so you do not have to remove all traces of rust before painting.
David Teitelbaum

[Ron]

I've used the 1201 (red) on armatures after replacing the commutator, good stuff!
Wondering about the 1212 (aluminum)...have you ever tried it and checked it out years later?

[kings1527]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I decided to just leave it alone. I cleaned the valley real well, I even prepped it with Marine Clean, but I just left it bare. Everyone was bringing up real good points against POR15 and the best argument against it was this: I'm going to be particular about my engine and if there's a leak, I'll know about it right away or within a reasonable amount of time. It's not going to sit there for months or years and rot away the engine. If there's a leak, I'll clean it up and move on to figuring out what's causing it. It might be a good idea if you have a habit of letting things sit for a long time but that's not how my car will be.

Thanks for all the great advice...again!

Alex
6575

[stevedmc]

I don't believe in painting/coating the intake. To me, it makes more sense to invest 3 minutes and 18 seconds removing my intake manifold to visualy inspect and clean the valley from time to time.

[stevedmc]