Rust inhibitor with 3M product

Has anyone used the 3M cavity wax on the inside frame? If so, there are so many holes and openings on the frame I’m afraid it will get on components like boots or electrical and cause damage, or get into exhaust.

How do you spray the frame with any rust inhibitor and keep from getting on sensitive components?

 

You can spray lanolin (fluid film woolwax etc) anywhere including the exhaust it will just burn off the lanolin is safe for rubber seals unlike regular oil

 

If you use a wand to spray cavity wax or other wet film sprays into the frame, I doubt much is going to get out to affect other components. As far as sensitive ones, there’s not really anything that would be affected by a tiny bit of overspray that might come out frame holes.

If you spray wool wax or fluid film, on the outside of frame/underbody, try to keep it off the CV boots, steering rack boots, rubber bushings, and rubber in general. Not because it will attack it on it’s own, but because it can attract grit/dirt that causes things to wear (especially CV boots that are constantly flexing as they turn). The added weight of dirt will also weigh down the rubber splash shields in the wheel well and they will sag. And since it tends to harden somewhat once it gets saturated with dirt, it can make the soft boots on the steering rack get stiffer.

There are some neat products out there now. Some that set up like a soft wax that will probably stay cleaner than wool wax (which stays wet…until it gets saturated with dirt). I really like the idea of the 3M cavity wax for inside the frame.

But I still prefer Woolwax for everything else, because it doesn’t release toxic vapors, and because I can remove it fairly easily from areas where I’m doing any work on the 4runner. All it takes is to spray a little wd-40 on the area to soften it, then wipe it off with a paper towel. Like I did on these areas to do a little touch up work. Even though my woolwax is several years/layers old, and it’s hardened up as dirt gets absorbed, it’s still pliable and removable.

 

So the dark part is WoolWax? Looks almost like rubberized undercoat. So once I apply the woolwax to my frame and undercarriage it’s still pliable?

 

Yes, it stays soft and oozes into nooks and crannies.

 

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Actually no, the dark/black areas is clean factory paint after I have wiped off the “cured” woolwax. The woolwax is the crappy looking dirty nasty stuff everywhere around the pristine black paint.

I took these pics after I wiped off the woolwax using wd40, and used a little brake clean to prep the surface for repairs to an area with trail damage, and a spot where the factory paint came off.

I say “cured”, because woolwax turns into a firm (yet somewhat pliable) layer after it’s being repeatedly recoated and saturated with dirt and mud particles over 2 or three years. If you don’t go in dirt/dusty conditions, it will probably not end up looking like this. For example, on my highlander, I used fluid film (similar), and it just got a little firmer and lost it’s shiny sheen.