Fluid Film after a couple years OK? Anyone against doing it?

Appreciate the tips. Hearing you much more efficient DIYers outsourcing this makes me think maybe I can't do it. Sad.

 

If we’re talking about wool wax or fluid film, this stuff is just lanolin. Im pretty sure it doesnt have any solvents in it (other than the propellants in the spray can variety). The stuff in gallon cans I believe doesnt realy have anything other than lanolin in it. Basically, it’s like petting a sheep, but for a long time.

It’s smells bad because wet sheep with greasy barnyard-hair smell bad lol. I think Woolwax smells less bad because it’s a bit more refined

An N95 is just an ordinary covid mask nowadays. It’s a probably good to wear one if you dont want the inside of your lungs to have wool grease in them. Same for eye protection, although I will say I could blink faster and more smoothly after a bit got in my eyes haha.

 

I bought this stuff below from amsoil and tried it on my trailer first.

I first used my wire brush and took off all the visible rust I could get to. Then I painted everything with a high rust protection paint and let it dry for almost 24 hrs. Then I hit it with the stuff below:
https://www.amsoil.com/p/heavy-duty-metal-protector-amhsc/

 

Thanks. Been watching videos for general application that weren't 4Runner specific. Just wasn't sure about how to clean out frame and how to fully apply the new stuff.

 

If it’s had miles on salted roads, it’s good to run a lot of water around as much of the underside as you can and shoot water into the frame rails and so it rinses out the inside of frame. It drains out fine.

But woolwax isnt really picky. Just wash off solid clods of mud. The idea is to coat heavily. If the frame is a little dirty, just make sure to put enough on that it will saturate through down to the paint.

Any surface with a nice grease layer cant rust, because oxygen cant get to it.

It’s not hard, but it’s tedious if you want everything thickly coated. Dont wear clothes you like when doing spraying, it’s messy.

Other products like cosmoline, the amsoil stuff, crc, etc may be toxic because it might be petroleum based. Wool wax just come from nasty stinky sheep that don’t shower.

There’s a guy a few hundred miles from me that applied woolwax to cars…almost 500 bucks. He had videos showing his process, and he was thorough. I was willing to spend the money, but he wanted the car for two days (he did a desalting treatment he wanted to dry before starting work). In the end I did it myself. I don’t criticize anyone charging 400-500 bucks to do these kind of applications, if they do it thoroughly.

 

Awesome! Thank you. I have been washing the under carriage often since getting the 4Runner but never did the whole removal of plugs in the rails and washing inside. I didn't even notice any plugs to be honest. I will start doing that, let it dry and then give this a go. I mean, if it feels like I am completely lost once I am under there I guess I can just tuck tail and ask a professional. Thanks for the info. I think I can give it a go.

 

No need to remove plugs to rinse the inside of the frame. Tons of holes all over. Just use a nozzle on an ordinary garden hose, spray into an accessible hole (front wheel wells has a few) and watch the water start flowing. All the holes everywhere will let you be as thorough as you want lol. I usually hose my frame and crossmembers with lots of water after running through mud or after winter. Even though I woolwaxed the inside, I hose it out to make sure mud doesnt get packed in there and start plugging up the holes, which will then hold moisture (which quickly leads to rust).

The car care nut has a good video on frame construction and rust. It’s required viewing! The only thing in the video that made me raise an eyebrow is when he briefly suggests plugging up some of the larger holes. I would not do that, because you would just trap moisture instead of allowing to dry out. Yes they rust from the inside out in those areas, but probably from a lack of attention. Dont plug these holes, just use them to rinse out the inside on a regular basis. These holes also give you good access to get a good woolwax coating inside them.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p0C4vFfFYV4


One more thing…a thick woolwax will look like absolute crap after running it through mud. But it shouldnt matter as long as it’s coated well. I still rinse off the surface well, but the coating remains. If I feel like adding another layer, Ive done so right over the current coating.

This is what mine looks like after I washed off the mud from an off-road trip:

 

One more, one more thing These kind of coatings don’t really dry. If you use jackstands, make sure to wipe the the frame (to the paint) on the spot the jack makes contact so it doesnt slip. Recoat that spot after you are done.

 

INCREDIBLE POST. THANK YOU x10. I appreciate the breakdown. I am definitely doing this from now on. Glad you wrote it out simple for a novice like me. I would have used a powerwasher in those holes lol. For some reason I almost felt like washing the insides would lead to rust. Zero rational for that. Once I wash the inside, how long to let it dry before I hit it with the woolwax?

How do you know its time to recoat? Annual?

And sounds like I should use woolwax instead of fluid film. Why? Cause you do lol

Thanks again!!

Edit: Watching video soon. Thank you for that link too!

 

Haha. I would give it a day to dry…but it would probably go on just the same even if it’s a little wet.

Woolwax is thicker and smells less than fluid film. Fluid film is nicer for areas that you might want it to creep a bit more.

Recoating depends. I’ve only done spot touch up. If you get the inside of the frame real good, you might not need to recoat those areas for a long time. But the front of the a-arms, the front of the rear axle, all those areas will see some erosion of the coating , so those might need touchups as needed.

I dont regret putting on a real thick coat on things. But some people spray on thinner coatings. In my mind, I want thick, seems to make more sense.

I got a combo of spray cans for enclosed areas, and a gallon bucket for brushing or loading into a cheap paint sprayer I bought.

keep it away from the cv boots, as it will pick up grit and grind at the rubber (I would guess)

 

I think fluid film suggests at least annual (possible twice a year) and wool wax annually and surface blaster says ever 2 years. Me, I’d hit it twice a year for the first couple then before winter each year, but I’m in southern Maine and if seen some rusty Toyotas in these parts before.

I truly think the best would be to use fluid film the first round, it creeps the best they say, then switch to one of the others after. I had my runner sprayed with surface shield in the spring right after I got it, and just ordered my gallon bucket for the fall spray. Once I see how well it held up over the summer and how well it looks after the winter, I’ll decide if it was worth it. When I had my Taco, fluid film worked awesome, frame looked great when I traded it in, but I didn’t help me in the trade value.

 

Regarding the trade in value, I guess that’s not surprising considering the money people pay for these things with clapped out frames. Dealers are always gonna say trade ins are commodity vehicles, even if they turn around and sell it in the showroom as a cream puff for tons.

Going through the trouble of coating is more for my own benefit. since Im planning to keep it for the duration.

The only possible way to get any sort of return on a well preserved frame, is to sell with patience, waiting for the right kind of buyer who would be excited about a clean frame (they’re not all that common).

 

Ya, I didn’t think I was getting rid of it. So hopefully the runner stays along time.

 

Thanks again for this. I am real nervous about trying this. I watched all the videos linked and feel a bit more prepared. I am leaning Fluid Film right now because Amazon appears to sell the long hose and stuff to do the rails without an air compressor (which I don't have). Wait! You can brush this stuff on?? What sort of brush did you use? I would much prefer to do that since I legit have no real idea what to put it on other than the frame and inside the rails. I was just going to put it on anything black. No boots. Got it. Thank you!

 

Awesome. Thanks for this. I don't plan to do it more than once a year. I am nervous about this first application since I really don't know where to apply it other than the frame. I am watching videos and reading threads. Hopefully I get it sorted. If I can do it every other year, great! But the first time around will tell me if I do it annually. A "pro" who people recommend wants $400. I think thats too steep.

 

Ya 400 is a lot in my opinion, just spray underneath, don’t be afraid to get too much on it, and I wouldn’t be worried if some rubber get hit, I just would t waste my time or material spraying rubber. It will burn off the exhaust.

 

If the pro can convince you that he will do a thorough job, 400 bucks (in my opinion) is a fair price for the work. I decided it was worth the cost, but couldnt make it happen logistically with the distance to the detailer.

Regardless, even if it’s not a ripoff…as a customer, 400 bucks is still a serious chunk of change!

Fluid film and Woolwax both sell their products in gallon pails. I have leftover in a gallon pail I use for brushing. Just use a cheap regular (not foam) painting brush.

Painting it on the exterior of the frame would be the “cleanest” way to do it. And it will take you back to kindergarten…painting can be relaxing lol. Just treat it as a relaxation exercise haha.

But like younsaid, you’ll need spray cans with the hose for the inside of the frame and crossmembers. The frame is not the only thing I coated with the spray. I also sprayed the body steel underneath, and as much of the brake lines as possible (that’s a really shitty job to be replacing brake lines in 10 years due to corrosion). Spray is also good to get at the tops of the frame rails, inside the frame body mounts, gas tank straps….it all becomes apparent as you spend time under the 4runner. If you own or want to own your 4runner, it’s quality time to help you appreciate the machine.

Woolwax sells packages online on their own website.

 

I'd probably wear a face shield too. When I was working on rust mitigation on my frame I wore one, which I was glad when I was done and saw the amount of Rust Bullet on it. Scrubbing that off my face wouldn't have been fun.

 

As a side note on recoating…I was cleaning up some scratches to the diff and shock mounts from an excursion, and wanted to post an example of where touchups should happen fairly regularly. Basically, anything that faces the windstream…because along with the windstream, come high pressure water and road grit…

Before painting over my new scratches, I wiped off the woolwax to expose the bare paint. These are some pics. This is the connection of the track arm to the rear axle. Note that you can see grit/gravel has eroded the paint on the round tube end facing the windstream. Good place to paint on the Wool Wax heavily.





And a shot of the black shiny rear diff paint before touch up painting. Look how pretty it looks . (Besides the nasty scratch)

But also note, the weld beads around the drain plug. This is really where rust will happen on any vehicle with a welded frame. The glass slag from the welding is never perfectly cleaned up, which takes the paint off when in chips off. Your retouching should also target Weld beads as the paint starts to come off them. There's been three or four spots that ive cleaned up, painted, and recoated. But I will note, I did nothing to prep the the weld beads…the paint flaked off while I wiped off the WW…the thin rust on the beads was well contained, and not at all crusty. Honestly, it’s what it would have been from day one if I have rubbed at the paint when new

 

An advantage to using woolwax or fluid film. If you forget a face shield, you’ll only need to worry about your skin being extra supple, and luxuriantly moisturized.

 

I will definitely vouch for Fluid Film!!! I have used it plenty of times on my vehicles and the results are amazing. Even on bolts that tend to rust out they still look brand new with FF!

 

I found a lot more uses for fluid film since putting on 4R.

I use it on hinges and sliders on my barn in backyard to prevent rusting and it lubricates for winter.

I also used on inner housing of my newer snow blower. I got a few chips of paint in there and the rust is not spreading. It also lubricates the chute which has helped the wet snow not stick in there as much.

 

FF is the best, honestly!!

 

One more item I found is my hitch insert it helps lubricate obviously and keeps the paint super shiney

 

Awesome. Thanks for this. I think that was main fear was that I'd be hitting stuff I shouldn't. Reading the forum and searching makes it seem like I can't really hurt anything and I should just go for it and spread it out everywhere thats metal.

 

Just had my annual Fluid Film done on my 19' TRD OR. This is the 4th "pre-winter" application I've had done & I can vouch that this stuff prevents rust. The under carriage of my 19' looks new.

 

I have trust issue since experiencing such bad service in all things automotive. I think I can be thorough just lack the knowledge. I am gaining that here from you good people, so I think I am well on my way. Trying to find a nice weather day to get underneath, take some mental pictures, and washing out the inside of the frame. Going to give it a few days, come back here and ask some dumb questions and then just go for it. I feared "painting" the wrong places, but it looks like there are no real bad places. I watched an old ad by Fluid Film and they were basically like 'put it on everything! It makes your tires shiny and bumpers clean and wheels don't collect brake dust'. So I am feeling better about it.

I see so many 4Runners around and none are rusty. And I know 99.9% of the people aren't like us. I know they aren't caring for and doing stuff like this. I didn't even know about Fluid Film or its existence until recently. Prior brands never even had it come up in forums.

Thanks for the brush tip. I think I am going that route for most of it.

YES! Thanks for the woolwax site tip! I am checking that out now. Looks like they have a 5 gallon with a sprayer that doesn't need an air compressor. Tempting!

Appreciate all the help!

 

Have fun with it! Great way to get to know your rig.

The only thing I would avoid getting FF or WW on is any rubber that moves. Just because, FF and WW will collect dust, mud, and grit. The dirt is good for making it become a durable layer, but I can imagine it grinding into cv boots and ball joint boots.

I also avoided the skid plates, but that’s because I constantly removing them for oil changes/mud cleanout, etc. They will rust, however, if you leave them uncoated and you never work on the vehicle. So use your judgement on those.

 

Thanks so much! I am coating EVERYTHING! I will deal with the skid plates getting me messy when I do oil changes. No rust is key for me. Thanks again!

 

Make sure you get what the skid plates protect, which probably would be best to take them off.