How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

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JonW
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How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by JonW »

The turbine wheels on my newly acquired Mark V have wheel weight glue residue that most likely has been there for 30 years. It's as hard as a rock. I've tried Goo Gone, Simple Green, WD-40 and turpentine to no avail. I'm afraid to use anything abrasive since it could damage the wheel or leave a shiny spot. Any ideas?
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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by Steve K »

I would try a mild abrasive like A-Jax powder. Control the amount of pressure and gently work away the "goo" without trying to take it all off at once. You might find that once you get past the outer layer that the remainder will respond better to the non-abrasive cleaners. It would also help to know what the adhesive used was to research removal ideas.
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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by Dan Szwarc »

I don’t think they were using glue on wheel weights more than 10 years ago, but without a pic, it’s hard to tell.


Are you sure it’s not corrosion?
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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by JonW »

Dan, I hadn't thought about that, but after taking a pic and blowing it up, it looks like there might be.

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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by Suicidekid63 »

try De-solv-it citrus cleaner. It works like a champ on everything I've used it on. It also is perfect for removing grime from whitewalls and hands.
Wal-Mart has it.
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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by Dan Szwarc »

That’s corrosion. Typical of external lead weights. You can scrub, but you’ll eventually remove the clear coat and the whole rim will rot. Maybe you can spray over it to extend the life of the rest.

The only real cure is full restoration about $100-150 per rim.
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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by tomo »

I agree with Dan, but you could try 3M general purpose adhesive remover. It does a great job of removing dried adhesive. Use a hair dryer to warm up the glue and then soak a rag or shop towel with the remover and let it sit in contact with the adhesive for a while, then try to remove it by rubbing the soaked rag across the spot.
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Re: How to remove very old wheel weight goo?

Post by Solid »

It might be a bit tedious, but the "magic eraser" household cleaning products are basically wet sanding abrasive material embedded in a self-disintegrating sponge. If preserving the finish at all costs is required, I'd consider that as an alternative start point vs a chemical stripper. They're cheap and tend not to load up the way conventional wet sandpaper would if you tried to sand off glue since they just disintegrate and expose fresh material when they load up. I'd say your biggest risk is which of the two approaches are going to make the area look so shiny that you have to continue on to cleaning the entire wheel and then all fo the wheels.

If you're worried about polishing the nearby wheel using the magic eraser and prefer the chemical approach, you could also try wetting the glue with a folded paper towel that you've soaked a bit with the otherwise-kind-of-terrible VOC-free version of Goof Off. That stuff works far more slowly than the VOC version, so some patience is required, but it is also quite a bit less aggressive on finishes, so it might be a step to try before the 3M stuff.
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