98 V70 wheels - remove old bead sealer

Post by **98v70dad** » 20 Jul 2016, 07:45

I bought a set of used OEM Volvo wheels for my 98 V70 to address my high speed vibration (hopefully this will fix it) and they have some old bead sealer on the sealing surface at random spots around the rim. Its probably ok to leave this stuff alone, but I am going to try to carefully clean it off since it is sort of clumpy and not uniform all around.

Is there anything in particular that you've had success with to remove this stuff? I'm thinking either mineral spirits or bug and tar remover would work, but I really have no idea. If its a latex based product alcohol might do it.

Anyhow, please give your recommendations so I don't have to spend the whole day trying things. I appreciate the help.

Post by **abscate** » 20 Jul 2016, 08:21

I scoured a couple of Fora and found:

Latex based sealant - use a stiff nylon brush and water/soap

Oil based - any degreaser - Tarminator was one brand mentioned on the BMW forum - clean with soap and water afterwards.

Post by **98v70dad** » 20 Jul 2016, 08:29

abscate wrote:I scoured a couple of Fora and found:

Latex based sealant - use a stiff nylon brush and water/soap

Oil based - any degreaser - Tarminator was one brand mentioned on the BMW forum - clean with soap and water afterwards.

Can you tell which is oil based and which is latex? I guess you could try the soap and water and if it doesn't work try the degreaser. I haven't unboxed these yet (they arrived about 4 days early) so I don't know how gooped up they are.

Any thoughts on whether or not I even need to clean the stuff off? Its on the sealing surface so it won't show. I just figured that cleaning it up is a good idea.

Post by **abscate** » 20 Jul 2016, 12:20

Just try the soap and water approach - can't hurt.

Post by **erikv11** » 20 Jul 2016, 12:32

Never thought of that before but I would call or swing by the tire shop that will mount them, ask them what they think.

Post by **98v70dad** » 20 Jul 2016, 13:10

erikv11 wrote:Never thought of that before but I would call or swing by the tire shop that will mount them, ask them what they think.

Yep. That would be the smart thing to do if I had time. I am an extreme DIY'er and I spend a lot of time helping other people with their projects also. I've gotten myself in way over my head with projects and commitments versus time available this next few weeks.

I would like to talk to the tire people in person. They have one guy who is very knowledgeable and a lot of staff who just accomplish what they are told to do. Calling on the phone doesn't always result in a good outcome because the person who answers the phone is most likely one of the instruction takers.

Post by **850 LPT** » 20 Jul 2016, 13:17

I usually use a rotary wire brush on a drill. A brass one will not damage the paint much. The stuff is probably hard at this point so it will come right off.

Post by **98v70dad** » 21 Jul 2016, 19:43

98v70dad wrote:
erikv11 wrote:Never thought of that before but I would call or swing by the tire shop that will mount them, ask them what they think.
Yep. That would be the smart thing to do if I had time. I am an extreme DIY'er and I spend a lot of time helping other people with their projects also. I've gotten myself in way over my head with projects and commitments versus time available this next few weeks.

I would like to talk to the tire people in person. They have one guy who is very knowledgeable and a lot of staff who just accomplish what they are told to do. Calling on the phone doesn't always result in a good outcome because the person who answers the phone is most likely one of the instruction takers.

I called 4 NTB locations in Atlanta today to ask about this. I asked if the sealer needed to come off and got no useful answer. I was generally told "we might clean the sealer off or we might not. They clearly thought the question was too hard. I got an almost unanimous wire brush as the method used to clean off the sealant. When questioned about it every one of them said if it damages the finish that side doesn't show. When asked if the wire brush scratched the surface enough to cause leaks ALL of them said - "don't know, never thought about that". I'd call the information I collected from 4 NTB loctions useless and not worth the time spent. One NTB location asked politely if they could put me on on hold. 10 minutes later I was still on hold. I'm pretty sure they forgot about me. This is just another example of why I work on my own car when I can.

I unpacked one of my wheels and determined rather quickly that the sealer cleans up fairly easily with turtle wax tar remover.

Post by **scot850** » 21 Jul 2016, 22:56

I use tar remover or even acetone on a cloth, a face mask and a plastic scraper to get the worst off, and then a good polish with a rotary polisher and some light cutting compound. Haven't damaged the surface yet.

Neil.