Intake horn corrosion

[secondchance]

I always thought the LT5 under the hood was the prettiest part of a ZR-1. Being a daily driver, after 14 years, motor is beginning to look a bit messy. So, I am thinking about refinishing valve cover and intake plenum/horn - either Ligenfelter paint or powder coating.
I would love to solve corrosion issue (adjacent to cover plate on top of throttle body) before refinishing.
It seems different metal and presence of current is causing this. One thought I had was figuring out a way to insulate 3 electrical pieces connected to throttle body/air horn:
1. IAT sensor - simply relocate to plastic air intake above air filter housing.
2. Throttle position sensor - I got to disassemble and figure out.
3. IAC motor - Insulate bolt from bracket.

Has anyone figured out how to stop this corrosion?

Another thought is to purchase "Counter Act" electronic corrosion control unit and apply the patch to underside of throttle body. However, heat may make this impractical.

Any thought or info would be appreciated.

[GOLDCYLON]

Well im not sure how to stop the corrosion however The old paint was not that durable on our motors from the factory. For PCing I recommend Jeffvete a forum member here who did the PCing on my car. He could have your plenum, Cam covers and Airhorn seen to in no time.

Heres a couple of Photos of Jeffvettes work. I took these about a year ago still need to snap a few with the Samcos upgrade.

[QB93Z]

I will offer a cople of suggestions:

There is a vendor on the Net/Registry web site that sells an aluminum Throttle Body cover plate that is engraved with ZR-1. That plate being aluminum should not cause a galvanic corrosion problem, which is what i think you are talking about. There are a lot of other components connected to the throttle body that are dissimilar metals that can not be removed. If you keep the area clean and dry, the corrosion should not be a problem.

The part you refered to as a valve cover is called the cam cover. There is a lot more to it mechanically that just a valve cover on a standard V-8.

Once you start powder coating or painting engine components, you will end up wanting to do all the top-end components, because the newly finnished parts will stand out against the old pieces.

Jim

[flyin ryan]

Jim is 100% regarding dissimilar metals/alloys. i've never mentioned it but have thought in the past about trying metallic ceramic coating. more commonly known as header coating. it's tuff stuff.

[secondchance]

Thanks to all of you for your input.
Also, I notice coolant in/out tube for heating the throttle body during warm-up. Does coolant flow below the plate? I was thinking coolant possibily acting as electrolyte.

Also, I didn't know the plate was non-aluminum. Perhaps replacing the plate is the solution.

Thanks again!

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by secondchance

Thanks to all of you for your input.
Also, I notice coolant in/out tube for heating the throttle body during warm-up. Does coolant flow below the plate? I was thinking coolant possibily acting as electrolyte.

Also, I didn't know the plate was non-aluminum. Perhaps replacing the plate is the solution.

Thanks again!

I believe that the original equipment throttle body plate is aluminum. I was referring to the plate shown in GoldCylon's pictures, it is aluminum also.

I don't think you need to be concerned about galvanic corrosion because of the coolant in the throttle body. If it was occurring, it would have to be on the wetted surfaces of the coolant passages, not on the exterior surfaces. (Provided the engine surfaces are clean and dry.)

Still, coolant bypass modification may make sense for other reasons such as easier maintenance and possibly performance improvement due to cooler (denser) air charge.

From what I have learned about the LT5, the biggest causes of stained or darkened engine surfaces are stains from spills of engine fluids and inappropriate cleaning solutions.

Jim

[flyin ryan]

Originally Posted by flyin ryan

Jim is 100% regarding dissimilar metals/alloys. i've never mentioned it but have thought in the past about trying metallic ceramic coating. more commonly known as header coating. it's tuff stuff.

sorry, i guess i should have been a little more clear. when i'm talking about using ceramic metallic, i, myself, would only do the inside surfaces. want to try keeping the outside relatively factory looking. maybe not on my serious engine, but on these ones anyhow.

[Chris_32212]

Originally Posted by GOLDCYLON

Well im not sure how to stop the corrosion however The old paint was not that durable on our motors from the factory. For PCing I recommend Jeffvete a forum member here who did the PCing on my car. He could have your plenum, Cam covers and Airhorn seen to in no time.

Heres a couple of Photos of Jeffvettes work. I took these about a year ago still need to snap a few with the Samcos upgrade.

what air intake box is this? does it help with power? is it still available? somone mentioned a reverse air cleaner but i have never seen one. does anyone know if they are still available?

Chris

[tomtom72]

Chris that's a "cut lid" type. I do believe over at the NetRegistry site in the vendor section you can find it. If I remember right Mark Copeland sells it, but don't quote me on that. Or you could go buy an air box at a salvage yard and cut the top out yourself and then paint it or do a powder coat job.

Thanks Ryan....if I was thinking I would have just posted a link to the thread where it was....

One of the keys with that bubbling I think is that tap water is the culprit. To cure it ya gotta get all the residue off of the metal before ya refinish it. Then ya gotta use steam distilled water going foreward to eliminate the disolved mineral in tap water. Reason for the SD water is so that the stray electric current does not make salts out of the disolved minerals. JMHO....

[Chris_32212]

Originally Posted by tomtom72

Chris that's a "cut lid" type. I do believe over at the NetRegistry site in the vendor section you can find it. If I remember right Mark Copeland sells it, but don't quote me on that. Or you could go buy an air box at a salvage yard and cut the top out yourself and then paint it or do a powder coat job.

Thanks Ryan....if I was thinking I would have just posted a link to the thread where it was....

One of the keys with that bubbling I think is that tap water is the culprit. To cure it ya gotta get all the residue off of the metal before ya refinish it. Then ya gotta use steam distilled water going foreward to eliminate the disolved mineral in tap water. Reason for the SD water is so that the stray electric current does not make salts out of the disolved minerals. JMHO....

i dont understand what you mean by "cut lid type" ....i have a modified air lid but thats just the part that surounds the filter. the air box on this car looks very different from the one i have on my 93.

Chris