Driving on a day like today means driving through actual clouds of road salt. I wonder how much of this gets past the air filter and if it would affect engine life in any way? I don't think it does accessories like the alternator any good.

salt does weird things...

First off, it will corrode the aluminum, but once the layer of oxidation has formed, that layer protects the rest of the aluminum. Interesting, eh? A friend of mine who is a materials engineer told me that one.

As for the guts of the engine, I doubt it will harm anything. I doubt if the salt would survive the combustion process.

They use very little salt in Reno.

I dought that anything significant is getting thru the air cleaner.

You do know that LT1 alternators are engineered to self-destruct, don't you. Really, the bearings are sealed so, no effect and the windings are coated.
I've taken alternators apart that lived in Pa. with the same salting. They look the same inside as ones I've taken apart here.

I'd be more concerned on what the salt spray is doing to the underside of the car.
Before I wash a vehicle that's exposed to this stuff, I hit the whole underside with a hose and on metal cars, I try to get the wheelwell lips hosed down as much as possible.

Yeah, love the plastic body on the vette. I've always been a fanatic about rust, but I've mellowed some when it comes to my Caprice (hearse as my wife calls it) wagon. No choice.

I should take a pic of the underside of my 2000 Silverado. It has 130k miles, 10 years old. The only thing that's brown is the driveshaft that has a bit of surface rust. The rest of the underside is clean, no rust.

Probably the lack of humidity here.

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What're you doing, bragging? (I wish I was living out west) Here in Ohio our car/trucks come with rust as a standard feature. I gotta tell you, there aint no feelin' like watching your hard earned dollars turn red and fall off, or just plain disappear before your eyes.

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Hell, Yes.

Then you should live out here, I put up with Pa. way too long (born there).


Wanta hear about the weather here today? :binky: