Hey guys,

This is my first post/thread. Yesterday we got about an 1/8 of an inch of ash from Mt. Redoubt... What precautions should I take before I start or drive the vehicle? I didn't have a tarp or a car cover so there's ash pretty much all over my baby. I was thinking about vacuuming everything I can before I drive to the touchless car wash. I know I probably need to get another air filter and I have to be VERY careful with the ash and the paint but is there anything else I should know?? Is it ok to drive when it just ashed yesterday?? Thanks for your help.

 

Yikes....I hope you have a good air filter on there. I have no experience with this, so take this for what its worth. I would suggest driving as sparingly as possible over the next few days. I could only imagine what would happen if a significant amount of the ash were to penetrate the filter and enter the engine. Sludge doesn't do it justice....how about cement. When Vesuvius erputed it buried then entire civilization in cement. The ash mixed with the moisture in peoples lungs and they drown in cement. Not good.

Maybe I am over reacting, because I have no perspective, but if 1/8" of ash = 1/8" snow, and we are dealing with powdered rock and not frozen water, then I would be overly careful. I am sure there is ash everywhere, so any wind or movement will project it back in the air.

After the ash has cleared, I would run a clay bar over the entire truck. This will remove any contaminants that may remain after your vacuum and wash. I also might suggest vacuuming(or cleaning if you have a k&n type set up) out the air filter after each trip for a few days, because I would imagine it is going to get pretty gross pretty quick. You might think of an engine n undercarriage wash, too.

And just to be even more overly cautious, I would give her a good oil change once everything is back to normal. Good luck, and take care of yourself too. I am sure you do not want to spend TOO much time out there, at least not without some respiratory protection.

 

c'mon guys, i can't be the only one with input on the subject!

Welcome to DF btw!!!! Post some pics when u get her clean!

 

Sorry, don't have much experience with Volcanic ash... I'm from socal and every few years that place go's up like a Roman candle but again that's very different kind of ash. MFS, that sounds like good advice to me, but I think Volcanic ash also contains small particles of glass too. If I were in that situation I'd do all of the above, after the clay bar I'd polish and put a good wax job on it, clean the **** out of the motor and invest in a good aftermarket air filter too.

 

I would say run something with a prefilter on it. That added filtration before the air filter may be worth it.

 

You aren't. I have a volcano that goes off in my backyard once a week.

 

haha, thanks for the posts guys... Any other suggestions are appreciated.

 

Make sure you clean out the engine compartment before you start her up. I would imagine it would be close to the same as a blizzard, which i just went through last week. Make sure there isn't a buildup in the air box and also watch out for around the fans and belts. It could cause some damage if it builds up and you try to start without cleaning it out. just be careful, also check the exhaust tip, if there is any wind it can blow up into your exhaust system and back it up causing issues. zip-lock bag and some duct tape can keep ash out of the tip when your not driving, just don't forget to take it off before you drive.

 

check out this site and the PDF file at the second site.

This will answer your questions.

http://www.muni.org/oem/volcanic%20ash%20alert.cfm
http://www.muni.org/iceimages/oem/DVM.pdf

Good luck

 

how about cleaning the radiator too, i think itd be bad for that to get clogged up too. from what that article says, id try not to drive much at all.