Turpentine on rubber seals for a prolonged time for camshaft seals?

[jawbraeka]

Just curious if its bad to leave turpentine on the camshaft bearing seals?

Will turpentine corrode the rubber?

Sent from the depths of hell.

[Pu241]

You should try it and report back.

[jawbraeka]

I did and am asking

Sent from the depths of hell.

[navdoc101]

Isn't Turpentine a solvent ?

Its used as a paint remover.

[jawbraeka]

Its a thinner.. I'm using white turpentine.

Sent from the depths of hell.

[Pu241]

I did and am asking

Then tell us what you did instead of this little game you like to play.

BTW, rubber doesn't "corrode".
And likely what you call "rubber" is probably not.

[jawbraeka]

OK. The seals on the camshaft bearings .. Was giving the engine a turpentine shower to clean off the grease and crap.

No games, just wanted to know if the bearing seals will be affected.. I have a feeling they won't be too bad considering its petrol based, but I just wanted to know if anyone actually knows if it is bad.

I've looked on Google, but nothing definitive or specifically 'don't use on the bearings'.

Sent from the depths of hell.

[Pu241]

There that wasn't too hard was it!

Long term exposure to of synthetic polymers to solvents is not recommended.
However, these seals are likely cross linked and somewhat resistant to hydrocarbons, as they must operate at high temps and in constant contact with hydrocarbons.
That said, turpentine is not a regular hydrocarbon and due to its structure maybe more aggressive toward these seals than one would expect.
Which could result in swelling of the seal, failure of the seal, or possibly dislocation of said seal.
But I would expect that this type of effect would only come from protracted contact of the seal with the solvent.
Such as soaking the seal in a volume of solvent in a confined space, such as a jar.
I would wash off the remaining turpentine, if it hasn't already evaporated.
Periodic contact and with a rinsing should have no long term effect.

[jawbraeka]

Thanks for that... Was exactly what I was looking for.

Sent from the depths of hell.

[WmWatt]

Solvents mix with oil and grease to increase their viscosity, ie dilutes them, so they flow more easily and wash away. The solvent you put on the seals mixes with the oil and grease and the solution washes away. I would not worry too much about solvents staying around and breaking down the seal. If using solvents to clean parts try to wipe the them off before installing the part. I've read solvents can leave a film on surfaces but do not know what effect that is supposed to have. If concerned there are detergent-based degreasers you can use in future. The community bike shops where I volunteer have a lot of environmental activists as members so we use the detergent degreasers. Also easier on the hands.

[Pu241]

Decrease their viscosity