Hardened Sodium Silica in Car Engines

I don't know of the specifics but doesn't sodium silica create problems with the steel plants when they melt down the blocks later on? The scrap yards are rather picky about what contaminants there are in the metals they buy now.

As far as cleaning an engine out? I would think its completely doable. All oil galleys are typically drilled out in the first place and that means they can be drilled again. The pistons and bearings get changed out during a rebuild anyway and the cylinders themselves get bored out. The crank shaft typically needs returning too. After a good cleaning and hot tank dip it would be likely you would have a good engine block and many other reusable parts to work with.

Block, heads, connecting rods, and all external components. They would survive I believe.

could be wrong though.

I've heard that some dealers are drilling holes in the block, but can't substantiate it.

Sounds a bit OTT to me. A few good clouts with a 14lb hammer would render most engines impractical, if not impossible, to restore. E.g. smash into the water jacket.

As somebody said, it doesn't seem a good idea to make it more difficult to re-use the metal.

What is sodium silica anyway? I've heard of sodium silicate, but that's soluble in water (as are nearly all sodium salts) so would be easy to remove.

Cheers..........Codey

Isn't the whole idea to precipitate a renewal in the vehicle stock, rather than perpetuating inefficient designs?

The concept of taking inefficient cars off the road, and then re-using their engines in other inefficient cars is taking some getting used to....

As I said in the original post, there are a lot of people that cannot afford to buy the new cars even with the incentives.

My idea is, if someone out there has a vehicle with very high mileage and the engine smokes, runs poorly, and is in general disrepair, that possibly they could obtain a better running engine for a reasonable price.

Looking at it from the perspective that the dealers tune the motor properly in the clunker cars, then remove the motor and sell it to someone who could not otherwise afford to replace their entire motor. This way you improve the operating efficiency of the vehicle they drive, eliminate some of the pollutants they are producing, and make a little money to boot.

I live in a community where the average annual salary is about 25k per household. I might be a bit better off than the rest but overall it's not a wealthy community. People there are struggling to make ends meet much like everyone else. So realistically they cannot afford this program. But they might be able to afford to have a newer or lower mileage engine installed in their car for a nominal price,(the engine is basically paid for) say around $300-$400 for the whole kit and kaboodle. Offer them monthly installments without interest, and make it affordable for even the lower income people to benefit from this.

I just think the whole thing could have been more thought out. Originally wasn't this designed to stimulate the US auto industry? Best I can tell from the sales figures in our area is that Japanese, Korean, and German manufacturers seem to be getting the bulk of the business.

There could have been more incentives included for the lesser income folks, that may not have been the full monty, but at least provided them with something better than what they have. Some of the clunkers that I have seen traded in would be some pretty good upgrades for a very low cost.

Currently the #1 purchased vehicle under the CARS program is the Toyota Carolla. The whole incentive is incredibly short-sighted; Now that a large number of people have gone out and purchased new import vehicles (largely because they are less expensive to begin with), the majority of them will not be buying a new, american made car for 7-10 years, even if fuel efficiency technology greatly improves in that time.

I heard of the sand in the oil procedure just yesterday. How is the junk yard /auto salvage business lately? Would you as a recycler pay to have that clunker hauled to your yard, knowing that the most salvageable item on the car had been ruined? So the cost of buying that clunker should drop accordingly. What about the tow companies that earn a living moving those traded vehicles? Does he have to tow the clunker for a cheaper rate because the tow charge may be higher than the selling price of the clunker?

Clunkers, after the engine has been disabled, goes to the recyclers. There may be good parts left, like doors, fenders, tail light clusters, etc that they will salvage. The rest goes to the crusher. There are plenty of good engines still available that escaped the crusher. I think body parts, not engines are the most sought after anyway.

There's a $15,000 fine per for re-selling anything on the do not use list. A guy would have to be stupid or ignorant to try it. Nonetheless I look forward to reading about those that get caught.

The number of vehicles taken off the street through the program is negligible in the grand scheme of American car culture anyway. Just enjoy the pickings at the yard before they're gone.

Now thats an interesting little tidbit of information that I had not read anywhere yet.