cleaning crud off eng/trans

With a different car, I went to the service department of a local Dealership (not even the same marque), and paid them a very small fee to use their steam cleaning bay on the engine.

It really got the car's engine bay very shiney and easy to maintain.

 

I use a product from our dealers cleanup department that is used to remove brake rust and dust from aluminum wheels. They refer to it as rim acid, smells like amonia and works great. I used it to clean my 308 engine and it sparkles like new.

 

Castrol makes a purple engine cleaner ("Purple Power" I believe is the name) that contains mild acid. Most engine cleaners are petroleum (Gunk, et al) based but don't/won't cut the 'wax' of baked cosmolene. Just too hard to penetrate.

The acid based product certainly can, but the offsetting negative is they CAN 'etch' raw aluminum. Prudence is the word to keep in mind. Don't just spray it indiscriminately and walk off. Voice of experience here. A wire brush to agitate helps immensely, unless you can get the steam or pressure washer loaned to you.

I have the pressure washer at home, and it puts out a very intense spray of course, but you need to have your aim down pat. Too close, or too fine a point can cut old bushings, and probably weaken brake lines if you got really aggressive. Overall, I've had great sucess with it, making a really nasty job way shorter. It is THE ticket for wheelwells, springs, etc. Just remember, water, cleaner, and greasy discharge will go everywhere. So if you've got some Gunk/cleaner on the parts, the errant spray WILL deposit cleaner about anywhere you can imagine (your surface paint, your nearby cup of coffee, your dog.) Rinse well.

I was watching some infomercial on a 'home steam cleaner' where the demo guy cleans a huge variety of items, and one quick pic shows this little hand held device cleaning a motorcycle engine. I almost bought it on the spot, and may even request one for Christmas. Probably great for up close, detail work.

My 'filth prevention policy' is to tell my mechanic, "Please, never re-install a dirty part. If it comes off the car, clean it before you put it back on, or give it to me and I'll do it." Incremental progress, but it helps. Have fun.

 

Dear Ferraristi,

For general engine cleaning, simple green spray with joy soap applied on a small sponge (not 3M scotch bright type ) and rinse immediately. For grease and gunk, I use purple power by Aiken chemicals sold at Discount/Advance auto. With the purple power, I spray and scrub with an old tooth brush.

For the cosmoline use brake cleaner. I have no cosmoline anywhere on my TR including the underside and wheel wells. I cleaned all the cosmoline off and resprayed in Eastwood undercoating with a spray of satin chassis black on top of the undercoating. Brake cleaner is sooo fast and easy.

Be careful with the brake cleaner....wear safety glasses and spray in short bursts while scrubbing with an old tooth brush. Do not get the brake cleaner on rubber and to be prudent, on the exterior paint.

For more sensitive areas and rubber, use 3M wax and tar remover....comes in spray and liquid. Buy the spray...stuff evaporates way too fast.


Shamile

Freeze...Miami Vice !

 

Ummmm......please fill out your profile !

so we may know what Ferrari you are talking about.



Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice !

 

While some of the products suggested on this thread will 'clean' the parts, the question is how good is it for the parts?

Example: Simple Green is not recommend for use by NASA or the areospace industry because it will corrode and weaken aluminum.

 

I did say rinse Immediately !


Shamile

Freeze...Miami Vice !

 

So as long as we are not cleaning the Space Shuttle, we should be ok? J/K

 

I'm wondering how you guy's keep all this stuff off the timing belts. I'm a little concerned about washing all that grease and oil off the engine and over the belts.

 

Belts wont mind it a bit but at the bearings on the front of the motor won't like it. The lower cam drive bearings on a BB or the various tensioner bearings on the other cars are right out there. They are sealed but bearing seals are not absolute, water, soap and especially steam WILL get in there. I have seen many bearing failures on engines cleaned in those ways.

 

WATER corrodes and weakens aluminum, for that matter, EVERYTHING corrodes and weakens aluminum.

Because of the fact that the engine and transmission are usually "protected" by a nice layer of dirt and grease I seriously doubt the Simple Green will hurt anything for the short amount of time it will be on there. They key is RINSE RINSE RINSE.

DO NOT spray Simple Green on polished aluminum.

 

Dear Ferraristi,

Very good point.

When I clean the engine down, I really only use a light spray over the engine to wash the soap off. I clean by using a tooth brush to scrub not using any kind of forced jet of water. I usually keep away from the belt area. To clean around the belt area, I spray Simple green on a cloth and wipe everything down. When the cloth is dark, I discard it. I then go with just a lightly wet cloth to wipe off the simple green.

....yeah, it sounds like a hassle but it becomes routine...like going from tooth brush to Qtip to cloth back to Qtip....yes, yes...I really need to get out more.


Shamile

Freeze...Miami Vice !

 

I've had good success using mineral spirits in a pump-spray bottle and a stiff-bristled brush. It's readily available, relatively fire safe, doesn't evaporate too fast and isn't real aggressive on plastic/rubber or painted surfaces.

 

If thats the case, clean away. I would be trying a strong solution of simple green or mineral spirits. I would also suggest replacing at least the outer lower cam drive bearings in addition to the more normal stuff while it is out.

Make sure if you get the clutch wet it gets disassembled and cleaned/dried or it will be rusted together by the time the car is put back together.

 

Simple Green for dirt and light grease, 3M Brakekleen for heavier oil & grease. Brakekleen also makes an excellent bee/wasp/hornet killer (will shoot them right out of the air )

 

Did you retorque the heads and mess with valve clearances? Just curious.

 

Dear Ferraristi,

Wow...what a pix ! Beautiful work !

...can you...um...er...come and do mine?

Ha...fooled you, mine looks just as good....well...almost as good.

Glad to see things are progressing. How about some pix of the car? Even though it's only a boxer, it would be great to see.


Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice !

 

I forgot to mention that The Boeing Company uses Simple Green for cleaning and surface prep of areas that will be sealed together for corrosion protection. They insist on thorough rinsing and neutralization after it's use.
The key is rinse and dry !

Orange based cleaners are also not recommended but can be used as long as the area is neutralized.

Enclosed is my old 308 engine after Simple Green. It still looks like this after 6 years!
The stuff works great for crusty suspension parts as well. Soak it down and scrub with cheap paint brushes of various sizes, 2" to 4" wide. Rinse with hot water !!

Note, I applied a high heat clear from Eastwood and it held up in the hottest of conditions. All it took to clean up the engine after a run in the rain was a light coat of Simple Green to cut the grime and a thorough misting of hot water. The most crucial step was to "blow-dry" after wards with compressed air. If you don't have the compressed air use an electric leaf blower. (Works great for cheese graters too!)
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....especially when you hold lighter in front of the can when you spray!........

 

Spasso, that engine looks awesome. Looks like more to it than simple green. What was the step after the simple green that you would like to share with us