Cleaning Grease from Engine

I know its been covered before, but I'm not finding it easily in the archives....

I have a bunch of grease all over the bottom of my engine as well as it being generally dirty. What is a good method for cleaning this off without damaging the Aluminum?
I'm about ready to re-install my CV joints but want to clean the motor up really nicely before getting it back together.

TIA,

JIM

 

Jim,
On saturday I ''degreased' the motor (out of the car) and engine comapartment with a citrus-based product from Home Depot that worked quite well. Took a number of soaking cycles to get all the gunked up oil/dirt from all the crevices (and a bunch of shop rags, steel wool pads, etc) but the fumes are so much less noxious than carb cleaner/gas etc.
I think the brand is "ZEP".
The clean aluminum looks good as new.
cheers
Kurt

 

Simple Green has a new (maybe introduced in the last year or so), aircraft certified formula. I use that, cut 50/50 with water, in a spray bottle. I spray it on, and then use another spray bottle containing only water, to wash it off. Most of the gunk/grease/grime/residue/etc. just rinses off. For areas with build up, after the 50/50 is sprayed on, I use some small brushes to loosen the grime and then hit again with 50/50, and then rinse clean with straight water from a spray bottle. Then I use the air gun to blow dry everything.

Under the car to protect the floor and jack stands, etc. I lay down some cardboard (just some cut up corrugated boxes, nothing special), covered with a layer of sorbents from McMaster (either 7193T83 or 7291T812). McMaster also has all the brushes and spray bottles you will need. The Simple Green comes from Aircraft Spruce or one of the other aircraft suppliers. Make sure you use the aircraft certified version, not the regular Simple Green which is NOT GOOD for aluminum.

For cast aluminum parts that get removed during maintenance (oil pan, end links, etc.) after cleaning I hit them with some aluminum brightener and they really brighten up well. Must use caution with aluminum brightener as it contains hydrofluoric acid, so I only use this on parts removed from the car, and do not spray it on the engine or parts while they reside in the engine bay. You also need to use caution and protect yourself as it burns the skin. Napa sells this as wheel cleaner, you can also get it from boat/marine suppliers, as well as in some supermarkets sold to clean aluminum cookware.

Good luck,
Phil

 

Holy cow. Just last week in a safety class I saw photos of what hydroflouric acid does to flesh. Horrifying. Probably al. cleaner has pretty low concentration, but I'd still wear 2 layers of gloves anywhere near this stuff.

no photos but graphic description:
http://www.purdue.edu/envirosoft/housewaste/house/alumcl.htm

 

I like Griot's Engine Cleaner. It isn't the strongest stuff in the world, but it does work well, it's safe to get all over the place, and supposedly it's "environmentally safe".

 

Hydroflouric acid keeps protein in solution, so it just keeps going deeper into tissue. It is also used to etch glass, so I would not want to use it in a casual manner.

 

With the car up on jacks i layed down some heavy grade plastic then scattered a bag of the type cat litter that clumps up when wet. Took a can of Gunk engine cleaner and wet the dirty area real good with the gunk. Let it set about 10 min then hit it again with more Gunk. Then I let it set for another 10 min or so or until it stopped dripping. Pulled the plastic out, rolled it up with the litter and boxed it up for disposal. THe floor was spotless with no grease or grime. THen wheeled under the car with a crawler and a full roll of papertowles and started wiping. You'll still get a few drops so don't wear you favorite shirt and I would suggest some gloves. THe next day I lubricated the cables and such. IT cleaned up pretty good and I didn't see any damage to rubber, paint ect ect. Just my 2 cents.

Im about to do this again next month during a belt/bearing/oil & trans servicing. Im waiting for those new bearings to become available. (hint hint) Joe

 

Tell me you mis-typed this. You mean Hydrochloric, which is still a very strong acid. Right? At work in the lab we joke about the craziest substances to work with. Typically plutonium, HF, arsenic, chrome VI are the standards with honorable mention to andromeda stuff like phosphene.

The only way to use HF is to NEVER use it. In ANY concentration. Bad stuff. Used in the semiconductor industry to etch silicon. Fluorine compounds are serious. This is why it is critical to change the oil in a vacuum pump each time you pump down an A/C system. Tiny traces of F can turn the oil acidic. Exposure to this stuff means immediate calcium shots to stop permanent nerve damage, bone damage amputation or death. You need heavy gloves with calcium gluconate rubbed liberally on bare skin under the glove. Even with all the precautions, why ??? ALWAYS check the labels.

I've gotten great recommendations from this site for cleaners like tide, simple green etc. If the Al parts aren't bright enough, use paint there's my humble opinion.

 

I didn't know this about wheel cleaner. Thank you.

 

This is going to seem pretty tacky, but here is what I have used: A Pressure Washer!

No chemicals, no hot water, just blast away. Stay away from distributors, electronic boxes and anything not metal.

It works great and its only a mess when you're under the car spraying up.

 

Kurt,
I hope to get down to the shop this Saturday. Maybe I'll see you there. My 308 will get there soon too. Spring is here and summer is right behind it. LOL

 

I did mean Hydrochloric acid. Here's an example, check out the data sheet in the link - hydrochloric and phosphoric. I''m not the only one here using this product, in fact, I found the referral to it on F-chat:

http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?R=MCR1458_0075100080

I've used this product, as well as others like it. Granted, the concentrations must be low, people are spraying this on their wheels and rinsing their car's off in the street....but it does sting if you get it on your skin, especially if you have an open wound, even a scratch.

However, skin and bone can usually grow back , and I don't think the concentration is high enough to cause nerve damage, unless you take a bath in the stuff, but I am more concerned with getting it on the car's paint, other finished areas, or maybe a hose or wire, which is why I only use it on cast aluminum parts I remove from the car - like I just cleaned up the sway bar end links - clean them with regular degreaser, then put them in a plastic bucket, in my slop sink, and hit em with the brightener. Then I rinse and dry the part. They come out brilliant. For something like an end link, I then hit it with Eastwood diamond clear, which just makes the part easier to clean once its back on the car.

Phil

 

You guys are right about Hydrochloric acid. Cast aluminum parts will come out looking like new. Don't leave this stuff on too long as it eats the outside away. That's why they look new again. I have used this stuff a few times. Be very very careful not to get this stuff on anything else. It will eat other things too.

 

You are absolutely correct Papa, I am a chemist and have been using this acid for decades. HF is very bad stuff. Do not use it if you do not know what the hell you're doing.

 

Hey M - I'll be at the shop tomorrow finishing up the degreasing, maybe back on Saturday.

it's 308 drivin weather!!!

 

I've treated HF burns in the ER....not pretty!

JIM

 

Bones are at serious risk with HF. What's so weird about the stuff is it will go to the bone (destroying on it's way), and you won't know it til later, then you're skrew'd. The stuff sounds like it's from another planet.

FWIW: I bought a tile cleaner from Home Depot. I glanced the label and noticed the recommendation for gloves, so I did (I was ready to just pour it on a sponge and go for it!). After I squirted some on the tile, it started to sizzle!! I then read the label - That off the shelf S@!# contained HF!!

 

Come on, obviously skin and bones are more important than the paint on our cars.....most would agree with this, right?

I mean, your shouldn't drink anti freeze either, but I don't see anyone raising the alarms about it. And it's on the shelf at Napa right next to this stuff.

Read the directions no matter what you use. Everything that can clean contains something that probably shouldn't be used in excess, smeared on your arms or consumed with your favorite beverage. But its all sold off the shelf, so just use your head when using it. If the label says wear gloves, wear them. It's no reason to boycott the stuff...

Wanna know what's really scary? Allowing the general public to purchase and pump highly explosive and flammable liquids from any corner service station into a tank residing within their vehicle, sometimes while children are sitting in those very vehicles. Now that's scary.....

...Or sitting in an aluminum tube while it elevates to 35,000 feet above the ground....

...Or igniting a tobacco based product and inhaling the fumes....

...Or, or...

Look around, the world is very dangerous, the Napa wheel brightener is the least of our problems.

Hey, this winter sucked the big one, it was 60+ in NYC today, drive on and enjoy people, spring has sprung,
Phil

 

I like to pour a lot of acetone down from the top side of the engine - at least a gallon or so - just pour it on the intake plenum and it will soak into all the grimey crevices as it runs down the heads and block. Best to do this with a warm or hot engine as the grime dissolves easier. Give the whole thing a vigorous scrubbing with a wire wheel on the angle grinder. Then I just wash the whole mess down the drain. I'm sure the guys at the water treatment plant know what to do with it.

 

(of course, just kidding with the above - hope nobody took me seriously!)

 

Cliff - I was curious about what hand you use to hold your lit cigarette in while you're applying the acetone? If you're a lefty, then the cig should be in your right hand, you want complete control over that bottle of acetone as you pour it. Vice-versa if you're right handed.




Back to reality, someone mentioned using the Gunk brand cleaner. Read the label no matter what you use, Gunk has an aerosol form of engine degreaser that specifically states (in the fine print) that it is not good for aluminum.

To Cliff's point, during reassembly, I do use acetone to wipe down any mating surfaces that take a gasket. After the surface is cleaned and all remnants of gasket and sealant is removed, I wipe the mating surfaces with lacquer thinner, then acetone. Then after air drying, I apply the new gasket. This creates a clean surface free of grease, oil and silicone. I have a friend that uses fresh gasoline or kerosene for this procedure, he claims it works well and he likes the idea that both are derivatives of oil, which is what the gaskets will be preventing leaking from the motor.

Phil

 

Use Break Dust Spray. All of the F1, Past Indy Cars and new ones with the American L. M series uses this for the most part.

 

I ended up using CRC Brakekleen based on a suggestion from someone who has used this method many times. I set up a barrier with some kitty litter to catch the run off. This stuff worked amazingly well! It was on sale for $1.99/can, so I picked up 8 and went at it. I'll post pics later. I have 1 tiny little section to do yet so I can give a before/after.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

JIM

 

Here are some shots of just below where the drain plug for the transfer gears are. All I did was spray the brake cleaner to wash the gunk off.....
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So no wiping or scrubing needed? Just let air dry after and fire it up?