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Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:01 pm

Dirty Engine-- Any ideas, suggestions,tips or anything to do a good job. Can I hurt anything, ruin, or break anything? Can I hose it? What type of degreaser should I use? Appreciate any and all responces. Never did this before. :D Thanks, Stumpie

Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:06 pm

This is what I use to clean:
Cheap carb cleaner
cheap brake cleaner (same as carb cleaner but won't leave oily residue)
Gunk engine degreaser
dish soap
and various brushes
When I was in the Army I thought all the spit and polish was bull####, and it was except when it came to our tanks. I'm by no means Anal, kind of a slob if you ask my family, so anyone can do this.
Why should the engine be clean? Well of course it looks nice, but there is a lot more. First off when you work on a clean engine you stay cleaner, it is also allot easier to hold, turn, ect. parts that aren't all greasy and slippery. If you have a leak it can be traced quickly. A clean engine cools better, You are less of a fire hazard and if you do have a fire it is easier to put out,(you don't have a 30yr old layer of oil to burn) really any maintenance is easier when using clean parts.
Once you Clean everything really good its easy to keep it fairly clean, My stuff isn't spotless but every month or so I'll rinse it off and It’s good again.
How you clean parts is up to you, when I take something apart I make sure it's clean when it goes back in.
Here's a few don'ts
Don't spray water on a hot engine (what happens to hot metal that is cooled to quickly) Gunk engine degreaser works better on a warm engine.
I start with a cold engine start it for a "few" min. then shut it off I just get it warm to the touch, I can put my hand on the engine and won't get burned. Don't get off the expressway, go to the car wash and hose down your engine.
Pressure washers are fine for the engine compartment, but don't use high pressure on the engine itself, You can knock connections loose and hit it the right way with high pressure and you can blow gaskets in. This quite rare but it's not a chance I'm willing to take to save 5 min. on a cleaning.
the car wash is ok just don't pull the trigger, the water should be used just to rinse.
Here's an example:

After

This was done at the sink with soap and water and a stiff toothbrush
Dried thoroughly, left it set for a while, lubed it up with wd-40 to make sure all water was gone and installed the full throttle switch, ready for installation

Thu Jul 07, 2005 6:10 am

I took mine to a carwash and pressure gunned it clean

Simple greened my engine to soak twice.. and then foamy engine brite once warm @ the carwash..

I used a $1 store plastic shower curtain liner that I hardware clamped (u can use office binder clamps) to the rear hatch lip, and the engine lip..
to keep the interior dry..

worked great.. and have likely the only non-oily diesel thats daily driven..

helps that when I rebuilt my motor I cleaned and painted it with appliance epoxy spray.. hardens with heat.. and is a tough @ss finish. (in Tan to match my van)..

Dan in Syracuse.NY

Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:57 am

Gumout makes a nice (great) product called STEAM. Its in a black and silver can. Don't do it over a nice lawn, but man - does this stuff clean all the gunk off of everything.

I'm not a fan of high pressure cleaners, I only use a hose. I have seen to many FI and electrical problems result from car-wash guns...

Thu Jul 07, 2005 4:02 pm

Done it both ways... Easy-off oven cleaner is a great grease cutter too.

Cold water on a hot engine won't hurt it one little bit... What happens when you drive through a puddle???

Yup, aim is everything, but bring the WD-40 just in case!

Mike!

Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:23 pm

Quote: Easy-off oven cleaner is a great grease cutter too.

EZ-Off and Aluminum don't play well.

EZ-Off converts Alum. into pure "H".

Used to test this, by taking aluminum foil and tossing it in a glass jar - soak the inside of the jar with EZ-off and then let it sit for a few min, toss in a camp fire... run away... run far away...

Thu Jul 07, 2005 9:22 pm

Easy Off takes off paint easy too. It is just too nasty.

The Gunk and Simple Green are safe.

Carb / Brake cleaner is nasty too and eats paint.
Use only and bare metal.

Soaking and brush work are VERY effective.
Going to a car wash with quarters leaves the mess there.
I have Gunked up my engine at home and drove to the car wash.
Let it cool down while scrubbing with a brush.

I have a Karsher high pressure washer, too, and perefer to leave the mess at the car wash.

As others have stated, stay away from the electric connectors. It is tough, I know, but just try. Later you can blow them out with compressed air.

Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:44 am

DanJReed wrote:
EZ-Off and Aluminum don't play well.

EZ-Off converts Alum. into pure "H".

EZ Off is what we use to get smeared alum off the cylinder when we sieze a piston on methanol burning two strokes.

Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:55 pm

You really need to work on your chemistry. Aluminum will never convert to anything other than aluminum. It's an element. The "pure H" is the hydrogen released by the lye (OH ion) when the aluminum is oxidized. The aluminum is still in the bottle after the fire.

Yes, aluminum does get oxidized pretty heavily by easy-off or any caustic, However, I have used it for serious stripping of grease on painted surfaces and aluminum very successfully. I'm just not stupid about spraying it on and driving around for a month or three. I just prefer the environmental ravages of lye to that of petrochemicals.

OTOH, scrubbing away with 'bout anyting is not my cup-o-tea so the car wash and its magic wand are my first choice. Wear goggles!

Mike!

Sun Jul 10, 2005 3:58 pm

I used brake cleaner and a plastic brush on pretty much everything.
it looked very nice on the case. I went to vwtechshop on aurora here in seattle and the guy asked if the engine was new. I just smiled. but its only worth it if it sounds good also.