Washing engine and transaxle

[Broke67beetle]

Their is a lot of baked on dirt in the under side of the engine and transaxle
I was talking with one of the garages, and he said oven cleaner not to get it on the paint, but it's safe around the rubber
just thinking about the axle boots ???
I don't know
I have never washed an engine(not really) . I know people do. we sell engine degreaser at my work
I have heard of people pressure washing them
I don't think I would probably use oven cleaner unless I was rebuilding and going to wash it again and paint it
Probably just a damp rag or air compressor for the part you can see hose under neath, right? I do pressure, wash under my daily
my son has a Corvette that I'm caring for poorly, i might add (although I did rebuild the headlight motor and some bad paint). I'm so terrified to get water anywhere near that thing. Something about an allspark lol

How do you wash your engine?

[zerotofifty]

oven cleaners are usually lye, sodium hydroxide. this can react with aluminum engine parts.

why not use an engine degreaser?

there is little on the underside to worry about getting wet.
dont blast water into the tranny breather hole, nor the starter and starter solenoid, and be careful if you have torn axle boots if torn they should be replaced anyways.

thick layers of crud can be scraped off, then follow up with a degreaser, then rinse well.

Id avoid the lye, i.e. oven cleaner
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[Broke67beetle]

I was just curious what everybody's car care routine was as to washing the engine
I don't think there's anything wrong with degreaser.
I've just never used it
I wasn't even really asking the garage what to use? I said I was going to use some degreaser or brake clean, and he said,
"The best degreaser is oven cleaner",
which I don't think anybody should use on a car, but I wasn't sure. I mean, he's a mechanic, right?

Honestly, it's a good thing I asked.I didn't know about the breather for the transmission thanks

[my59]

Years back i dropped the engine in the bug to remove decades of grime. Bucket of water, Dawn dishwashing liquid, scrub brushes, wire brushes of various sizes, wood towels, rags, and elbow grease were the tools of the day.
Rinsing was accomplished with a hose connected to hot water and a home made hose nozzle with a small diameter tube flattened at the open end to make a water jet out of well pump water pressure.
Rags stuffed in exhaust ends, in carb, covered with plastic bags, baggie around distributor cap after removing wires, and away I went.
Got it as clean is I would without taking everything to pieces, and put the engine back in car and everything into place.
Yes, there was water in the oil. Drained it, changed it. Drove the car 50 miles, drained the oil, changed it, then drove another 100 miles, did same thing. Put in my usual oil after that change and went about life.
Ps, the rinse water is hazardous waste, should be collected and allowed to evaporate, with residues disposed of properly. it will destroy an asphalt driveway
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my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
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[zerotofifty]

[richparker]

[2type2]

I have found a good degreaser, ( other than gasoline!) is making a gooey mix of Dawn and Simplegreen. Thick enough that you can scrub it on with a toothbrush, and after one or two applications, I wipe it down with a wet rag and see how much dirt is gone. I'll admit to cleaning an uninstalled engine with gas and brass brushes and although the results were good, I can't recommended it!
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[gt1953]

I have used diesel when the engine is out and cleaning it up. Then soap and water to go next.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[aquifer]

I'll suggest an alternative to the other (good) advice here. I would run the carb out of gas and then drain the engine oil and remove the engine. Then you can tip the engine around and get a good clean. The transmission will be easily accessible at that point.

I typically scrape off what I can get with a screwdriver or scraper, then use hot soapy water (Dawn) and brushes to get the rest. Simple Green mixed 50/50 or stronger is good stuff too, especially if you use hot water.

With the engine out, you can change the crank seal and the input shaft seal, assess the condition of the clutch and TO bearing, and check the end play.

You can also determine if there is a leak in the transmission and fix what's needed.

That's probably more than you're wanting to do, but that's what I've done before so I could find out what's leaking and fix it.
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Parts needed:
Front & rear NOS or used OEM door panels for a '67 in the original Gazelle color (dark tan/light brown).
Also looking for used white headliner pieces, both perforated and non-perforated.

[jinx758]

WAY BACK WHEN ...
I used Gunk brand degreaser on the underside & let it sit. I had some pvc pipe laying around & made a TEE shaped thingy. Drilled lots of teeny-tiny holes in the short end & adapted the end piece to a garden hose. Between these I put a garden fertilizer feeder with dish soap.

Degreaser, soap, & flip a lever for rinse.
Hardly had to bend over & no jacking/removal.
This was my ole '74.
Neighbor "borrowed" it then moved. Sigh.

Redneck engineering... stay safe

jinx
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[richparker]

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/RYOBI-Pressure-Washe...gLnyfD_BwE
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[wdfifteen]

I use oven cleaner when the stuff is grease mixed with dust and dirt so thick you can't even see the metal, and I've only encountered that on old, new-to-me cars.
Otherwise, grease remover or Simple Green and HOT water. I don't think Gunk foam is as good as their liquid.

A jet of really hot water is better than a pressure washer for getting oil and grease off. I used to hook a harden hose to the drain on our water heater to get hot water. When I remodeled our house, I ran a hot water line to the garage, and I'm super glad I did.