cleaning grubby cast engine parts

[monteeman]

Hello, I was looking for recommendations for some wonder product, - capable of cleaning up grubby cast engine parts. 

The less physical exertion the better, any recommendations?

Alloy wheel cleaner any good, or what do you use. I want it like new again, if possible.

Thanks 

[ChrisCH]

Define "grubby".  If the stuff to be removed is grease/oil based dirt then a degreaser is the best way to go.  Rust needs a derusting product and a combination of rust and grease needs both.

Alloy wheel cleaner is a catch all for all sorts of detergents that might or might not shift whatever is on the base metal.  Like all cleaners they are there to make money for the detergent company.

We sell an industrial level cleaner that is very similar to muck-off and that will shift most stuff.  Muck-off is pretty good and if you brush it in will shift a wide range of things and then rinses off.  You can buy it most places (push bike shops are a good start) and it would be my first option.  A specialist grease product like Jizer is good for grease/oil.

But no, there is no wonder product that does it all and the only way to get your particular task done is to try different products to find the one that relates to the material that you want to shift.  The least effort possible would be to take it to a bead blaster and let them do the work.

[monteeman]

Define grubby?

well its the ingrained stuff on the outside of the cylinder/ main engine crankcases, its not rust, more like engrained in dirt/peat staining.

Ive used alloy wheel cleaners in the past and to be honest, most of them were pretty p*** poor, the spray on foam type. 

Ive got some gunk ultra degreaser and some parrafin, which have both worked well in the past. I also used to use some stuff out of the 99p shop called elbow grease, which also worked fairly well.

I suppose a few hours with an old toothbriush and parrafin should do it, but I just wondered if technology had moved on.

Obviously not

[ChrisCH]

35 minutes ago, monteeman said:

....

I suppose a few hours with an old toothbriush and parrafin should do it, but I just wondered if technology had moved on.

Obviously not

It's not the technology to be fair it is what you can buy as a private individual.  There are acid bath products that would almost certainly give a near-new finish with little effort.  All of those kinds of products are restricted as they are environmentally hazardous and usually dangerous to the end user too.  If you haven't bought paint stripper in a while you will be very disappointed if you try to strip paint with Nitromors.  The active ingredient is carcinogenic and has been banned.  The new formula is about as much use as the wheel cleaners you describe.

If you have a bead blaster or powder coating place near you it is worth asking, often a couple of little items can go in with a batch for a tenner cash and a big smile.

[monteeman]

Quote

 

yes I know about he nitromors thing, what with the chemicals and tree huggers etc?.

ive managed to get some proper paint stripper its called "starchem synstryp" if you are looking for the decent stuff, which works like the old nitromors used to. 

I will give the paraffin and degreaser a try, I really don't want to be stripping the engine, just to clean it up, to be honest. 

 

[faussy]

If this is bare aluminium you are talking about and its really bad, a wire wheel and a drill. Ive had staining before on barrels (particularly gasgas ones) which i rub with some scotch brite whenever im cleaning.

TFR works great, but it also does a good job at staining aluminium too, if left on too long at too high a concentration! Id advise against

If the parts are painted, you shouldn't be having any problems with a simple cleaner

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by faussy

[monteeman]

Quote

 

cool thanks for that,.

I don't like the idea of it eating rubber parts etc, so I will try the degreaser first. if that doesn't work tho, Mr muscle to the rescue lol. 

cheers

[djr]

Quote

 

have you tried putting them in a dishwasher at the highest setting ?  { not recommended if married }

like everything else sometimes you can get good results this way, sometimes not

[walkertrials]

Aqua blasting not over expensive & people setting up all over doing it.

[thai-ty]

On 1/21/2020 at 6:06 PM, walkertrials said:

Aqua blasting not over expensive & people setting up all over doing it.

+1.

Nothing better for getting that new out of the showroom look on crankcases. Nothing.

And unlike a 4 stroke, a 2 stroke has not exactly got oil galleries etc in the cases to be wary of when cleaning prior to re-assembly.

[chains]

Proclean5000 will do the trick 

[nigel dabster]

try the harpic non bleach bleach in a mainly black container.

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