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what do you use to clean engine parts with?

36K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  Jim Mac 
#1 ·
I looked and found out that I cant buy good ol cleaning solvent in my area anymore.what else can I use that works good and leaves no residue.
Rich
 
#4 ·
What do you normally call solvent? I have always called it mineral spirits. You can buy it from any parts store around here. Most of them sell it by the gallon though, and charge about $11 now. I have always bought it in 55 gallon drums. It has got extremely expensive. I used to buy a 55 gallon drum of virgin mineral spirits for $80(about 8 years ago), and now it is up to $8 a gallon in bulk, which with tax is almost $500. Man are we ever getting screwed. I used to fill my 200 gal. tank of ATF for just over $500, now it is over $1300 for the same amount. When oil prices went up, so did all petro products and solvents, but when oil prices went down, the petro products never went down with it.
 
#5 ·
I keep spray cans of carb cleaner around and use it for most things. I use tons of paper towels to clean up afterwards.

Gunk in spray cans also works.

Next up is my pressure washer. This has worked pretty well for the last several years. The main drawback is the debris gets on the driveway.

For engine blocks and tranny parts, I also try to get them cleaned at a machine shop.
 
#6 ·
At work, when I get in a bind I'm pouring diesel fuel in a bucket. I hate it but it'll get you out of a bind.

I reckon if I was in the bay area and couldn't find solvent I'd walk into a Cat dealers parts department and ask for a 5 gallon bucket of mineral spirits, aka almost solvent. It even has a Cat part#. They carry it because they know the trick just like I do,,,, they sell it they don't use it.:D
We tear up at least 3 buckets of solvent per overhaul, sometimes 5 or 6(and it's scary high, 50 bux a bucket for over a year now). I can still get my hands on solvent here, I've been told to don't let the safety man know about it. I could care less what the safety man knows, he messes with me and I'll put some of my customers on him and see how he likes heat. But he's been warned to stay clear of me, so we're buds;). We aren't supposed to have buckets in our trucks either. Yeah right bite me.

And I go through a couple or 3 cases of Berryman Carb Cleaner every overhaul as do all my guys. B-12 is the only one that's worth a hoot, and it's pricey. About 60 bux a case. There's others cheaper but either they don't work or all gone in a few seconds. And I've gotten where I don't trust the cleanliness of solvent and air, so I use Carb cleaner last. But we work on massive stuff, I can do a car engine with just 3 or 4 cans on assembly.

Used to go through buttloads of Berrymans Lectrosol, 10 -12 cases at a time. Man I had a bad habit. That stuff cleans good, and I love the way it flashes off. But I decided I was mad at it for some reason. Carb cleaner's more fun anyway, it'll burn.

I've used plenty of diesel fuel when working offshore but dammit that's nasty. Just can't get that stink out of your nose after. Gasoline will clean but it leaves too much residue. And I guess some folks fear it. I respect it but a gallon of gas is nothing compared to what I spend my days around.

And believe it or not, I've done quite a few overhauls using nothing but soap and water followed by air then wd for cleaning. In truth I think those were the cleanest I ever did and I'm a clean freak. Hell that's how factories build stuff, soapy water with antirust chemicals. The problem with water is 32°F, and 8.8#/gallon. Just last week i told some guys on a crashed machine to just steam the insides of it. They thought they had heard me wrong over the cell and were kinda incredulous, no it's perfectly legit and does great.....you just have to work hard ith air and wd to dissipate it all before you rust.

A little 2 gallon pail of modern day piss type liquid carb cleaner is a good way to soak bolts and stuff. But it may take friggin weeks.

My brothers tranny shop has a damhot water parts washer as does our shop. Those do remarkably good. But that's a $4K investment.

I did a little 305 at home last year, honed the cylinders myself and all that jazz. I had 2 old cans of Gunk and worked it in the poop with a brush and just let it sit all day. Then I pressure washed it, then a garden hose and a bucket of hot soapy water and brushes, then air and wd. It came out pretty fair for as nasty as it was. I just didn't want to spend a friggin penny on it is why I didn't go vat it.
 
#7 ·
I am a big fan of simple green, i use it quite a bit on motors and trannys as it is a degreaser.my .02
 
#8 ·
i was in the parts store, and asked them if they had any kind of cleaner, they had 5 gal buckets, around 70-80 bucks, prob min spirits-the stuff is $12 at ace hardware, so i use it sparingly, lol
and forget the mix with water save the bay stuff, doesnt work good
 
#12 ·
Deisel (JP 8) burned my skin once...

Was putting together a fuel system in Iraq for a generator and the 500 gallon tank didnt have a shut off valve. Held our hands over the pipe until we found all the fittings...

Put the fittings together as best we can and then let er rip...

My boots and entire pants were soaked with JP8. I ran to change after we were done and my legs from my knees down to my toes were redbeet red with some traces of blood. Hair fell off too.

In our parts washer we use whatever we find lying around. There is a mix of simple green, the purple stuff, lacquer thinner, starting fluid...etc.
 
#16 ·
If you have a gunked up block, just drive it over to your favorite do it yourself car wash and use the engine cleaner. jim
 
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