Cleaning Engine

[jimbo]

hello all. my engine is a bit minging and i think it need a good clean. do you have any suggestions on good aliminium cleaner. i was considering making a soda blaster.

[kilika2]

I just used the spray foam engine brite and then carb cleaner is the engine isn't painted. You can also get some kerosene for the really tough stuff.

Chris.

[yamaha_george]

hello all. my engine is a bit minging and i think it need a good clean. do you have any suggestions on good aliminium cleaner. i was considering making a soda blaster.

Hi,
The soda blaster will remove EVERYTHING including the paint and protective coat on the engine. The bare metal will corrode VERY quickly afterwards.
As Chris said kerosene, and a good industrial detergent will clean off most of the road grime and grease/oil based muck.
What ever you do do NOT use a pressure washer which will get thro metal to metal seals on the electrical covers and if careless into the clutch area as well despite the fact they have a gasketed areas.
I saw a lot of damage when domestic and garage fore courts pressure washers became available to Joe Public.

[thatkid]

hello all. my engine is a bit minging and i think it need a good clean. do you have any suggestions on good aliminium cleaner. i was considering making a soda blaster.

Hi,
The soda blaster will remove EVERYTHING including the paint and protective coat on the engine. The bare metal will corrode VERY quickly afterwards.
As Chris said kerosene, and a good industrial detergent will clean off most of the road grime and grease/oil based muck.
What ever you do do NOT use a pressure washer which will get thro metal to metal seals on the electrical covers and if careless into the clutch area as well despite the fact they have a gasketed areas.
I saw a lot of damage when domestic and garage fore courts pressure washers became available to Joe Public.

Actually a soda blaster will not remove everything. (ask me how I know.) It can be helpful for a chunk of stuff but kerosine will devour any and all grease and grime.

[Gizzard1533]

I used a cleaner called alloy bright. i've still got half a bottle of the stuff you can have for a 5er plus postage if you like? Im in england so shouldn't cost a lot in postage???

[Nik]

TK,
bit puzzled as Y-Geo & I have used his soda blaster before anodising some carb bowls . The soda removed the original finish just as it did on a old set of his RD engine spares .
he had to do them twice since he left it too long before sending them for coating the first time, hence I presume his comments about corrosion came from.
I should point out that he did degrease and steam clean before soda blasting

[jimbo]

I want my engine to look like new, I tryed some vinegar, water and a sploge of soap. It seemed to work alright but its just not as clean as I would like, iv just spent hours cleaning the downpipes to a nice shine and the block just looks ugly now. I done some research into the soda blaster and the finish it gives is what I want, do you think i could use some of that protector spray to keep the sheen.

Cheers for the offer on the alu cleaner, but I think Im going to go the blaster route.

@ thatkid, How do you know?

[jimbo]

Engine is done but i went down the chemical route, i used some cleaner i found in my old work for ovens which is alu safe. it worked ok but i think im going to paint it now.