Engine Cleaning

[Sofa King Slow]

I have an engine on a stand, and am cleaning it piece by piece as time allows. I am using a wire wheel on an 8-inch bench grinder without the guard and have made decent progress so far. I know better than to try to hold the block and brush it on the bench grinder. Any suggestions? Chemicals? Wire toothbrush? Send it out? My preference would to do it myself, so I can take more pride in what I have accomplished. On the other hand, I don't want this to take forever, because I need this engine done soon.

 

[reckedracing]

drill with a wire wheel?

assorted sizes will help

 

[swanny]

Castrol super tech, steel wool, toothbrush, sandblaster, degreaser, steam cleaner, wire wheel on a dremel or die grinder, or have it hot tanked. After you get it clean spray it with some high temp engine paint.

 

[Sofa King Slow]

Originally posted by swanny@Dec 7 2004, 05:29 PM
After you get it clean spray it with some high temp engine paint.

[post=427898]Quoted post[/post]​

I was told by someone whose intelligence I sometimes question to use muriatic acid. Another person said that using some chemicals would make the block subject to rusting. Will high-temp paint prevent the rust? Permanently, five years, shorter?

 

[hcivic.com]

muratic acid will work but is potent and needs to be reduced with distilled h20 also i have found that oven cleanr work good then i throw the block into the oven

 

[Crix]

Id rather spend the money and have a machine shop clean it. But those little handy steam cleaners works awsome. Good for all those little cracks and stuff.

 

[nfn15037]

Have it hot tanked and be done with it...FWIW< we have aluminum blocks so they won't rust, however acid may corrode the AL, so I would be careful. Just use some simple green or foamy engine bright and a NYLON bristle brush...steel brushes or wire weels = bad.

 

[hcivic.com]

a wire wheel dosn'e hurt the block

 

[spectacle]

Originally posted by nfn15037@Dec 8 2004, 01:36 AM
Have it hot tanked and be done with it...FWIW< we have aluminum blocks so they won't rust, however acid may corrode the AL, so I would be careful. Just use some simple green or foamy engine bright and a NYLON bristle brush...steel brushes or wire weels = bad.

[post=428046]Quoted post[/post]​

+1 for simple green...look what it did for me....

NO SCRUBBING!!!!!

 

[Sofa King Slow]

Thanks for all the info. I will attempt to post before and after pics when I get done.

 

[cycloneb18c3]

simple green corrodes aluminum. the air force did a test on some pieces of aluminum, and weighed them before the test, then soaked the pieces in simple green, and took them out and weighed them again, and they were lighter. they banned the use of it on aircraft, and related parts.
I use this super clean stuff, and this zep formula 505 stuff. the bottles say safe on aluminum, so I guess its alright.
muriatic acid is too potent, that'll eat a hole right through the block if you dont rinse it all off...not to mention the fumes...