How to get old oily engine parts new again?

[250rmanfmf]

Hey guys,

I have a lot of engine parts I need to clean. I have a parts washer (harbor freight) but its a lot of scrubing and they dont come that clean and it doesn t get rid of stains. I know you can hot tank them but how do you make a hot tank? Just have a tank with hot water & solvent? Or is there a solvant that you can just let your part soak in.

Let me know what you guys do or how to build a hot tank.

Tyler

[mopar_man]

Oven cleaner works great.

[Dirtcrasher]

Honestly, look on CL or at appliance shops for a used dishwasher.

Put some cleaner in there, hook up 120V and a garden hose and that stuff will sparkle.

EDIT - All DW wash with 180 degree heat so it "sanitizes".

Dishwashers run at LEAST 6 cycles of wash.......

[cr480r]

chem dip carb cleaner works very well on aluminum.. the five gallon pail is expensive but worth it. it will last quite a while an the one gallon pail is too small for most parts... the hot tank used at my local machine shop cant be used on aluminim parts, it eats them, so he recomemded the chem-dip to me... i use it on all my 2-stroke cylinders and it even takes most the paint off.... soak parts for a day or two then pressure wash

[racer....X]

I agree with dirtcrasher........those roll around portable dishwashers work great in the shop. I use a degreaser called purple power....just sprat it on and pop in the dishwasher!

[oscarmayer]

I like to use "purple power"

[Texas 200x]

What kind of solvent are you using? MEK is great but wear gloves its bad for you. Naptha works pretty good also.

[4cfed]

soak them in purple power, you can buy it in gallon juggs at wallmart or parts stores... than take a brush and scrub them, than wash.

[Name Brand]

I've heard of guys swapping out the hoses that get eaten and turning regular dishwashers into dedicated parts washers. Obviously never use the dishwasher that's still in your kitchen.

MEK does work well for many things but it is very toxic. Besides wearing gloves, do wear splashproof eye protection and avoid breathing any of the vapors. I don't know how strong the connection is but several of the older aircraft mechanics I know who have cancer remember the days of washing parts bare handed in MEK. I'm not saying don't use it, but just be safer with it.

The parts washer at a shop I worked at was a nice homebuilt job. It was about a three foot piece of 2-foot diameter pipe on it's end. The bottom was closed (except for a capped clean out drain) and the top had a locking cover. Inside was a round wire rack to hold the parts; there were also some hooks on the inside walls to hang parts. The bottom was filled with water and a few cups of powdered soap a few inches shy of the rack. There was a pump mounted outside the pipe to circulate the water through a rotating sprayer mounted beneath the rack. It also pumped water through a center pipe with small holes all the way up it. The water was heated in the bottom with a hot water heater element. There was also a vent with a tall pipe attached to direct heat up and away. The pump and heater element were rigged to a single timer. It worked good! I want to build one!

[jeopardy98]

Sorry for bumping an old thread up but I just removed the rear axle from my 86 250r and the carrier is disgusting. It has a very thick blackish brownish sludge all over the axle and in the carrier. What is the best way to clean all this out so that I can replace the bearings and seals throughout the bike? I normally just use simple green. Would that work in this case or is the purple power better?

[Dirtcrasher]

Since I was cleaning BMX parts and even now, I often use GAS to clean greasy oily parts with a parts cleaning brush. I just stab at the stuff until it's gone. Gas is petroleum based so is generally very little rusting afterwards. Just be aware of how explosive and dangerous it can be....... The fumes themselves lay low and are lighter than air so any open pilot can ignite them; Just be aware of it and careful....

It's been about 27 years plus for me now of wrenching.....

I use the Castrol degreaser and Purple power etc too, but nothing removes old crappy grease like gas. I also use it with a green scrubby and it cleans stuff up fantastic......

[350xRules]

I have found that the cacked on greese and oils are best removed with gasoline and a wire, or plastic wire brush. Once the oils are removed the aluminum is usually stained. 1 way to clean is off is to bead blast it, especially with the glass beads. 1 other way is to use foaming alluminum acid. You can get it at most auto parts stores in the car detail section. Its used for cleaning allumunum wheels. It works on motors, and works really well on frames too, places you cant get to scrub off the grime and scum, the acid cuts right through it. Its usually good to get the bike wet before using it, as its pretty potent stuff. Its also great for removing hard water stains on paint too. Wet the bike down, spray in some acid, let it sit a min or too then hose it off. Just dont get it on the plasics, not good for them.

[harryredtrike]

i do what dc does,clean with gas outside of course.then use oven cleaner for the stains

[Erics350x]

Carb or brake cleaner also work well, but gas is much cheaper