Cleaning engines

Hi

My current engine cleaning methods are only so so.
I read that some of you use glycol (antifreeze) warmed in a crock pot.

How long do you cook em and does this dissolve all the piston/linner varnish, coake and gum.

I have a Taipan 15 BB racing motor that gets a lot of gum in the bearings. It's difficult to clean because I can't dismantle this part of the motor without a specialised puller.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-04 AT 06:42 PM (CDT)
 
Depends on how Gooey the engine is. For those completely stuck I cook the whole thing 24 hours and then they will usually come apart. Brush off the loose stuff and cook the parts another 24 hours and the rest will usually come off. I did a Sandcast Fox .35 head which was black with burnt on castor, it took 5 cookings but it looks brand new now (see picture).

The general need though is overnight for most. Make sure you do it outside in the garage or something because the fumes are nasty. Be careful not to leave it where dogs might get at it (unless you don't like dogs, just kidding) because they find it delicious, its actually poison.

Thanks,

I havn't got a crock pot. What teperatures are necessary?
Are there alternate heat sources that work well?

Regards,

Ken

Sorry Ken, I ment to cover that.

I bought my small crockpot at K-mart for $7.00, and I do most of my cleaning on low. I've found that on high you sometimes get some discoloration. I suppose you could use a hotplate and pan, but getting the temp right may be difficult.

You can't use the crockpot or whatever again, so you might as well go buy the cheap one at Kmart along with a gallon of antifreeze and clean them engines up. I took the black head off the Fox on my Mustang, put it in overnight, put it back on the engine and then thought I'd never have a chance to do the rest of the engine so the whole thing could look brand new.

Here is a picture of before and after of an OS engine I did once years ago when I first posted this method on my website. I'll stress right here and now again that I didn't event this method, but I exploit it and highly recomend it.

Hi Ken,
Call me crazy, but I really like using detergent for dishwashers in a pan on the stove. So far, I have yet to have an engine that didn't come out looking just about new, inside and out. I bring it to a boil, and let it go for 30-45 min. Just keep an eye so that you don't let it boil dry.
No hazards, quick, and the pan can still be used! After all, it is getting cleaned with the stuff we wash them with. I admit, though, the missus got me a cheap tin pan to use about 1/2 gallon size. Powder or squirt bottle both work, and I can pour it down the drain.
Dry, oil and assemble when done!
Bill (insane I guess) Little <><

Bill,

just make sure there's NO detergent residues left.

I sopiled a set of ball bearings using dishwashing stuff.

BTW, if you soak them in thinner it also will clean them .

If you use cascade dish soap, be careful to make sure that the granules all disolve. If the granules attach themselves to an iron piston they can pit it. Cascade will also darken some aluminum cases.

Thanks everyone.

I eventually found a 2nd hand crock pot fairly large for $15 Aus.
Didn't have time to cook the motor for the full 24 hr but it did a pretty good job all the same. I was able to leave the muffler in overnight and reassembled it in the morning. Did a sterling job on the muffler.

I didn't like to idea of using detergent based products as these are usually highly alkaline and will attack aluminium.

I saw lots of used engines at the Lebanon Flea Market a couple weeks ago. They'd obviously been cleaned with detergent. They all had the dark grey finish from it. Looks strange on a Fox 35, since they never had a dark finish.

Hey Phil, Ken,
Just goes to show you just how lucky I am I guess! Never had the affore mentioned problem of turning them dark.
Not being of the chemical enginerring bent, I couldn't tell ya just how alkaline the stuff I am using is, but I know enough from the old family business to know that I don't care too much for antifreeze.
I have a dog and a grandchild.
Take care,
Bill <><

My wife picked up a "Potpourri" pot at WalMart the other day. I snagged it from her as it's the perfect size for engines.
Have yet to use it, have to get some antifreeze, But I do have a few engines tore down that have a bit of Castor Oil build up on them so can't wait to try it out.

I've posted this info before.....

The safer antifreese is SIERRA brand....it is propylene glycol and much less (way much less) toxic than the ethylene glycol prestone brand. It is still nasty stuff and should be used in a remote area with a lot of ventilation.

Our daughter is a small animal veterinarian and treats antifreeze poisoning more often than she wants too.

Green Sticky Vapors and Nitro Fumes!.........Hib

The anti-freeze available today is in (2) strengths, one for the new cars/trucks which is not so strong, and one for the older versions which is much stronger. Old versions are usually green, and newer pink most of the time. One thing that has not been mentioned, is treating the case after cleaning. The gun lube Breakfree is a good lube to seal the case from enviromental damage. The cooking method is fine and works, but leaves raw case material to darken quickly if not covered with a protector. Yes, many pets are killed every year from anti-freeze. Even a (few drops!!!!!!!!!!!) will kill a cat, a little more can kill a dog. I have golden retrievers here, and the cooking process is 'very' carefully handled. A ground or driveway spill could be disasterous. Funny how we see the stuff carelessly spilled around town streets as if it were just as safe as water!

Hi William,
I take mine right out of the pot, and rinse them throughly. Then I break them down, wipe them down, and reassemble them with a connoction of oils I have. Maybe it's just that the engines do not dry with the detergent on them. Or it's just dumb luck, I guess. ( as many think)
Thanks!
Bill <><

So is the preferred anti-freeze the older-green version or the newer-pinker version? Does one work better than the other?
Nick Vanmatre