CaptDistraction
New member
Hi Everybody,
IÔÇÖd like to tap into the collective airhead wisdom and accumulated knowledge file about the best way to clean a pre 1995 cast engine, specifically the one I have to clean which has lots of the white aluminum oxidation (or maybe this is salt damage?). I heard that the August Issue of ON had an article about cleaning the bikes, but I let my subscription lapse because I am moving to South Africa. I have searched some of the forums and scoured (pun intended) the Internet and, right or wrong, this is what I have found so far in no particular order...
1) WEAR EYE PROTECTION. WEAR SUITABLE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND/OR BREATHING APPARATUS AS NECESSARY. WORK ONLY IN WELL-VENTILATED AREAS AND KEEP THE SOLVENTS AWAY FROM FLAME.
2) NEVER use steel wool of any grade, as it will leave behind small little particles that will rust on the case
3) Using compressed air to facilitate the drying process can easily force water into unwanted areas of your engine and is not recommended
4) Before you start washing and spraying water. Check where the speedo cable goes into the transmission. There is a bell shaped rubber seal around the cable ÔÇô if that is not in good shape with a waterproof grease up in it, then water can enter the transmission and cause lots of damage.
5) With the engine cold start with soap and warm water with the help of a stiff bristle brush (toilet brush, nylon toothbrush, etc). Allow to dry before trying any other processes (Bill Shaw)
6) Once thoroughly washed, use Simple Green, Foamy Engine Bright (or some other engine degreaser) or S100 Engine Restorer to attack the really greasy areas.
7) Green scouring pad (Scotchbrite etc) soaked in carb cleaner (sprayed on pad, not the engine as it will eat paint) and lots of elbow grease
8) Eagle One Etching Mag Cleaner (designed for non-clear coated surfaces) and work it in using stiff-bristled brush. But be careful. This highly acidic cleaner will dull the aluminum surface if left on too long (from Bill Shaw at MortonÔÇÖs BMW). "Etching formula mag wheel cleaner": it contains phosphoric and hydrofluoric acids and bubbles when applied. Use a stainless steel wire "tooth" brush to expedite activity. Avoid the fumes. Leaves a dull light grey finish that can be lightened up by wiping with a paper towel/cloth immediately after brushing with the wire brush.
9) Lime Away: a kitchen product that I have used with success in my bathtub to remove stains and purported to remove old, heavy oxidation on aluminum engines (from Bill Shaw). However, this is basically sulfuric acid in a pretty bottle ÔÇô I am very hesitant to use this. Has anyone had any experience with this?
10) Media blasting: soda blasting seems like the least damaging with the best outcome, but I assume this is only to be done if the engine is disassembled as it would works its way into a complete engine and cause damage, correct?
11) White Lightning brand Greased Lightning "Orange Blast" ÔÇ£IMHO, Simple Green and Castrol "Purple Power" are too caustic for aluminum and unless you're very careful with it, you'll end up with more corrosion after than before. For the truly anal, you can follow the Orange Blast treatment with some kerosene dipped in a soft wire brush (brass or aluminum. Don't use steel or you'll scratch the heck out of your cases) for a spectacular finish.ÔÇØ (David # 476 ÔÇ£dlearl476ÔÇØ)
12) ÔÇ£...Gojo hand cleaner and a stiff brush followed by a good water rinse. It'll remove the stains but not the paint. The stuff I have has a grit in it, but I have seen it without grit and would use that too if it is what I had. I have used this technique on quite a few model airplane engines which stain up with castor oil residue which is real tough to remove. Makes a nice smell tooÔÇØ (ÔÇ£donkey doctorÔÇØ)
13) ÔÇ£A hint from Heloise -- the makers of naval jelly, the acidic rust remover gel also make aluminum jelly. Wash an area like cases or fins first to remove dirt and oil/grease and let dry. Work in aluminum jelly with a stiff brush. it will chemically clean the aluminum of imbedded dirt, stains etc. and leave cases looking very fresh without harming the metal. Wash off thoroughly and do not let it sit on paint or other finished surfacesÔÇØ (from ÔÇ£JohnPÔÇØ). Has anyone else tried this?
14) WD-40: designed as a water dispersant, it is very effective in penetrating dirt and oil, and lifting it away from the engine cases (also from Bill Shaw). It can be kind of corrosive and can leave deposits over time. Keep it WELL AWAY from locks, electrical contacts, etc. The solvent doesn't work as good on varnish as real carb cleaner, but of course WD-40 leaves the surface protected due to the oils in it. Use it immediately after you have de-crudded (like that verb?) and brushed/blasted to keep surface shiny.
15) Diesel fuel and an old paint brush will do a great job cleaning (Paul Lehrer ÔÇ£s09rwmbÔÇØ)
16) Kerosene, paint thinner, gasoline, naphtha (in decreasing order of flammability and increasing order of volatility, I think): Use to remove oil, oily dirt, and tar. Use a wire brush or toothbrush to assist in getting off thick gunk. Does nothing for corrosion.
I have some pieces of /5 engine case lying around. They all came from the same engine so they have the same amount of dirt on them. While I wasnÔÇÖt scientifically inclined enough to take before and after pictures, I will say that the carb cleaner was ineffective, at least with the effort I put into it, and the cleanest results came with a Scotchbrite pad and diluted Simple Green. However, my level of elbow grease left visible small scratches in the case. These cleaned up a little with the use of Barkeepers Friend (an abrasive powder that my wife uses on her stainless steel cookware), but that is probably not a step to be used on an assembled engine as the powder could get into the engine. I did not try the Lime Away.
IÔÇÖd appreciate hearing from folks who have tried any of these methods and what the results were and from folks who have methods that arenÔÇÖt listed here.
Thanks!
David Edwards
Durham, NC
IÔÇÖd like to tap into the collective airhead wisdom and accumulated knowledge file about the best way to clean a pre 1995 cast engine, specifically the one I have to clean which has lots of the white aluminum oxidation (or maybe this is salt damage?). I heard that the August Issue of ON had an article about cleaning the bikes, but I let my subscription lapse because I am moving to South Africa. I have searched some of the forums and scoured (pun intended) the Internet and, right or wrong, this is what I have found so far in no particular order...
1) WEAR EYE PROTECTION. WEAR SUITABLE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND/OR BREATHING APPARATUS AS NECESSARY. WORK ONLY IN WELL-VENTILATED AREAS AND KEEP THE SOLVENTS AWAY FROM FLAME.
2) NEVER use steel wool of any grade, as it will leave behind small little particles that will rust on the case
3) Using compressed air to facilitate the drying process can easily force water into unwanted areas of your engine and is not recommended
4) Before you start washing and spraying water. Check where the speedo cable goes into the transmission. There is a bell shaped rubber seal around the cable ÔÇô if that is not in good shape with a waterproof grease up in it, then water can enter the transmission and cause lots of damage.
5) With the engine cold start with soap and warm water with the help of a stiff bristle brush (toilet brush, nylon toothbrush, etc). Allow to dry before trying any other processes (Bill Shaw)
6) Once thoroughly washed, use Simple Green, Foamy Engine Bright (or some other engine degreaser) or S100 Engine Restorer to attack the really greasy areas.
7) Green scouring pad (Scotchbrite etc) soaked in carb cleaner (sprayed on pad, not the engine as it will eat paint) and lots of elbow grease
8) Eagle One Etching Mag Cleaner (designed for non-clear coated surfaces) and work it in using stiff-bristled brush. But be careful. This highly acidic cleaner will dull the aluminum surface if left on too long (from Bill Shaw at MortonÔÇÖs BMW). "Etching formula mag wheel cleaner": it contains phosphoric and hydrofluoric acids and bubbles when applied. Use a stainless steel wire "tooth" brush to expedite activity. Avoid the fumes. Leaves a dull light grey finish that can be lightened up by wiping with a paper towel/cloth immediately after brushing with the wire brush.
9) Lime Away: a kitchen product that I have used with success in my bathtub to remove stains and purported to remove old, heavy oxidation on aluminum engines (from Bill Shaw). However, this is basically sulfuric acid in a pretty bottle ÔÇô I am very hesitant to use this. Has anyone had any experience with this?
10) Media blasting: soda blasting seems like the least damaging with the best outcome, but I assume this is only to be done if the engine is disassembled as it would works its way into a complete engine and cause damage, correct?
11) White Lightning brand Greased Lightning "Orange Blast" ÔÇ£IMHO, Simple Green and Castrol "Purple Power" are too caustic for aluminum and unless you're very careful with it, you'll end up with more corrosion after than before. For the truly anal, you can follow the Orange Blast treatment with some kerosene dipped in a soft wire brush (brass or aluminum. Don't use steel or you'll scratch the heck out of your cases) for a spectacular finish.ÔÇØ (David # 476 ÔÇ£dlearl476ÔÇØ)
12) ÔÇ£...Gojo hand cleaner and a stiff brush followed by a good water rinse. It'll remove the stains but not the paint. The stuff I have has a grit in it, but I have seen it without grit and would use that too if it is what I had. I have used this technique on quite a few model airplane engines which stain up with castor oil residue which is real tough to remove. Makes a nice smell tooÔÇØ (ÔÇ£donkey doctorÔÇØ)
13) ÔÇ£A hint from Heloise -- the makers of naval jelly, the acidic rust remover gel also make aluminum jelly. Wash an area like cases or fins first to remove dirt and oil/grease and let dry. Work in aluminum jelly with a stiff brush. it will chemically clean the aluminum of imbedded dirt, stains etc. and leave cases looking very fresh without harming the metal. Wash off thoroughly and do not let it sit on paint or other finished surfacesÔÇØ (from ÔÇ£JohnPÔÇØ). Has anyone else tried this?
14) WD-40: designed as a water dispersant, it is very effective in penetrating dirt and oil, and lifting it away from the engine cases (also from Bill Shaw). It can be kind of corrosive and can leave deposits over time. Keep it WELL AWAY from locks, electrical contacts, etc. The solvent doesn't work as good on varnish as real carb cleaner, but of course WD-40 leaves the surface protected due to the oils in it. Use it immediately after you have de-crudded (like that verb?) and brushed/blasted to keep surface shiny.
15) Diesel fuel and an old paint brush will do a great job cleaning (Paul Lehrer ÔÇ£s09rwmbÔÇØ)
16) Kerosene, paint thinner, gasoline, naphtha (in decreasing order of flammability and increasing order of volatility, I think): Use to remove oil, oily dirt, and tar. Use a wire brush or toothbrush to assist in getting off thick gunk. Does nothing for corrosion.
I have some pieces of /5 engine case lying around. They all came from the same engine so they have the same amount of dirt on them. While I wasnÔÇÖt scientifically inclined enough to take before and after pictures, I will say that the carb cleaner was ineffective, at least with the effort I put into it, and the cleanest results came with a Scotchbrite pad and diluted Simple Green. However, my level of elbow grease left visible small scratches in the case. These cleaned up a little with the use of Barkeepers Friend (an abrasive powder that my wife uses on her stainless steel cookware), but that is probably not a step to be used on an assembled engine as the powder could get into the engine. I did not try the Lime Away.
IÔÇÖd appreciate hearing from folks who have tried any of these methods and what the results were and from folks who have methods that arenÔÇÖt listed here.
Thanks!
David Edwards
Durham, NC
