What is every one using for cleaning Dirty engine parts?

I used a cleaning solvent before but I can't find it for sale any more do to EPA B.S. And I wont use Gasoline. Thanks for any help. And Merry Christmas to All.

 

? At home ? Engine still in car?

 

If your working at home & just doing some parts - try a 5 gallon pail filled with HOT water & dish soap, soak at scrub / brush. If you are taking your stuff up to the self serve car wash it adds up $ wise to quick...just my 2 cents worth

 

Stoddard Solvent

 

baked on grease = Spray oven cleaner

 

I like Stodard myself, but I have cleaned parts with oven cleaner (I heat them up first, I bought an oven at a yard sale just for stuff like this).

There is another thread going about what to use in a parts washer, it might help.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229704

Merry Christm*** back at ya.

 

por15 marine clean good for white walls too

 

Never knew it worked on white walls (I use simple green for that). Learn something every day.

 

Castrol Super Clean, Dawn dish wash liquid are the ones that I hear used alot.
I work in a race engine shop so I'm spoiled by our commercial cleaners.
Smokey

 

mineral spirits

 

Cheap parts cleaner from Harbor Frieght and 5gal fo mineral sprits works great.

 

Tide liquid concentrate, straight from the old lady's washroom. No dilution. Scrub til clean, wash with water. Great on your hands, too.

 

I'm a big fan of Simple Green Automotive. Seems to get even the crustiest 50-year-old crud off.

 

I have two Graymills Tempest machines but now they are too expensive. Mine were less than a grand each but that was a long time ago

These use hot soapy water and pressure. I had a buddy measurre up mine and got the parts at Grangers. He built good machines for a tenth of Grays $5000 price!!

The do work well I think you could build one outta a cheap sand blast cabnet if you don't want to build a box

Here's a photo

 

Oven cleaner if your not worried about the paint.

 

I really like Simple Green, especially for engine bay, on vehicle stuff. for the really stuck, nasty stuff oven cleaner usually does the trick. BTW, costco has a Kirkland brand of Simple Green, other than a slightly different smell, I can't tell the difference.
with the Castrol SuperClean or PurplePower, make sure you heed the directions and don't leave it on aluminum for too long...those cleaners work really well but have a LOT of acid in them; so make sure it's used quickly and rinsed out extremely well.