I don't have a parts washer tub in my home garage but need to wash some engine parts. Stuff like oil pan, vavle covers, timing cover and brackets. Can anyone recomend and DIY solution? It there something I can buy that is just as good that is inexpensive?
But where are you washing them? I live in a suburban neighbor hood and the folks around here frown on "gutter washing".
The wife's dishwasher on the hot cycle. Wonderful - but do it whilst she is out and cycle it through empty afterwards.
...and if you have a rag soaked with it, it does wonders with faded laquer-based paint and chrome, too! Washes, waxes and buffs - all at the same time! ~Jason
I use a 5 gallon bucket and brushes. Castrol Purple works well but it's hell on aluminum, enamel reducer, grease and wax remover and Simple Green are about all I use. The flammable stuff goes back in a can and taken to the recycling center for HAzMat stuff or I burn it in my burn pit. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131472&highlight=Degreaser http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6274&highlight=Degreaser
Yikes!!! - how often do you have to snake your drians? I use Kerosene, Gas, 2-Cycle Gas. But I would really like a Parts washer instead. (yeah yeah I know - I've seen the other posts - I'll stop using highly flammable liquids) So please continue on with much better suggestions Anybody make thier own parts washer?
Dude! Don't get caught!!! For I know the consequences of getting caught doing that. Try dumping a 2-liter of generic Coke or a gallon of Vinegar next time you do that - it really helps out! I have one of those dishwashers you hook up to the sink, and I've been known to fill the bottom of it with vinegar, Coke, or a combination thereof, then turn the dial so that it'll begin washing without filling with water first, forcing it to spray the parts with my concoction. Then, it rinses, and comes out beautiful! ~Jason
This one? It's 39.99 at Harbor Freight. I guess I could get one of those. We actually have HF store locally I could visit.
I'm lucky, man. Mine can drain wherever I want, as it's not hooked up permanently. When we DO get a permanent one, I'm stealing it for the garage. After moving our washer & dryer into a newly made laundry room, I still have the hot & cold hookups (I mean HOT - like five feet from the water heater) out there for it, not to mention I can drain it into a bucket or whatever. You can find these "portable" dishwashers for free or next-to-nothing from folks that have just remodeled, etc at http://www.craigslist.com or in the paper. They're awesome! ~Jason
I use Kerosene, Gas, 2-Cycle Gas. But I would really like a Parts washer instead. So please continue on with much better suggestions Anybody make thier own parts washer?[/quote] If you have the room you can't beat a dedicated parts washer. Mine is a cheap 10 gal. version that all the parts and tool catalogs carry. I don't think I paid $100 for it. You can get cleaning solutions for them...some are water based. For mine I waited until they changed out the solvent in our washer at work (a huge one) and then pumped what I needed. It's very convenient to soak stuff in the tank, or just to be able to go over as you're working and open it up, clean your parts and then get back to what you were doing. If I didn't have a washer, I'd probably buy some of the cleaning solution and at least have a large pail of it (with a cover) handy. -Scott
Did someone say "DIY" Parts Washer?? Here's mine - made over 15 years ago - not real big paid absolutely nothing for it. I scavenged everything from a "soda" truck before they sent it off for scrap.. It's basically a stainless steel sink with a steel outter can. I welded the legs on it - added a shelf and mounted the scavenged carbonator pump, pressure regulator and motor on the shelf. I added an air agitator to it - but was never sure if that part was worth the effort. It has served me well over the years - I admittedly don't use it alot, but it's sure handy when I do need it. The good part is that should anything take a dump - all the parts are available - nothing special.
small stuff its a 5 gallon bucket large stuff its a wheel barrow, it moves to the part then dump the liquid into buckets for disposal
I made one using an old procelin kitchen sink, a beer keg, a sump pump, and a frame made out of 2x6's. The pump is the only part I had to buy (around $25.00). I like it better than most parts washers out there because the sink is nice and deep, and it has a big area on the left side to set parts to dry (where the drying rack used to sit). I use solvent only. It's not worth the risk to me to save a little money by using gas and potentially burn down my shop, and the cars and tools inside. If you want, i can go out and take some pictures, but I think it's pretty self explanatory.
I'm reviving this thread, as I am now thinking of doing a dishwasher parts washer. Anybody else read this thread over the last few years and have more to add? (See, FNG knows how to use the search function ) I am thinking a portable dishwasher with a catch tank above it. This way, the dishwasher pump can push the fluid out to the tank, and the next time I use the washer, the cleaning fluid will be gravity fed. Possibly no pump involved. Likely a filter of some sort will get worked into the system somewhere.. Also, most dishwashers have a heater. Is this used to heat the water on the way in, just to dry the parts..err dishes or used for both?
The hot water coming in is from your hot water lines in the house, fed by your house's hot water heater. The heater inside is just for drying. Always use how water, or else the drain will clog! ~Jason
I've had good luck using undiluted "Greased Lightning" cleanser. You can buy it at the hardwar store in 5 gallon buckets. Its not flammable so you don't have to worry about welding sparks lighting your garage on fire. Rinses clean with water. I left some engine parts with 30 years of cooked on crud soak overnight and they came out bare metal...took the paint off and everything. Make sure to use gloves though or a few layers of skin will peal off in a day or two. I'll typically pick up a large plastic tub at the local Walmart that will fit the part I'm trying to clean. I'll put the parts in a large trash bag, set them in the tub and fill it up with the cleanser. I do have one of those small benchtop parts washers that you can get from harbor freight, etc but I don't use it much. Bobby
How many guys actually use the pump? I do fine using my parts washer as a tub. Years past, I had a round galvanized wash tub for larger parts and a dedicated drain pan for smaller stuff. Get a big funnel so you can return the used kerosene or solvent to a sturdy 5 gallon can with screw on lid.
A great thread for sure with lots of solid ideas; but please keep in mind that your drain from any dishwasher set-up usually ends up making it's way into out waterways and into the ocean. Most of the cleaning agents spoken of on this thread are toxic and are not "de-toxed" in anyway with a water treatment center and end up in our rivers, streams and oceans. Sorry to put a bummer on everyone's DIY ideas but try and keep this in mind and set-up a dump station that can be brought to a recycling center and not drained into the gutter or sewer system.
I use a LARGE galvinized wash tub to clean stuff in, then for rinsing off blocks and trans cases I use a 4 X 6 sheet of 3/4" plywood and a hose connected to the hot water feed for the washing machine. Simple Green or Super Clean to finish up. This all gets done on and around the landscaped gravel driveway leading to the garage in the back, helps keep the weeds from growing. I recycle the solvent and kerosene after letting it settle and separate out. Judging from what the neighbors do, I'm more environmentally friendly than they are! Butch/56sedandelivery.
We still like to live (not sure for how long, though) in the danger zone!! Use plain old Naptha in a recirculator barrel / wash sink setup. And for that stubborn black glaze that nothing will cut, throw in a gallon of methanol. That'll do it!! K
My wife bought me a Harbor Freight parts washer for Valentine's Day a couple years ago for $69. (Yeah, nice price for a valentine's day gift). For the money, it can't be beat. Filled it with 10 gallons of odorless mineral spirits from the parts store, and it's kicked ass for the last year and a half. There are probably cheaper, shoe-string ways of getting it done, but a good parts washer that always ready to go, that you can drop parts in and forget about for a day or twelve, is worth the money every time. Before this, I used Simple Green in a bucket with a toilet bowl brush, Simple Green or Purple Stuff in a spray bottle on the lawn with the garden hose, brake cleaner over an oil drain pan, and whatever else I thought would get me through. The results were that I often had clean parts but a big mess to clean up, or I put off projects because I didn't want to deal with the mess, was out of cleaner, the oil drain pan was full, it was too cold outside to spray with the hose, the weather was too crappy to work outside, or I didn't want to spend 30 minutes getting ready to do a 4 minute job. It's a cliche that time is money, and I really don't subscribe to that too much in my own shop when I'm playing with my toys... however, spending less than $100 for years and years of easy parts cleaning is always the right decision. Even when you're broke, you can scrape up a Franklin over a month or two. Shit, throw all your spare change in a bucket for six weeks. -Brad
Totally understand that, hence the desire to use a dishwasher and pumping the drainage into a reservoir. There are many citrus based cleaners that start out clean, if you filter the gunk out, it lasts a long time, and is easily recycled. Just gotta figure out the heat part...
I like to use solvent, but have found it kills the cheap pumps real fast. What are you guys using for pumps with solvent?
We've spent a lot of money on cleaning stuff over the years. We've settled on Simple Green Crystal (not the green stuff) in a heated aqueous manual parts washer. After using solvents and citrus cleaners and god knows what else this is like magic. Cuts nasty crud quickly, rinses clean, dries fast, doesn't stink. I does dry your hands if you don't use gloves ( I like kitchen rubber gloves) and it makes the parts so clean they will rust. We put a soluble rust inhibitor in the tank to stop the rust problem. I used straight d-limonene citrus cleaner for a while - real aggressive, but I discovered that it has a shelf life and went bad in the tank and in the barrel in storage. Made a real nasty sticky crud in my nice Graymills parts washer that I couldn't get out, froze up the pump, rotted the hoses, I finally sold the tank for $50 to get rid of it.
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