Technical Cleaning Old Engine Parts

I bought a couple of nailhead core engines. Both have carbon and oil all cooked onto the surfaces of the valve retainers, rocker stands, etc. Right now, I am soaking them in my parts washer. Not sure that is going to soften that ****. What are your methods for cleaning up old crusty engine parts. I have a couple of tumblers, one dry and one wet pin. I just thought that that might be a good approach. Other ideas?

 

Easy Off oven cleaner first. Then follow up with a solvent wash.

 

Does anyone boil blocks in an old oil drum any more?

 

Uh, not me.

 

No real “hot tanks” where I’m anymore. Might be dependent on location and if the shop would pay the disposal fee.

 

Cheap oven cleaner, water rinse with a pressure washer if you've got one, then solvent wash with paint thinner. Any light rust can be removed with vinegar.

 

Small parts like valve spring retainers and keepers don't lend themselves to pressure washers. Even rocker stands and ***ociated parts don't. The oven cleaner would work, I guess. I am thinking the tumbler will do a good job on these.

 

I’m spoiled, large pieces go to work and get steam cleaned. Years ago, my Dad would soak small parts in a coffee can with gas. I use a sonic cleaner for small stuff now.

 

I haven't needed to get a block "hot tanked" (really jet washed, or baked, depending on the shop) for a while now. I let the machine shop do it, when it's time.

The stuff I've been overhauling gets scrubbed in my mineral spirits parts washer, then washed with soapy water before ***embly. It doesn't get very clean on the outside, but the inside is free of loose stuff when I'm done. That's good enough for an overhaul that isn't supposed to last 100k miles or more.

 

Many have an older oil soaked engine. Dust ac***ulates at the same time, and looks like old dried out grease. Many don’t have a pressure washer or an area it can me s****ed off and then cleaned up. It does make a mess.
So the shop will do the same thing as the customer would, if the customer had the tools, space and inclination to clean it up.
Then there are those who won’t do those things on dirt/etc because of the “environmental hazard”.
Nice to live away from people at times

 

10:1 water & Simple green , heated with a tractor supply stock tank heater in a steel bucket or drum will break it down

 

I have resorted to taking an engine and trans in a trailer to the local "do it yourself" car wash, the type that have a wand that you can walk around & pressure wash your car. I squirted the mill the day before with some old diesel and gave it a blast. It got most of the crud off, and just needed some hand clean up in a few spots.

 

Seafoam dissolves carbon. Used it on some pistons years ago.

 

Berryman’s Chem Dip,,,,,I clean all my small parts in it .
I even put a few gallons in a five gallon sealable bucket .
It will clean pistons and rods like new almost,,,,I hose them off with hot water after that .
It’s Great stuff,,,, not as strong as it used to be through !

Tommy

 

Anybody use ********y tumbler like you use to clean recycled ammo br***? I am going to give it a try.

 

Yes, I have a large vibrating tumbler with ceramic media and the special water-soluable lubricant that helps extend the life of the media. It works very well on nuts, bolts, washers and small parts that don't weigh very much. The ceramic media I use is about a quarter of an inch long, about as big around as a pencil lead and has a 45-degree "chisel" on each end. This allows the media to get into tight places and will even clean threads very efficiently.

 

It's not advisable, but the other day I had about an inch of gas left over in a coffee can that I was using to fill the bowls of a carb I was working on. I had some bellhousing bolts and stuff that were oily and had some crusted-on grease/dirt. So I tossed the bolts and stuff in the can of gas and swished it around. I let it sit for a few minutes and swished it again. I pulled the stuff out with needle-nose pliers and set it on a paper towel to dry. Everything was perfectly clean with the exception of some crud in the markings of one bolt. No s****ing, scrubbing, just swish.
I haven't used gas to clean parts since the '60s. Today's gas seems to eat everything.
Getting big parts like blocks, cranks, heads, even oil pans and valley covers is a real pain to do at home these days. Easy-off helps, aerosol carb cleaner helps and makes caked-on crud easier to s****e off. The pressure washer works good on some stuff. But mostly it's just mind-numbing, tedious labor, picking, s****ing and wire brushing.

 

This is what I use for small parts, I use the used buckets from the carburetor rebuilds as they ware done through the rotations. Smells like *** and found the brake cleaner spray after the water wash really helps with that. Carbon or caked on oil will come off with a tooth brush.

 

I've had good luck with Castrol Super Clean or Purple Power sprayed on full strength, let soak for a while. Then rustle it up with a wire or other type brush. Helps loosen it up. Re-spray, then rinse. I have hot water to my outdoor tap, works well. Cleaned old crankshaft so good, it was gray- silver when done. Looked new.

 

Yes!! Most of the fasteners on the last Harley I restored were of the silver, zinc plated variety. The first time I used my sonic cleaner, I didn’t get the Zep degreaser all rinsed off. After they dried off, it left a ****ty, white deposit all over everything. I used my ********y tumbler with walnut shells and the hardware came out looking like brand new.

 

I use Varsol in my varsol tank and rinse with hot water. Unless I feel like hauling stuff to work then it can go in the hot (caustic) tank

 

I have a steamer that I use.

They're expensive, but if you can borrow or rent one, I find it works really nice to get everything off. YMMV.

 

I’ve heard pine sol in one of those ultrasonic cleaners does good on small stuff.

 

Don't use it on aluminum

 

I've had good luck with the spray on "aircraft" paint stripper on grease and sludge, followed by a hose. Haven't done it since I got a pressure washer. Took my sludged up 454 truck engine to clean metal inside and out

 

I do occasionally, but just squirt, scrub, rinse. Not prolonged for sure.

 

Some of the small town tractor shops still have Hot Tanks. Look around.

 

Ok. I tried 2 different methods. The ********y tumbler with pyramid media would probably work well with rusty parts but not so good on cooked on oil.

So, I tried my rotary tumbler that uses thousands of SS pins plus hot water with Dawn and Lemi Shine. Wow! This cleans all the little ridges and valley and everything. I changed the water after 3 hours and ran it another 3 hours.

Look at the before and after pictures. This thing is the bomb for cleaning small parts with cooked on oil! Its also takes almost no labor and isn't messy. I wouldn't go out and buy one for this purpose but if you are an ammo reloader, you should own this tool. PS - It does an amazing job on old dirty range br***, as well.

 

My dad started doing reloading. I think the tumbler is still around somewhere. Had forgot all about it.

 

That's impressive!