Save you from yourself? More like save you from your wife. Why not clean it like everybody always has? With a flame thrower.
All kidding aside.... I currently use an ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Green or Dawn detergent for a lot of the cleaning duties needed when rebuilding automotive electrical parts - BUT - you should consider the right way to dry them out; if you have a really small room, or a large closet, you need to place an little electric heater in there along with a small dehumidifier to finish the job. The heater raises the temperature enough so that the water droplets turn to vapor, and then the dehumidifier removes them from the air. This is the same procedure that is used by fire salvage companies that do large insurance jobs, and nearly anything that can be placed in an ultrasonic tub can be washed and saved.
Where I work we rebuild radar systems for the military. We use a pressure washer to clean the circuit boards. As long as you get it dry afterwards no problem.
Once upon a time I worked in a motor repair shop. We routinely pressure washed motors with really nasty caustic soap. (would take your skin off) Disassemble, pressure wash, and reassemble. parts with wire (armatures, field coils,etc.) were baked for 8 hours at about 300 degrees to dry them. We didn't worry about bearings as they were always replaced with new ones at****embly.
In the middle 80's I owned a Laundromat and kicked a guy out for putting a carburetor through one of my washers.
I wouldn't as it would wash the oil and grease out of the bushings , granted if you disassembeld it and not wash the endplates , and selinoid and put it in there it would do a great job removing the dirt and scum . but there isn't mushc space open inside of them as its filled with coils and laminated steel . and post wash rust would be more of a concern on the laminations , I would just hose down the exterior with some purple stuff and a pressure washer and leave it be. the next question on cooking with my car is from .........
I have often run glass headlight and taillight lenses through the dishwasher. The '36 Ford bug-eye headlight lenses I have on my '38 pickup were NOS when I got them, but they had sat gathering dust for many years and were filthy and caked in dirt. Ran them through the dishwasher with Cascade, came out crystal clear and perfect.
we had one at the body shop . just remember to disconnect the heating element in it or it might catch fire ! ( how do I know this ... welllllll ...... ) and pump the waste water into a drum and skim the oil off before draining it especially if you have a septic system or a grey water tank
Absolutely! I can also tell you the noise a girlfriend makes when she gets off the plane from Hong Kong and discovers you forgot to take the VW engine cases out of the dishwasher.... Well, I guess I really can't tell you the exact noise, 'cause I'm pretty sure it was only intelligible to small dogs and bats, and maybe a few other Cantonese speaking people in the neighborhood, but you get the idea... Her fault anyway, I never wanted to move into the luxury place with the dishwasher. Ya, that argument didn't work very well either.
I used to put my carburetor parts in the dishwasher to prep them for dipping. No dishwasher in my new place....
Not even that so much, I already knew most of those from hanging out with her dad. No it was the high-pitched, beyond human screams of absolute white hot rage that still make me laugh until I tear at the corners of my eyes. I swear the neighbors Chihuahua went deaf that night....
Why not?? Just make sure everything is completely dry before energizing it. I use the dishwasher to clean my TV remotes. I unload the batteries and put in in for the "Short Cycle." I blow dry them with a hair dryer and they work fine. Normbc9
I suspect that the case would be the same for me, plus a concussion from one or another kitchen appliance.
The problem with running a starter or any other electrical device through a dishwasher isn't the wife, it's the windings! The hot water will get inside the motor, where some water splashing on a starter while driving will never get inside. Water getting into the windings of a starter or alternator will eventually get through the varnish dip they use and break down the windings, which will cause a short. Unless you disassemble the starter and heat the windings to about 300 degrees for a 4-6 hour bake, they will be damp and eventually fail. Even windings that sit in a humid environment can go bad, as they tend to wick water for some odd reason. I've seen starters that worked great get stored away in a damp environment, and when used a few years later they went up in smoke from moisture in the windings.
I probably should have started a new thread yesterday instead of reviving the starter in the dishwasher saga, surely the OP is past that now. But I did learn something...never had a dishwasher before, so you just plumb in cold water and the dishwasher heats it up? Hmm, may have to try it.
I would put a fully****embled part like a starter motor in there but I use the dishwasher all the time to prep parts for paint. Clean the really heavy dirt and grease off with paraffin and then in it goes. Comes out perfectly clean and degreased ready for paint. Lenses from headlights and tail lights come out great too.
It sure wouldn't be the first car part to cleaned in the dish washer but I would be Leary of trying it with a starter,, Have you ever heard the old saying,"If momma ain't happy nobody is"! She is gonna be a little more than upset when she finds out it's the new parts washer. HRP
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