What do you use to scrub your block and larger sections?

My block, oil pan, inner valve cover, heads, and rocker arm assemblies are so gummed up with grime that regular cleaners aren't cutting it. I have to scrape stuff off in layers and getting into nooks & crannies is proving painstakingly difficult.

Is there anything you use to soak parts in that have lifted the oil & grease off/out? Some sort of dip/bath would be great.

 

I've used oven cleaner and hot water at the jet car wash in the past.

 

Brake cleaner works pretty good too, I've found, but maybe not for something as bad as yours sounds (mine is the same, havn't gotten to trying to clean it... Still working on making it street legal).

 

Simple Green works really well.

 

When I first got my dent parts of the engine were gummed up a lot like what your describing. I got an engine degreaser from my auto store called "gunk engine degreaser" and if you have a really tuff spot just hose it and let it sit for a while. It worked really well for me. But ive heard simple green a million times too. Never actually tried it tho. Good luck.

 

Get a wire wheel or brush. I use a slag wheel for a 4.5" grinder. It takes all the large stuff off. I also have a bucket with a couple gallons of kerosene that I use to clean up parts.

 

On some engines / parts in the past I bought a gallon of heavy duty degreaser and sprayed it or brushed it on the tough spots and followed it up with a pressure washer. It seemed to clean up pretty good, but you have to be a little carefull with a pressure washer in where you spray it and how close you get depending on the PSI rating.

OJ

 

I used a scraper, wire brushes, parts washer brush, simple green, purple power, carb and choke spray, gas, Gunk egine cleaner, all sorts of stuff if I ran out of one, I switched to the other. I wished I had a parts washer at the time, but all available monies were going into the truck.

 

Full strength simple green on warm engine. Let sit for at least a half hour, pressure off. Repeat many times as needed. Mine took close to half a gallon and about 5x to get it so so.

 

I've had luck with simple green, but even better is the ZEP "industrial purple degreaser" they sell in concentrate form at the HomoDepot.

If you can soak the stuff in it great - if not you can dilute it or run it full strength in a spray bottle and squirt on the motor and hose off. WEAR GLOVES and don't breathe the stuff though - it HURTS!

 

Castrol Super Clean works good too. Same thing though....you don't want to inhale too much of it.

 

HomeDepot! Ha!

I wonder if they sell it at "bLowe's"?

 

Floway from the people who make Kroil. It's pretty amazing stuff.

 

Another thing that's worked good for me is to clean small parts in an old aluminum pan using either laquer thinner or mineral spirits and a good little brush. The good thing about mineral spirits is that it doesn't take paint off of parts like laquer thinner will...at least I haven't had that problem.

OJ

 

If that does it's job 1/2 as well as Kroil does it's job I'd bet it's some GOOD stuff!