Which Engine Degreaser Do You Use?

[SHOZ123]

Oven cleaner=caustic soda=lye. Excellent at cleaning carbon off of aluminum but it needs a rinse.

 

[NP SHO]

Any suggestions on how long to leave the oven cleaner on before rinsing? Also would I have to keep it off of any specific parts of the engine? Might think about doing this this weekend. My engine bay has been somewhat neglected since bringing it back out from winter hibernation.

 

[SHOZ123]

Oven cleaner time depends on amount of crap/temperature. The hotter it is the better it works. I have only used this stuff on hard carbon deposits. Never tried it on soft greasy crapolla.

 

[AREA 91]

brake cleaner in the arm pits ............:laugh_ti: I'm not even going to ask how....... sat on couple of rag soaked in brake cleaner that sucks could not even think about the arm pits....

It burns like a MO FO!!!!

 

[JRA2000TL]

So far, I've used the Gunk Engine Brite....it does work ok, but you really need to allocate time and sit down and scrub the parts. Spraying it, letting it sit, and hosing it down only does a halfass job. I'll be cleaning alot of this crap since I have the front of the engine torn down for a timing belt job.

 

[RonPorter]

I like the Gunk Foam stuff the best, but I never used it on a really cruddy engine. I just leave it running at the car wash when I apply then spray it off. Have never had a problem.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Yeah the Gunk I used was the "gel". It's hard to not get water in those plug wells facing the front of the car, but I blew mine out with compressed air---blew alot of oil out and all over me too! Valve cover gaskets need to be done.

 

[SHO1]

The Foamy Engine Brite works quite well, especially if used on a cold and dry engine as specified in directions (I'd guess the other types say that too, don't know?), but very caked up spots will likely need extra attention. It is alot less effective if sprayed on a warm and/or wet engine.

 

[platoribs]

Definitely try to avoid getting water in and around the plug wells, and don't be surprised if they get wet anyway. I personally wouldn't want to do this unless I have a compressed air source nearby to blow the water out of the wells afterwards. I power-washed my whole engine bay earlier this year, and 5 of the 6 wells needed to be blown out. Even after they were dried out, the resulting misfire took a little while to clear up.

An engine compartment with a questionable pedigree getting a hi pressure bath will likely yield a dead car you may spend considerable time diagnosing... just saying!

I looked at a car once a woman killed with a car wash!

I recently used some stuff on green's engine bay that reacted to the hydrocarbon contaminates, rinsed it off with a spray bottle and low pressure water hose.

 

[carterh]

Brake cleaner(assortment of bristle brushes+rags+Kerosene) = no need to pressure wash.

I used to use brake parts cleaner but was recently told it will dry out any lines or seals that it comes in contact with, which doesn't seem too far fetched.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Since this thread has been brought back up, I've been using brake clean underneath the 89 while doing this bearing swap. It seems to work the best, although you do need to scrub with it and use liberal amounts. I'm going to pick up some type of durable brush and continue cleaning as I finish the job. I was literally covered head to toe in dirt, oil, and grease the other day after working on it. Starter is covered in oil, so it will get a bath before reinstalling.

 

[jimtash]

Coin operated car wash with a degreaser option. I haven't come across anything that cleans better and bonus here, they heat the water too.

 

[auto.guru]

Oven cleaner time depends on amount of crap/temperature. The hotter it is the better it works. I have only used this stuff on hard carbon deposits. Never tried it on soft greasy crapolla.

carbon and water are complete enemies. If you can, soak any carbon parts in water. When i need to clean up pistons full of carbon, i put them in a bucket of water for a day. then take a rag and just wipe off the carbon

 

[JRA2000TL]

Bumping this thread because I just removed the intake from my 89 last night to do the upper 60. Man, it is nasty ass!

I know we've discussed quite a few methods here, but now that I have this thing apart, I can clean the intake and valve covers decently with some of the methods described in this thread. (I don't really want to disassemble the intake b/c I'm lazy), but I can still clean it better than if it were bolted on the car.

What about all these dirty / dusty wiring harnesses, the back firewall area (around the wiper motor), etc.? They're just caked in dirt. I can post a pic later to show what I'm talking about. I wish I could just power wash the damn thing like dealers do; makes the engine bay look like new, but I know this is a no-no for this car.

 

[93rev2sev]

You most certainly CAN pressure wash the engine compartment in a SHO.

You just have to take a few minutes to prepare the thing. Pull the wires from the plugs, and bag them up with the coilpack in a 1 gallon ziploc.

Continue that trend by disconnecting and sealing the rest of the important engine electronics....remove and tape up the IRCM connector, MAF, etc...

Hand dry everything you can and used compressed air in the plug holes before reassembling.

Maybe a half an hour worth of prep can save you several hours of nook and cranny brushing.

 

[jelloslug]

My personal favorite cleaner is Castrol Super Clean undiluted. You can buy it in 1 gallon jugs at Home Depot under the "Zep" brand for about $10. Take that and one of the $3 Home Depot "professional" spray bottles and you have a good setup. I like to let the cleaner soak for 10 to 15 minutes and then the grime usually just sprays off. This cleaner is one of the ones that you should wear gloves with and the mist/fumes are harsh so try not to breath them.

 

[K-Dawg]

For degreasing, Purple Power seems to work ok.

For general cleaning, I use Meguiars D103 All Purpose Cleaner Plus. I use a brush like this to get in all the nooks and crannies.

 

[JRA2000TL]

For degreasing, Purple Power seems to work ok.

For general cleaning, I use Meguiars D103 All Purpose Cleaner Plus. I use a brush like this to get in all the nooks and crannies.

Those look like good products, especially that Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner. I need to start checking out that site more often. Walmart and the parts stores don't have as much of a selection.

 

[platoribs]

Best solvent to remove intake inside buildup is marine paint stripper, preferably some stuff that is water soluable. This stuff will wilt the exterior coating on the 'snakes' and plenum's too though so use caution or be prepared to repaint/PC the intake... Brush the stuff on the insides of the tanks (definately disassemble intake), let it sit for 30 seconds, rinse it out with water hose. Stripper will flow out like big globs of black (carbon) snot!!!, leaving nuthing but gleaming aluminum. Oh and use heavy duty rubber gloves or expect painful chemical burns...

 

[auto.guru]

its just easier to go to autozone and buy the Aircraft Stripper thats in an aerosol can.

spray it on, wipe it off...