I have my 3800 out and the F23 sitting on my garage floor. Just wondering what is the best way to clean them up and look like new without using chemicals harsh enough to cause any bearing or component damage?
I use Simple Green and a power washer. A wire brush for caked up nooks and crannies. Wrap plastic bag around throttle body and distributor. If you have exhaust ports open, stuff plastic bags into the top of the openings. I blow it dry with my air compressor. Air dry is fine if you dont have air. This is all JUST for cleaning it externally.
Oven cleaner and foaming bathroom cleaner (get the super cheap, no-name products) are excellent- if you are planning to repaint stuff. Stiff brushes and lots of elbow grease help a lot.
Old gasoline melts the grease build off easily. After that, purple power degreaser or such works much better. If painting the block, be sure to rinse and dry, then wipe down with Stoddard solvent followed by a good spray down with brake cleaner. Transmissions the same, to brighten the aluminum case, spray on oven cleaner works well. Again, good rinsing in a must.
Originally posted by tesmith66: Oven cleaner and foaming bathroom cleaner (get the super cheap, no-name products) are excellent- if you are planning to repaint stuff. Stiff brushes and lots of elbow grease help a lot.
Be careful, many Oven cleaner formulas can attack plastic, electric, and aluminum parts.
Pressure washers can cause problems too. Weather Pack and Metri-pack is Not pressure resistance and worse, water etc push into a connection by washers then the seal will keep water in the connection. If you don't have problems right after using them, days or weeks later and car won't run and have to check every connector.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
I've seen simple green eat through a steel drum over time. If you have access to a steam cleaner(kerosene heated power washer), that will make short work of grime and grease. Just be cafeful.
It easily removed all the grease/dirt and didn't damage the rubber and plastic areas because it is a non-caustic chemical.
What stores carry this product? I looked at a few auto parts stores online, and even Meguiars site says no results near Minneapolis. it looks like what I would like to use.
"Engine degreaser" and not the foamy stuff, the reg stuff works better. I have done well over 50 engines this way.
Edit to say follow his ^^^ directions, but use degreaser not simple green, that stuf is just weak and crap.
Always worked fine for me . I do my show car engines with it and theyre clean enough to eat off of.
When ever I got a new car that I was going to show, I always sprayed the whole thing down except hoses with heat proof clear. Works especially well on alloy engine parts that get the crappy white powder residue on them. My Mustang and Magnum looked better than they did in the showrooms when I sold them. Once it starts though, the clear dont do much good. You could do what a friend did with his Pantera. He had an all aluminum engine in it. He had the complete engine and transmission case polished to look like chrome....then cleared it. It was very expensive though.
