Engine Degreaser

[MDDYATV]

I am going to be cleaning my engine this weekend I dont think the po ever cleaned it what is the best way to get years of road grim and engine oil off the engine? any hidden secerets?

 

[Brad Horton]

I am going to be cleaning my engine this weekend I dont think the po ever cleaned it what is the best way to get years of road grim and engine oil off the engine? any hidden secerets?

there is a company called por-15 they make paints for rust(works great) has some products that help

 

[Roadkill]

I guess you don't have to clean to much grease and **** off of those jets, do you? Just about any degreaser from a parts store will work, I use "Gunk" but I don't think their is a big difference between the major brands. Just follow the instructions on the can and make sure to cover up the parts you don't want to get the solvent on or in. I just spray it on, wait a few minutes, hose it off. If you have really caked on dirt, you may need to use a brush. Something similar to a weapon or parts cleaning brush (NSN 7920-00-205-2401) works nicely to get into the tighter spots. Another option is the good old high pressure washer. It will work wonders but you will need to take precautions not to mess up the water sensitive parts. Once you get it clean, just hose out the engine bay whenever you was the truck and it will pretty much stay clean. (unless you have leaks)

 

[madmax]

also if you have the engin assembled partially with a piece of plywood inplace of the carb you can sand blast it, id reccomend putting a bell housing on the back and stuffing rags in the openings of it to protect the back of the crankshaft. Don't worry about hitting wires, if the casing is still good the silica sand will just make it look clean too. Any wires with a cracked casing will lose a good portion of their casing to a decent sandblaster. I'd remove all the belt drive parts and replace the water pump with a piece of plywood. If you get ground walnut shell abrasive you dont have to worry about getting every last bit of the dust out of the engin, what you cant blow off with an airhose will harmlessley grind to nothing.

You can get the abrasive here

they also sell blast out of a bucket sandblaster for 20 some bucks.

 

[MDDYATV]

I have already used about 4 cans of gunk gel engine degreaser and the local high pressure car wash but I dont think this engine has been cleaned since 84. there is still allot of dirt build up on it. I was planning on going down to the carwash with a couple more cans and a parts brush(thanks for the NSN) and a scraper and work on it but a also want to get the back of the crossmember. I really dont feel like laying under the bronco at the car wash and scraping the junk off so there has to be some seceret stuff out there that will work right? or am i just going to have to get wet and dirty at the car wash.lol

 

[Roadkill]

I invested $100 in a pressure washer of my own (it is a cheap one from Walmart, no built in heater) but you can add detergent and it puts out a lot of pressure through its adjustable nozzle. I"ve never done the math, but I'd bet I've gotten my hundred dollars back out of it in coin-op car wash savings plus there are lots of other uses for it around the home/yard/garage. Anyway, to get better access to the bottom of the truck, I drive it up on a set of ramps. (After all I'm 40 years old and 19 years of miltary service have not been kind to my back.) Maybe you can put the brush on the end of a broom handle or something. With ramps and a long handle, you can get at it on your knees beside the truck as apposed to on your back under it. Or just reach in and get good and close with the pressure nozzle. High pressure water is real good stuff.

By the way, I don't actually have NSN's memorized. I had one laying in a desk drawer with the number printed on it. If I ever get so far gone that I memorize NSN's, I hope someone will have the decency to put me out of my misery! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[MDDYATV]

Sure I believe you about the nsn I currently live in Base housing I am sure they would have a cow if i was to pressure wash in the drivway. We just moved here to Fallon Nevada about three months ago from Washington state.

 

[Roadkill]

You are probably right about that. I have not lived in base housing since I was a kid (Army Brat). I have managed to avoid it throughout my own career, never liked all the drama, ******** rules or the way you get scammed by your own govt when its time to "clear housing" when you PCS.

When I pressure wash in my driveway, I use all the mud that rinses off (there is a lot sometimes) to fill in holes my dogs dig in the yard. Sort of a Redneck re-cycling program. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Edit:

Misspelled ********. :blush: Yeah, yeah, I know! Go ahead and bash me!

 

[Justshootme84]

I've tried about every parts and engine degreaser available on my 84, and would suggest that none of them are going to clean up 20+ years of grime. If you don't want to mess up your driveway, the local car wash is about the only option. I've had the "engine cleaning' at a couple of pro car wash stores, about all they did ws remove some paint from the pressure washer. You don't want to get water in your alternator, distributor or any electrical connections, or the carb. You ca nclean some of the parts with the self-serve car wah engine/tire cleaner. Let it soak a few minutes, and wash off with low pressure only. I've had some success with Dow's Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner, as well as Easy-Off oven cleaner. They're cheap and as good as any. They will melt plastic parts, like those electrical connectors or plugs. Not many places offer steam cleaning anymore, but that was always the best method to clean an engine bay. I was finally able to clean my 84 Bronco when I had the engine out. It turned into a 4 month process and a full restoration of the frame. Once the engine bay and crossmember was clean, the rst had to be done, too!!! JSM84

 

[MDDYATV]

I was wondering about oven cleaner. thank for letting me know about melting plastic thats good info. I have cleaned the engine a few times now and I guess I was looking for some miracle chemical out there that i could spray on and wash off. oh well I guess i dig out the old scrub brush and a pocket full of quarters down at the car wash.lol

 

[Justshootme84]

try the scrubbing bubbles, it's like $4.00 for a can at WalMart. You can use a spray bottle with water to clean off the bubbles after they do their job for a minute or so. I actually used that stuff to clean my engine tranny and t-case while they were out of the Bronco. I have an assortment of brushes for gunsmithing, like a toothbrush size and smaller, for those tight areas. It helps to use the brush along with the bubbles. You can also dress up the hoses and plastic parts with CD engine detailer. It's like Armor-All, just spray it on. I think I have a pic of my old 351W H.O. engine after cleaning it with these items:

 

[MDDYATV]

JSM84

Thanks I will give that a shot this weekend.

 

[ryanb360]

MDDYATV, I just did this to my bronco last weekend. Yeah the base housing people here had a cow. I mean, they were screaming at me almost threatining me with command involvement. If you want an NSN for a scrubby brush let me know. But I know a few supply people in Fallon, they can get that stuff for you. I went to the local autozone, and got the store brand "engine degreaser", then I scrubbed the S#!t out of it with the brushes I got from uncle sam and some greenie weenies, then threw some brake cleaner over that to get the gunk off. Then I just put a nice water mixture over it to clean it all off. Every once in a while I had to use a putty knife. By the way, AUTOZONE supports the "men in uniform" so we can all get an additional 10 percent off, if the store tells you otherwise all you have to do is call their HQ. Oh, they also support the "women in uniform". Good Luck.

 

[ryanb360]

Future reference 00-900-3577, those numbers will give you a wire brush.

 

[MDDYATV]

Ryan360,

Thanks for the info,

So who are you attached to up there I just left there in Jan I was Attached to VAQ-132, Ya I dont have the hook ups down here yet like I did up there. I use to live in Cresent Park. I use to get yelled at all the time. oh well. Thanks for the NSN is that the little wire brush? I could also use some sand Paper. got a nsn for that or a hook up? I am a AM working at TOPGUN as safety so I have no acess to the good stuff anymore.