Cleaning Engine

[Snakeoil]

I would strongly recommend against using any type of powered wire wheel on your engine. More vintage pieces, from guns to sleighs to motorcycles have been ruined by powered wire wheels. I truly believed they should be licensed.

Stainless wire hand brushs used with a gentle hand are okay. Scotchbrite pads are another choice. Phos Acid or Aluminum jelly is really great stuff for removing oxidation.

regards,

Rob

[hondadreamca77]

You're right on being concerned with getting any media inside the engine; no matter how much you try to prevent it. As much as I would like to blast it I've been hesitant for reasons you stated, so still out to court. Will clean it up as much as possible and see where to proceed.

[P.Martinez]

OK, I'll put my wire wheels away! I do have some Phosphoric Acid & will try a dilute mixture on an inconspicuous spot. My main goal in all of this is to clean the cooling fin areas, so will try hand bristle brushes with a cleaning solution. Main engine covers should not be too much of a challenge.

[Snakeoil]

Go to Harbor Freight or an Auto Supply store and ask if they have parts cleaning brushes. The look like a round paint brush only have much stiffer bristles. The bristles are long and will get in between the fins and down deep into the bottom of the fins and other nooks and crannies.

Mineral spirits is another great cleaning agent that won't hurt paint. Pretty benign to people too as long as you wear rubber gloves and don't breath the fumes all day. Most of it is odorless these days.

Don't use it in your house if you have a gas dryer or gas stove. The fumes permiate the house even though you cannot smell them. But when you run the gas dryer or stove, it will make the dryer or kitchen smell like there is a diesel spill somewhere.

regards,
Rob

[teazer]

Come on guys. It's external cast surfaces wer're talking about and not mating faces.

For fins, and combo of wire wheel, phosphoric acid and screwdrivers will work fine. It is important to be careful on machined surfaces though because the wheel will pick softer metal out of the surface.

[kfsrq]

Technology advances, while we are not looking.

How about blasting it with dry ice? Here's a demo:
http://www.dryiceblastingofatlanta.com/ ... nQod0nQA6Q

I first saw this technique used by Mike Holmes, a Canadian contractor (and hero) who had to remove mold from the inside surface of a roof, and didn't want a ton of sand landing on the insulation and busting the ceilings, etc. The results were terrific.

What do you think?

[Snakeoil]

I was present when a company that sold dry ice blasting equipment was doing a sales pitch at one of our service shops. They did a demo by blasting rust off an old turbine wheel. It too forever. It does work and does not harm the base material. But the cost of the equipment and the time involved makes it impractical in IMHO.

The basic problem is ice is not a very strong substance. There was an episode of Myth Busters that dealt with a huge haid storm sinking a boat. They made an air cannon that would fire a tennis ball size of ice at about 150 mph. When they fired it at the bottom of an unsuppoted fiberglass rowboat bottom, the ice ball shattered and no damage was done. They were later able to blast a hole in a wooden boat in the water (thus supported).

So if I were to draw an analogy for dry ice blasting, I'd say it was probably less effective than walnut shells, but without the mess.

regards,
Rob