The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Degreasers?

Hey what have you guys had luck with as far as engine degreasers? Ive used the pepboy brand "gunk" but that seems kinda weak. Do you guys have a special heavy-duty stuff you use? I want to clean off the engine so I can paint it, but I want it to be free of grease as much as possible. I was thinking of even trying muratic acid! Thanks for any info

Don't use muriatic (hydrochloric) acid. It will only remove this kind of grease by chewing away some metal. I'm interested in the ways to clean old grease. Does anyone use Gunk and car washes or is that too environmentally bad. Are there steam cleaners any more?

Use Gunk. DO NOT use the "foaming" kind, it doesn't work. All other brands I have used don't work as well. Some say to use oven cleaner, it works for them. The non-foaming gunk works just as well and the price is about the same as oven cleaner. Keep it off your skin, because it will make you sick for a couple days. Use gloves, etc.

Castrol Super Clean works fairly well, just make sure you wear latex or blue nitrile gloves. It will dry out your hands big time . Also, keep it away from your painted surfaces, like that new paint job on your truck. It will damage the finish. If you have an aluminum manifold with a bright finish, it will tarnish it. It must have some kind of acid in it, but I am not sure. Some old timer told me to use kerosene or diesel, but I have never tried it. I have noticed a "kerosene" odor when using the rattle can "Gunk engine brite".........

We use a liquid called Purple Stuff around here. It is packaged under several other names, but is always purple colored. That Mean Green cleaner seems to be about the same but has the smell added to it. The purple stuff won't hurt paint unless left to dry on it. However, don't get it near any silver powder coated wheels or it will turn them dark grey.

Same question came up a while back and someone suggested using wife's Fantastic. I tried it - darn works like a charm.

oven cleaner also works for heavy crud removing. It contains lye, so be careful and use gloves and goggles.

gearhead56: FYI, you can use oven cleaner. Try the aerosol stuff, and for heavy use you can try the paste. Sometimes for the really cruddy/crusty junk I have used liquid drain cleaner. Be very careful, goggles, gloves are a must. Keep away from all rubber belts, hoses, electrical and painted surfaces. If you let it sit awhile, say 10 to 20 minutes the metal will look like new, just cast finish. But please be CAREFUL!!! This stuff has a higher concentration of lye/salts than any oven cleaner and will burn you quick. Have Baking soda paste on hand for first aid just in case!!!

gearhead56/WALLY: check out your nearest truckstop and find out if they have a truckwash. The better truckwashes will have steam cleaners and "REAL" industrial grade (2500psi) pressure washers. They should blow the grease, paint and chrome off of most surfaces without any problem. They also have a sump to take care of any enviro/concerns. You could also try paint stripper, that will eat grease, (and anything else) in a heartbeat!! Be CAREFUL!!!

I have been using a mix of diesel varisol and gunk to remove the heavy grease from parts and frames, but it does leave an oily film that has to be removed if you are going to paint, ie engine blocks but then in most cases you have to wirebrush the casting to remove the rust film any wayand wipe down with acohol or laquire thinner before painting, on painted parts i just leave the oil film for storage, to stop the surface rust from forming.

After you get the big chunks off get yourself a gallon of Simple Green. Use it straight out of the bottle, it works great.

Make sure there is no oil residue on your engine before you paint it or your paint will just fall off. Good luck.

I have found that, especially on "old" heavy grime, spraying it down with WD40 first, then a little elbow grease, then hosing it down with Gunk, then some more elbow grease works the best for me. Be aware of your surroundings when you do this or you may have your neighbors, EPA, etc... on your butt as that Gunk can really stink for days. I try to use the local do it yourself carwash place when possible. Then I don't have to worry about cleanup. I never paint right afterwards, I always use some laquer thinner or denatured alcohol, etc... and give it a good scrub down. Prep it like you would anything else before painting and you shouldn't have any problems.

Thanks guys. I use the simple green on all sorts of things, I know that stuff is good. But on my 1956 grease I need to try some heavier stuff, maybe the oven cleaner or that fantanstic. Good ideas!

Just a note, a pressure washer works pretty good, im going to follow it up with a sand blaster