Author Topic: Cleaning tips  (Read 3141 times)

Offline cantarauk

  • SOHC Member
  • Posts: 110
    • View Profile
Cleaning tips
« on: October 01, 2020, 10:57:01 PM »
Hi All,

Putting out a general question about how people go about cleaning/degreasing all the engine internals before a rebuild. Be interested to hear what process you follow and also products you use. Then once clean what assembly products would you recommend.

Offline McCabe-Thiele (Ted)

  • Grogu
  • *
  • Posts: 6123
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2020, 09:44:52 AM »
Back in the 1960's I had access to a Tricoethylene Tank at the garage where I worked part time - I used to put engine blocks in it and leave it over the weekend. On a Monday it looked like a brand new part fresh out of the foundry - all bare metal.
 I believe health & safety have pretty much banned them due to carcinogenic issues.

On Nurse Julies 400 project posts she mentions  an acid stripper I'm sure she will tell you the what & where if you PM her.
Honda CB500 K1 (new pit dug out ready)
Honda CB400 four super sport (first money pit)
Link to my full restoration http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,23291.0.html

Offline Laverda Dave

  • SOHC Jedi
  • Posts: 2531
  • Health is wealth
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2020, 10:13:27 AM »
Do yourself a big favour and buy a bench mounted parts cleaning washer, £50 from Machine Mart. It has a recirculating pump (although not a filter). The part you are cleaning is held on a shelf above the main tank thereby the old dirt etc falls off the part. Don't use an old kitchen bowl filled with paraffin to clean engine parts, you'll put on more dirt than you take off!
I use Safety Clean parts cleaning fluid in mine (a mate got me a couple of gallons years ago). It does the job and when it get too dirty to use I decant it into a spray bottle and use it to clean the engine of the bike after a ride. I used to use Hyper Clean but they changed the formula and it was useless!
I let the parts air dry straight out the cleaner or where gears etc are concerned I dry them with an air line. A lot of engine cleaning fluids contain anti rust formulation.
In the majority of cases just use engine oil for reassemble (of the correct grade). I also use specific engine assembly grease for the shell bearings and silicon grease for o rings and seals.
1976 Honda 400/4
1977 Rickman Honda CR750
1999 Honda VFR 800FX
1955 750 Dresda Triton
1978 Moto Morini 350 Sport
1978 Honda CB400/4 'Rat' bike
1982 Laverda 120 Jota

Offline Andrew-S

  • SOHC Pro
  • Posts: 519
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2020, 11:50:14 AM »
Back in the 1960's I had access to a Tricoethylene Tank at the garage where I worked part time - I used to put engine blocks in it and leave it over the weekend. On a Monday it looked like a brand new part fresh out of the foundry - all bare metal.
 I believe health & safety have pretty much banned them due to carcinogenic issues.

On Nurse Julies 400 project posts she mentions  an acid stripper I'm sure she will tell you the what & where if you PM her.

Tricoethylene, oh my god that stuff takes me back!!  In 1976/77 I worked for Racal BCC in Wembley and I sneaked out a small container of the stuff and I used it to clean off and degrease the rear rim on my 750K1, but after a few weeks I noticed it had started to rot my rear tire and skin!!  ::) ;D ;D
1972 UK XL250 K0 Motosport
1976 UK Z900 A4
2018 BMW R1200 GS

Offline cantarauk

  • SOHC Member
  • Posts: 110
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2020, 03:55:24 PM »
Thanks all,

Machine mart parts washer has been ordered and I see the safety clean is there also which I may be ordering.  And no Tricoethylene

Offline K2-K6

  • Grogu
  • *
  • Posts: 5234
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2020, 04:19:25 PM »
http://www.graphogen.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=644920

One of the products invaluable to engine assembly routine.

Offline davefirestorm

  • SOHC Expert
  • Posts: 309
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2020, 06:42:21 PM »
Trichloroethylene been banned for a while now,can be deadly inhaling the fumes believe it was used in dry cleaning? and industrial uses too.I had a bottle of Trich on shelf  in garage got knocked over and dripped onto me cd/radio melting the casing.There is a safer substitute available but strangely smells same
Honda CB650Z
Honda F6C Valkyrie

Offline AshimotoK0

  • Grogu
  • *
  • Posts: 7357
  • Mad Scientist.... more power Igor ! ٩(̾๏̮̮̃̾๏̃̾)۶
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2020, 06:52:56 PM »
I am pretty sure the dippers use a tank of methylene chloride / decarboniser mixture to strip stuff .. Even worse than trichloroethylene.
“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Offline hairygit

  • SOHC Jedi
  • Posts: 2708
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2020, 07:59:03 PM »
Pure trichloroethylene is indeed hazardous, but was used as pain relief for women in labour, and as an analgesic in surgery. It was dyed blue with a substance called waxolene blue to allow anaesthetists to distinguish it from chloroform, and went by the trade name of Trilene. I have a trilene vaporiser attached to one of the old anaesthetic machines I am slowly restoring, and chances are most of our generation experienced it's effects at the dentist as a small child. It fell out of general use around the early 1990's, due to the nausea and vomiting it often caused. That said, it is still used for degreasing tanks, but with extractor fans and ventilation. 

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

If it's got tits or wheels, it's hassle, if it's got both, RUN!!!

Offline davefirestorm

  • SOHC Expert
  • Posts: 309
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2020, 08:05:23 PM »
I worked processing titanium rotor blades for jet engines many years ago and a Kolene salt bath would strip the tungsten coating from the blades leaving the titanium like new
Honda CB650Z
Honda F6C Valkyrie

Offline Charlie J

  • SOHC Member
  • Posts: 104
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2020, 08:16:36 PM »
Many moons ago I used both trichloroethylene and methylene chloride (dichloromethane) as heavy duty solvents in the laboratory testing of bituminous materials. In the early days the stuff was splashed around everywhere but in latter years its use was strictly controlled within fume cupboards and the labs fitted with Draeger meters to measure the concentration in the atmosphere. I believe both solvents are now classified as carcinogens. Nasty stuff if not handled properly but great for parts cleaning, paint stripping etc.

 Charlie

Offline Charlie J

  • SOHC Member
  • Posts: 104
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2020, 08:23:50 PM »
Just another point in degreasers. I soaked a sump pan overnight in Screwfix No Nonsense degreaser. The aluminium turned black and it took a lot of sanding to get back to its original colour. I won’t make that mistake again.

Charlie

Offline mike the bike

  • SOHC Jedi
  • Posts: 2652
  • CB400F, Royal Enfield Interceptor.
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2020, 10:47:26 AM »
RS used to sell cans of 111 Trichloroethane.  I used to to find faults on PCBs by dribbling Trich on the tops of the ICs and seeing which one evaporated first.  That would often be the faulty one.
It saved me an awful lot of time.
Where's that 10mm socket got to?

Offline Oggie400F

  • SOHC Member
  • Posts: 192
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2020, 01:43:59 PM »
I use Safety Clean parts cleaning fluid in mine (a mate got me a couple of gallons years ago).

When you say “Safety Clean” what exactly do you mean?
The only stuff I can find is Safety Kleen.

Do you know of a reputable parts washer fluid that works well and doesn’t degrade or discolour alloy/aluminium components?

Cheers. Ian

I'm a Radiographer............I can see right through you!!

1999 VFR800 fix in Pearl Prism Black
1978 CB750F1 in Candy Presto Red
1976 CB550F Supersport Brat Bike in Black
1976 CB400F in Varnish Blue - project bike in many bits.

Offline Trigger

  • Grogu
  • *
  • Posts: 8434
  • Engines built on reputation, not advertising.
    • View Profile
Re: Cleaning tips
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2020, 03:10:11 PM »
I still have a safety Kleen parts wash. You can not get hold of the original cleaning fluid for the past 15 years now.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal