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Just getting into replacing a water pump and head gasket on a '94 22re 2.4L pickup; the neglect of both have left their associated residue. As for the rusty coolant, I plan to clean the system with a chemical flush then drain to proper disposal. The greasy engine parts are something I am a bit more unclear on how to clean thoroughly and responsibly. I have seen on youtube videos people using foaming oven cleaner then power washing the residue right off onto the ground. Frankly it seems the only legal way to do this would be at a car wash or certain shops with infrastructure to skim off and collect the volatile components. I have considered going to a 24/7 car wash during the night and performing the whole of this water pump installation right there in the stall with lights and all mainly to catch the front of the engine dismantled for power washing. There is a foaming wheel and rim cleaner they told me to use for degreasing, but maybe it's worth bringing something more heavy duty and letting it sit for 15 min? Has anyone thought of doing some amount of mechanical work over night at a car wash?
I think you would find the lighting in the car wash not suitable for your purposes. A pressure washer and cold water will blast off caked oil and dirt. If cleaning small parts in a tub, use gasoline and a paint brush. Then it evaporates or you can soak it up with recycled paper towels and throw them out. Oven cleaner is pretty bad and will damage paint. Nothing will work on caked up grease but blasting it.
should have blown the engine clean in the grease bay at the car wash before disassembly, although it's really messy when the bounce sends residue into your eyeball :-0 be careful, but it works wonders.
Most of those do-it-yourself car washes discourage washing engines. They typically run their water through a recycler, and a bunch of oil isn't helpful.
I drove mine onto a huge plastic tarp in the driveway. I hooked up my pressure washer to a hot water line in the garage, then hosed the engine down with a heavy duty foaming degreaser and let it sit for awhile, then blasted clean with the hot water. After the water evaporated I folded up the tarp and tossed it.
Hot water made a big difference.
Hot water is great for taking the winter salt off the cars here in New England. But be advised, most garden hoses are not rated for hot water. My Ryobi cheapo pressure washer isn’t either. I blew the fittings off the hose with water that was too hot.
self-serve car wash facilities have oil/water separators for the degreasing bay, and they are required by law to use at least 60% waste water, it's a closed loop system that's more environmentally friendly than what we can do at home... toxic brake dust, wheel cleaners, soaps, etc. get captured instead of going into the environment.
since the engine is hot the grease blows right off, but i don't like the idea of spraying a really hot engine, fortunately it's only a couple of miles to my local self-serve car wash, that has a dedicated bay for degreasing... ymmv.
"Your facility is required to have a District approved clarifier if you are washing vehicles. Clarifiers prevent oil and grease and other contaminants from entering sanitary sewer pipes. The size and type of clarifier is based on the quality and quantity of wastewater flowing from your facility. Clarifiers need to be pumped out in order to maintain contaminant removal efficiency. Your facility is required to pump the clarifier at least once per year but may be more frequent if necessary. There are several commercial vendors that service clarifiers and can clean out sumps and catch basins. For information on clarifiers contact the Environmental Compliance Unit at 831-477-3907 or email: dpwenv@santacruzcounty.us"
Sep 25, 2024 | 05:58 PM
