Degreasing tips please?
 

Hi, total noob here wondering if it is ok to get Gunk degreaser all over everything in the undercarriage! I suspected a main seal leak, so I shot a bunch over the tranny bell housing while I had the valve cover off...it worked great (and I MIGHT not have a main leak, but could've been coming from valve cover!!) - but now I want to degrease the U-joints, diffs, etc. P.O. apparently did not believe in cleanliness - everything down there is filthy and you can't really see to work on stuff. I am thinking of spraying the U's and whatnot, using a brass or other wire brush to remove the big stuff and wiping down the rest.

Is that safe? I'm not sure if there are rubber seals in the U's that could be damaged by a degreaser, or if it could pork random electrical connections....I do like what I am seeing re. the well-cleaned transmission - the thing looked like utter CRAP prior to cleaning it up, lol. Now I can watch it properly to see if I get the drip again or not.

Thanks!

Welcome to YotaTech!!

:yotarock:

You won't hurt anything; just don't spray it inside anything and watch out for breathers, etc...

On my '85 I soaked the entire undercarriage with Simple Green, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, hooked up the old Craftsman corded drill with a wire brush attachment and just went to town.

I would suggest wearing long sleeves, gloves (taped to the sleeves), full face shield and as much covering for your legs as you can handle in the heat/weather you're in.

Once it's done, take it to a car wash and give it a good blast underneath there with the wand and you should be good to go.

Before and after pics would be cool.

Good luck!

Fink:devil:

the only concern i would have about this..is some degreaser are not safe for aluminum it may cause nasty results...deff. bad for rims may not severly damage but it will corrode stuff....just keep that in mind and any cheap pressure washer would make your job easier..just be cautious of plugs..if u need to drive it immediately...but with drying time it will be fine

I dont wanna hijack this thread but what about washing down the engine compartment? Is there anything you shouldnt get wet at all??

I usually spray degreaser, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, and hit it with a pressure washer. I also tape the diff and transmission breathers to avoid contaminating the oil with water. Works great every time. As mentioned above, some degreasers can etch aluminum so watch out for that.

I just put a plastic bag over the air filter (mine's open element), spray degreaser, and hit it with a small electric pressure washer. Don't hit any electrical connections too hard and you should be fine.

http://cfink.smugmug.com/photos/i-3C...-3CHwfCt-M.gif

I wouldn't blast anything of the electrical components but I wash mine every time I wash my truck (I don't use soap or degreasers). I've always been told to leave the engine running (if you're not covering anything) just to be safe.

Good points about the aluminum sensitivity - just be sure to read the bottle. :great:

Simple Green worked fine for me with no issues.

Fink:devil:

You beat me. :chair:

Fink:devil:

I never leave the engine running but that's a great idea. The last (and only) time I pressure washed the engine on my old Ranger I managed to get the inside of the distributor wet and it didn't want to start for a while. Case in point, be careful around the distributor as well. :hillbill:

thanks guys for the info. I have a lot of build up under the hood and was curious of how to go about cleaning it. Thanks!

OP,

I've heard great things about this stuff and it is also safe on aluminum, or so I have read. :D

Fink:devil:

Awesome replies, guys - thanks! I figured it would be ok, but it's in my nature to do something I think is ok, then find out I melted some seal somewhere, LOL. Mine's not on the road yet, so I have to do this at home...maybe some grease removal w/a plastic putty knife beforehand. I have the scale off the frame, got an angle grinder, and I am getting POR-15 for that....while waiting, I want to clean the U joints, differentials and whatnot. I dunno with the PO did - maybe he drove thru a puddle of melted grease? Then sprayed what he missed with a pressure washer full of oil? Ha ha. Engine compartment is clean - this all starts where the old rear cam seal let go and splooged everywhere. Plus where he overdid the zerks at the U joints.

To try to give back: I'm sure everyone knows that if your wires get wet when doing this, you can spray them with WD-40 and it should start in a few minutes (that is what it was made for!). Water Displacement. Works great. Probably preaching to the choir with that one!

Purple power works great for me. I use it all the time. I hose it on let it sit a few hose it on again or scrub the thick stuff with a wire brush and spray again, Pressure washt the truck and the driveway.

for any oil that is not completely petrified try using brake parts cleaner and a wire brush, it also works great for cleaning up oil spots in your drive way :)

For larger areas, a wire brush for cleaning (charcoal) grills works well. Look for one that has a large flat blade.

I also endorse Simple green, if only because it's non-toxic. They sell professional strength SG at hardware stores for around 10-15 bucks a gallon. I use it in my parts cleaner and it's pretty good. It's even better if you heat it up. I save the brake cleaner for when it's absolutely necessary.

Simple green is good stuff. It's one of the best degreasers I know of and it's eco friendly and biodegradable! We use it for many cleanup tasks in the art-world, especially against oil based ink. Works just as well if not better than solvents - since you don't need to worry about disposing of the used stuff.

Tip on doing the engine. A lot of people claim it's not a good idea to douse a hot engine with cold water from the faucet. Makes sense to me. I like to do it cold or let it cool off a while first. I also try not to use too much water and use a sprayer end to help control where it goes. Old toothbrushes are great for small areas. You got the right idea on scraping off the thick stuff first, then soak in the simple green.

X100 for the Simple Green. I got a gallon of Simple Green MAX for my engine compartment during the rebuild, and it worked fantastic. Obviously, I didn't use the whole gallon. Just sprayed it on, let it sit for 15 minutes, then hosed it off with a pressure washer.

Simple Green smells good too!

i love simple green and i had a can of it's grill and patio foaming stuff (like scrubbing bubbles) so you can easily see where it's at.

pressure washer + simple green = squeaky clean

you'll be surprised what comes off with just a garden hose.

also, i like the ORANGE GOOP hand cleaner sold at Harbor Freight. used it for all my parts washing on my rebuilds. it leaves no residue and after drying, you can paint stuff too without any meticulous prepping.

Awesome! Yeah, I used the Gunk I'd already bought to do my bell housing (before starting this thread), I was in a hurry to locate a leak (valve cover gasket - whew!).
To clean up my universals, I'll go with Simple Green....less toxic BS running into my grass sounds nice :o)

I really like this stuff

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo.../09-00809A.jpg

It is safe on all materials (aluminum, plastic, rubber, etc) and it also does not leave any residue. I always get mine from grainger or u-line, so I don't know what stores might carry it, but it works great.

Also, the biodegradable claim is nice, but it does not make the oil and grease that you are getting off any more "eco-friendly".