engine cleaning question

[tas850g]

can you use the lower psi (40) on the valve cover too? I have access to a sand blaster and want to clean up my cover.

[doctorgonzo]

can you use the lower psi (40) on the valve cover too? I have access to a sand blaster and want to clean up my cover.

In my case valve cover crud was on top of the paint, so when the aircraft stripper took the paint off it took the crud off too.

[first timer]

KG Coatings recomends useing aluminum oxide at 40 psi when preping an engine for their paint products. It will increase surface area by about 15% which gives paint a better tooth and also help disapate heat a little better.

This is how i am planning to prep and paint my engine. I will be using the gun kote 2300 product to match what was used by Pops back in the day. KG also offers a lot of other colors in their 2400 series includeing a silver and a brushed stainless steel color.

[mighty13d]

ok so here is after soaking half of it overnight. the farthest right cyl got a scrubbing a couple days ago so never mind the shininess. It would be black like the one next to it. Only the left half has been soaked so far in the first pic.



and this is SOOO much cleaner than it was. there is still some stuff that I'm going to have to wash and then re-soak to get









Can everyone see the buildup on the aluminum? I don't know if the Purple Power is making it oxidize or if that's just the Purple stuff making more work for me! lol There does also seem to be a clear coat of some kind on the parts. I will be able to get that off after all of the grease, oil, and dirt are removed though. I will see what kind of trouble I can get myself into sandblasting into all those tiny crevases and stuff.

[first timer]

purple power is a detergent, an yes it will cause the aluminum to oxidize to some extent. Purple power is a diluded oven cleaner. You will need to scrub to get rid of that crap. Also it wouldn't be a bad idea to surface the head to remove the old gasket crap and get a nice seal. Same applies for the cylinders.

[Nessism]

Suzuki painted the engine with silver paint. Maybe that is what is flaking off?

Regarding surfacing the head, according to Big J at APE, you shouldn't cut the head if it's warped - you will mess up the cam bore alignment. If the head is flat though surfacing should be ok I think.

[hampshirehog]

That ain't dirty - typical of a Brit bike used in all weathers and neglected!

I do my motors by soaking in Jizer (engine degreaser) followed by a jetwash. Then it's either a hell of a lot of work with a wire brush or - and I've only just discovered it - blasting with baking soda crystals. Soda crystals are soluble so I popped my clean head and barrels in the dishwasher to remove all the residues. The results were excellent and I'll definitely go down that route again.

[jed.only]

That ain't dirty - typical of a Brit bike used in all weathers and neglected!

I do my motors by soaking in Jizer (engine degreaser) followed by a jetwash. Then it's either a hell of a lot of work with a wire brush or - and I've only just discovered it - blasting with baking soda crystals. Soda crystals are soluble so I popped my clean head and barrels in the dishwasher to remove all the residues. The results were excellent and I'll definitely go down that route again.

well played, sir.

[Flyboy]

Regarding surfacing the head, according to Big J at APE, you shouldn't cut the head if it's warped - you will mess up the cam bore alignment. If the head is flat though surfacing should be ok I think.

There are two options, the first is easier than the second, but the second is the more correct way, personaly, I don't like skimming.

Firstly, if you give the head to the machine shop to skim, get them to line bore the cam saddles as well, that will line everything up as it should be.

Second option, is to pull the head straight in a hot oil bath, this will require some fabrication to make up the rig, but it is pretty simple, you make up a tray of about a meter by a meter and about 12 inches deep out of mild steel, secondly, you need a good flat piece of steel, a bit bigger than the head, about 2 inches thick, so that it is sturdy and cannot warp or twist, it is a good idea to get the machine shop to face it true in the milling machine, drill this according to the head tie down bolts.
Simply torque the head to the steel plate, fill the bath with oil, transformer oil is good for this, and rig up a burner or two below the bath to heat the oil, dunk the head into the bath and let it lie in the oil as it heats up, and leave it in the hot oil for a few hours, with the burners going slowly to keep the oil hot.
Turn the burners off and let the head and oil cool down together, then remove and clean the head, it will be as straight as a die.

This is the way I do it, and is good for repeat jobs, but I guess too much hassle for a once off, just go with the line bore.

[briyenkieth]

If you have a local smart and final store they sell some very powerful degreasers. In a plain whit bottle with orange label marked degreaser. Also they sell another product for cleaning the hoods over resturant grills, this stuff is gnarly. I use the other myself and have had lots of luck. My motor looked about the same as yours and I had it cleaned up in an afternoon.

[Flyboy]

Just a thought, but if it is paint that is coming off the head in the pic, be it from Suzuki or a PO then surely all the crud is on top of the paint, a good paint stripper (one that doesn't chew up the aluminum) would be the ticket, as it would remove the paint with the crud on top of it.
I am going to be going through the same shortly.

[suzukiSam]

easy-off oven cleaner..

[jwhelan65]

What he said..make a trip to Wal-Mart and get some Easy Off!

[madjack57754]

Don't cheap out while at wallyworld and get the generic oven cleaner. Get the real eazy-off. It may take 3-4 applications and hose sessions by looking at the mess you have but it's the real deal for crud.
(Here is another trick if your doing gummy carb bowls. Vanish liquid toilet bowl cleaner)

[jed.only]

Don't cheap out while at wallyworld and get the generic oven cleaner. Get the real eazy-off. It may take 3-4 applications and hose sessions by looking at the mess you have but it's the real deal for crud.
(Here is another trick if your doing gummy carb bowls. Vanish liquid toilet bowl cleaner)

oh man, thats a good one!