• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

cleaning heavy soot in exhaust

  • Thread starter Thread starter slamonte
  • Start date Start date
S

slamonte

Guest
I picked up an old 1980G with heavy soot in the exhaust system. Any recommendations for cleaning internal pipes / exhaust?
 
On my GT750's 3-1 system I used to take out the baffle and fill the system with caustic soda. Leave it for 6 to 8 hours and then rinse it out with water to remove the debris and caustic soda. don't know if you can remove the baffles or not.
 
Yes that caustic soda trick works very well. You can speed up the process by cutting a drum in half, fill with a strong caustic soda solution and make a fire underneath and keep the solution boiling. Very nice for stripping old paint of metal parts etc. Just wash down with clean water and you have a clean part!
 
where do you pick up caustic soda? I assume the fumes are dangerious, especially while heating. Is it flamable? The drum you are referencing is like a 55 gallon drum or equivalent?

I hope these are stupid questions... I'm just a slow learned (new to this):-D
 
I had a chromed system on my GT750 so did not want to get caustic soda on the external part of the exhaust. I would just sit the system on the ground with the header pipes and the tail pipe exit at the same level and mix the caustic and pour it in so it lapped at either end of the exhaust system. I would then let it stand for a day or so depending on the strength of the caustic. You can then do another application with a fresh batch if all the soot and stuff has not been removed.

The procedure that Matchless is talking about is a different one if you dont mind cleaning up the outside of the article.

P.S. you can obtain the caustic from hardware stores.

Cheers

Don
 
slamonte said:
where do you pick up caustic soda? I assume the fumes are dangerious, especially while heating. Is it flamable? The drum you are referencing is like a 55 gallon drum or equivalent?

I hope these are stupid questions... I'm just a slow learned (new to this):-D
Click to expand...

I used a 44 gallon drum cut in half lengthwise. Caustic Soda is a very strong alkaline and is also called lye, used for making soap and cleaning drains and many other things. I get mine at the detergents in our supermarket.
It is definitely not flammable and is water solvent, the fumes are strong, so best to "boil" a part outside.
 
Matchless said:
I used a 44 gallon drum cut in half lengthwise. Caustic Soda is a very strong alkaline and is also called lye, used for making soap and cleaning drains and many other things. I get mine at the detergents in our supermarket.
It is definitely not flammable and is water solvent, the fumes are strong, so best to "boil" a part outside.
Click to expand...

Thats a good description MATCHLESS. Couldn't have summed it up better myself. You've covered all aspects. It looks like we use this product similarly in S.A. & OZ. BTW it is the stuff that is used in products like Draino and stuff for cleaning toilets, drains, etc. cleans all the slime and gunk out.

Cheers
 
Suzuki-Don,
Quite a few years ago I rebuilt an old AJS 500 single completely, re-chromed etc and used this method to clean all the metal parts. I could even see the original colours as they came off the tank in layers and the beauty was that no scraping or sandpapering was required, the base metal stayed factory smooth. And all of the mess stayed in the drum!

I just discovered that I still have the original complete owners toolkit after all this time! Must have sold it without the toolkit.

Our countries have a lot in common i.e. rugby, cricket etc!
Keep well.
 
The Lazy parts of me..

The Lazy parts of me..

Ok, this has me wondering, would this procedure be harmful to the aluminum that is the engine of our wonderful bikes, to remove years and years of oil grime..... I'm thinking that the aluminum would be too porous for this to work without damage, but if it would work, would save HOURS of cleaning.

Amos
 
No, no!

No, no!

Lye will violently attack aluminum, releasing hydrogen gas. Goodbye engine.
 
Knew a definitive answer would come out if it was suggested. Thanks.. guess I'm in for some long hours of cleaning.

Amos

ps. though :grin:, if I could come up with a decent method of collecting that hydrogen :twisted: .. (seing as I've got 3 engines sitting around.. )

physics-teacher said:
Lye will violently attack aluminum, releasing hydrogen gas. Goodbye engine.
Click to expand...
 
slamonte said:
I picked up an old 1980G with heavy soot in the exhaust system. Any recommendations for cleaning internal pipes / exhaust?
Click to expand...
Try an engine cleaner/degreaser? Preferably a gelbased spray type. Make sure you rinse thoroughly... Just an idea...
 
physics-teacher said:
Lye will violently attack aluminum, releasing hydrogen gas. Goodbye engine.
Click to expand...

When we are talking about using caustic, it is only on the harder metals like steel, tin, etc. not on aluminium and the softer types of metal. I assumed the exhaust being spoken about in the original question was of these harder metals that was also chromed and not an aluminium exhaust or muffler. If the soot is really baked on as is often the case ordinary detergents will not touch it. My comments were only in reference to the internals of the exhaust system.
 
I did use the caustic soda on the internals, Left it overnight. Worked we well, just don't let it sit on the chrome. Thanks for all your feedback!
 
Cautic soda's chemical nameis sodium hydroxide, and its formula is

NaOH.

Mixing NaOH and hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid, HCl) yields

H20 = water and NaCl, sodium chloride = table salt and A LOT OF HEAT, ENOUGH TO BOIL ALL OF THE MIXTURES AND SPATTER DANGEROUS CHEMICALS INTO YOUR EYES
 
Cautic soda's chemical name is sodium hydroxide, and its formula is

NaOH.

Mixing NaOH and hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid, HCl) yields

H20 = water and NaCl, sodium chloride = table salt and A LOT OF HEAT, ENOUGH TO BOIL ALL OF THE MIXTURES AND SPATTER DANGEROUS CHEMICALS INTO YOUR EYES!

Solid NaOH is sold as pellets for about a dollar per pound as drain cleaner. When it is dissolved in water, the water gets very hot and starts to spatter. The stuff that spatters can eat holes in your skin. I'm not kidding or exaggerating here. If you decide to become a serial killer, start by buying a lot of NaOH pellets and dissolving it in water in 55 gallon drums, because it is the best way to dissolve a human body. (Gallstones will remain.)

I used to have a GT550, a two stroke. About every 10K miles I pulled the exhaust and took it to a machine shop to be "boiled' the way that engine blocks are treated to remove crud from the oil and water passages. I don't know what chemicals were used, but the exhaust came back each time in great condition, with the dinged up chrome shining.
 
themess said:
Cautic soda's chemical name is sodium hydroxide, and its formula is

NaOH.

Mixing NaOH and hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid, HCl) yields

H20 = water and NaCl, sodium chloride = table salt and A LOT OF HEAT, ENOUGH TO BOIL ALL OF THE MIXTURES AND SPATTER DANGEROUS CHEMICALS INTO YOUR EYES!

Solid NaOH is sold as pellets for about a dollar per pound as drain cleaner. When it is dissolved in water, the water gets very hot and starts to spatter. The stuff that spatters can eat holes in your skin. I'm not kidding or exaggerating here. If you decide to become a serial killer, start by buying a lot of NaOH pellets and dissolving it in water in 55 gallon drums, because it is the best way to dissolve a human body. (Gallstones will remain.)

I used to have a GT550, a two stroke. About every 10K miles I pulled the exhaust and took it to a machine shop to be "boiled' the way that engine blocks are treated to remove crud from the oil and water passages. I don't know what chemicals were used, but the exhaust came back each time in great condition, with the dinged up chrome shining.
Click to expand...

Woah...ima have to keep my eye on this guy...lol
 
themess said:
The stuff that spatters can eat holes in your skin. I'm not kidding or exaggerating here. If you decide to become a serial killer, start by buying a lot of NaOH pellets and dissolving it in water in 55 gallon drums, because it is the best way to dissolve a human body. (Gallstones will remain.)
Click to expand...

I guess the Dark Side of somebody has come out..
Now, how can I get rid of those Gallstones??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top