Get ready to shake your head at me...

[Guest]

This is from Pete's build

Before:

After:

This is what it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodablasting

Its like sand blasting with baking soda instead of sand.



One more thing I noticed with mine. Using hot water would cause it to steam off and there was less to dry off in places you couldn't get to.

Also, the valve guides will show some flash rusting as soon as you take it out of the water so its good to oil them, in, out and around while your working with it.

 

[Big T]

What is soda blasting? I've never heard of it before. Wish I had.

As above, blasting with washing soda

You can blast with glass beads, walnut shells, ash, all sorts of stuff

If someone in your area does vapor blasting, that would be even better. It's a combination of media and gas

 

[bottobot]

This is from Pete's build

Before:

After:

This is what it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodablasting

Its like sand blasting with baking soda instead of sand.



One more thing I noticed with mine. Using hot water would cause it to steam off and there was less to dry off in places you couldn't get to.

Also, the valve guides will show some flash rusting as soon as you take it out of the water so its good to oil them, in, out and around while your working with it.

Wow thats awesome! I found a place that does it even.

Here's my plan of attack. Based on your suggestions.
-Degrease in a solvent tank/bath
-wash in big tub of soapy water
-pressure wash on low pressure to rinse
-dishwasher
-q-tip and brushing remaining sand out
-air compressor to dry
-soda blast at U-blast DIY shop

What do you guys think?


I haven't found a solvent tank yet I can use to do the first stage of my cleaning project but I have found a dishwasher and a car washing station where I can pressure wash the heads after degreasing. I also have the air compressor on standby as well. Things are looking up!

 

[hampshirehog]

Dishwashers are good at this sort of thing. Go for it.

When you are finished check by feel rather than looking. Any grittiness keep going.

 

[bottobot]

Dishwashers are good at this sort of thing. Go for it.

When you are finished check by feel rather than looking. Any grittiness keep going.

I was talking with a friend and he heard that you shouldn't let it go through the heat cycle in the dishwasher. Some risk of oxidization with the heat and water combined. I don't see how as its aluminium but I thought I would check with you first.

 

[chuck hahn]

Its gonna oxidise with the humidity and temp changes from mother nature. Youve gotta get every grain of sand out..theres no way around that. Now if theres a place that soda blasts, heve them redo them The good thing about soda is that it dissolbves when it gets wet and wont screw things up the wat sand or glass beads will.

 

[Roger P.]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you did that for porting ? As in set the head on a flow bench and let it sand blast itself to the proper shape ?

Curious :?:

http://www.extrudehone.com/auto/auto-performance.php

 

[bottobot]

Its gonna oxidise with the humidity and temp changes from mother nature. You've gotta get every grain of sand out..theres no way around that. Now if theres a place that soda blasts, heve them redo them The good thing about soda is that it dissolbves when it gets wet and wont screw things up the wat sand or glass beads will.

Good point Chuck. The good news is that the soda blast place is a DIY. More practice! At least this time I can put it in a dishwasher after and feel pretty good that it will come clean. Even then I am pretty sure that soda is gonna hurt the engine way less than sand will.

Any ideas on what the post soda procedure would be? Do you wash it again with a pressure washer and then an air compressor to dry?

 

[chuck hahn]

Take a clear glass of water and a little pinch or two of baking soda and mix it with a spoon..youll find it dissolves and is of no consequence such as hard sand or other grit will be. I would throw the parts in a bucket and slosh them around to do the heavy wash and then maybe a power washer or take them to a coin car wash and spray them real good. Then the compressed air will dry them real fast. Also if you out the suction hose to a shop vac on the air outlet side you can pretty effectively use that to dry them. This also works good for blowing the majority of water off the bike when you wash it in the driveway too. I would have all the stuff there to repaint them too. Get the whole wash, dry, and paint done in the same day so theres no oxidation to remove again when its paint time. If they need to sit for a while before painting its not a real big deal. By sit I mean a day or 2. Just keep them inside the house or in another area thats for sure 100% dry all the time.

 

[bottobot]

Ahh good one with the shop vac. I can totally do that. What I've done so far is give the heads a quadruple clean with various solvents. Starting Grime-Off then some chain cleaner, then brake cleaner, then a cleaning with soap and water. Next up is a power wash then a power dry. Had to do it all in the kitchen sink but luckily my girlfriend doesn't care.

 

[Nessism]

Throwing the head in a dishwasher is not going to get those oil galley passages clean.

If you shoot degreaser into the small oil feed passages feeding each cam bearing, the sauce will wind up inside the main galley line. Let it soak then shoot high pressure water down the same passages. I suggest you do this again and again until you are confident all the sand has been flushed out.

 

[bottobot]

Will do. I'm gonna pick up some heavier duty de-greaser before I pressure wash it. Do a combo attack.

 

[duaneage]

I soda blasted my engine, including the head and watched the baking soda melt away when I was cleaning it. Baking Soda dissolves in just about anything and isn't even hard like sand. Just washed away with simple green and water, and a little carb cleaner. I put a sprinkler on the driveway to remove the evidence.
I saw this thread on the net for airplane engines where they used glass to clean an engine and it ended up inside. Ruined a very expensive motor. And these were "professionals".

What little baking soda made it inside my engine vaporized when the oil hit it.

 

[platinum2]

power wash at a car wash, soap really helps blow out all oil passages as well

 

[Nessism]

power wash at a car wash, soap really helps blow out all oil passages as well

I agree. Don't think I would even bother to clean it before hand. Direct the blast pressure down the little cam bearing feed holes, down the outside stud passages (with the head flat against something so the water will be forced though the galley), and everywhere else.

I'd bring some WD-40 along too so you can spray down the valve guides and valve seats so they don't flash rust.

 

[Dakotakid]

Take along a rubber mat or two layers of cardboard to the carwash to set the head on. You really don't want it to roll over and pit the face of the head, which I sort of did once with one of my VW diesel heads.

 

[crapwacker]

Is this the 750 engine? If so, I have a Suzuki gasket set, if you don't have one already..

 

[bottobot]

Is this the 750 engine? If so, I have a Suzuki gasket set, if you don't have one already..

Yeah its the 750, but bored out to an 864. I got all the gaskets I need at the moment but thanks for the offer!

 

[tkent02]

Clean each hole like a gun barrel.

 

[bottobot]

Clean each hole like a gun barrel.

I've never cleaned a gun barrel but I assume you mean as thoroughly as humanly and machinely possible. I certainly intend to. Once I start something like this I get a little OCD. I may not always listen at first but once I learn my lesson by making a mistake, I dive right into the solutions and become very open to advice. Tomorrow is going to be degrease, pressure wash, degrease, pressure wash until I can't find any sand with a microscope. Even then after the bike is running I'll likely change the oil filter a few times for good measure.

I'm getting a really highly recommended shop to do all the valve guide work and surface planing as well as a cylinder hone and valve lapping. This bike is gonna be running like clockwork by the time I'm done.

Its been passed around quite a bit and I don't think the PO I got it from was even the dude who did all the upgrading. I do remember him mentioning how powerful it was though....