Topic: Vote for your Best Degreaser! I have been cleaning all week. My vote is in!

[robdrobd]

I have been cleaning my engine for days...(seems like years) and decided to give a quick poll for engine degreasers. I started with Gunk Foam, but was unimpressed. I used Simple Green, but it seemed too wimpy. Oven cleaner...too harsh. I settled on another Gunk product..The Heavy Duty Gel Degreaser. I like it so far. What are your thoughts?

[lone*X]

Simple,  Kerosene.  Not in your survey.   Still can't beat it for cutting grease and tars, and it will not hurt cured paint.  Used it to clean road tar off my bikes, cars, and trucks since I first learned to drive. 

To me the oven cleaner is just for stripping tough paint where you want bare metal.

[Hannibal Smith]

Kerosene and Mineral Spirits to cut grease crud-

LPS degreaser (Citrus base) for secondary soak-

I do use Simple Green for removing light oils-

[seaweb11]

Varsol

[camelman]

Simple green for regular cleaning, but nothing beats standard engine degreaser while the engine is together. It even removes oil stains from your driveway when it drips off the engine.

Camelman

[flybox1]

Simple,  Kerosene. 

Hey fellas..can you include your time tested and proven method as well?  spray bottle, scrub brush, wax-on, wax-off, miller light rinse...etc.
thanks

[camelman]

Engine degreaser doesn't need any agitation unless the grease is super thick. In that case, I use a nylon brush and a bucket of water.  Simple green is usually a rag application for me. I will use an old toothbrush for tight areas though.

[immortal]

I like simple green and a bit of elbow grease does the trick for me. and for a general motor/parts wash down I use a spray on wash off degreaser. I have not tried Kerosine yet but hear great things about it.

[cookindaddy]

+1 Varsol works here

[Silverback]

S100 motorcycle cleaner! Accidentally get it on your chain and you'll need to re-oil.

[lone*X]

S100 motorcycle cleaner! Accidentally get it on your chain and you'll need to re-oil.

That would be expensive to degrease an engine or entire project with.  Cost is the biggest problem with any of the aerosol cleaning products and the very reason shops all have a parts cleaning stations installed.

[robdrobd]

So far none of the ones listed are getting any votes

[Skunk Stripe]

How about listing cleaners that are not hard on rubber bits. Engine degreasers are sometimes pretty rough on things, especially if they are not cleaned off quick. Oven cleaner eats everything.
I like simple green but it is slow to work sometimes.

[swellguy]

Brake fluid?

[nayto550]

For an engine in pieces, I've always liked going down to the local coin-op "pay-n-spray" carwash and basting the hell out of them with the super high-pressure wand.  Nothing beats the looks some people give when you dump out a crate of engine bits on the floor in one of those places. 


For a complete engine I normally use "Foamy Engine Brite" (I think that's a Gunk product) and a rag... and a garden hose to rinse it all off.

[Markcb750]

I have found Turtle Wax wheel cleaner does a good job on the painted case.  It can discolor the unpainted areas if you leave it on too long without rinsing well with a hose and spraying with kerosene or WD40.

[fastbroshi]

For those of you that say Simple Green is too weak, are you diluting it to bathroom cleaning levels?  Because it's hella strong undiluted.  You have to glove up or it'll dry out your hands like crazy.  It really soaks up the oil.  For the bikes or just greasy crap in general you can probably get away with a 2:1 water-SG dilution and it'l work good.

[Skunk Stripe]

I spray it straight on. It does not dry out my hands though so I never wear gloves.

[sopo400f]

My two favorites are
Sterling's Brush Cleaner and mary kate's Spray Away.

[Nikkisixx]

I go with simple green for most jobs. That dirt and grease has had 30+ years to accumulate.  Any cleaner that can knock it off in a few hours of scrubbing is doing a decent job 

[seanbarney41]

I can't believe no one else has done this...ride down to the nearest gas station and pick up a couple cans of starter fluid...spray it on hard to reach oily baked on crud and watch it immediately dissolve...kind of expensive way to go but it gets stuff cleeeeeaaaannnn....

[singedebile]

you have to admit its pretty cool when the 'bio degradable' 'all natural' cleaner is the staple best of the bunch!

[stueveone]

Castrol Super Clean (Big Purple Jug) is the absolute BEST degreaser around. I've used it for tearing down a dozen motors, one of which a crusty old Diesel. It's so tenacious that I usually cut it 1/1 with water. Seriously, go grab a gallon of this stuff and tell me it isn't the SH*T!!!

[anthony]

purple power by auto valet. i have not found any thing it cant clean away.

http://autovalet.ca/product_details.html?code=330&page=page-1

[Duanob]

Castrol Super Clean (Big Purple Jug) is the absolute BEST degreaser around. I've used it for tearing down a dozen motors, one of which a crusty old Diesel. It's so tenacious that I usually cut it 1/1 with water. Seriously, go grab a gallon of this stuff and tell me it isn't the SH*T!!!

I use that stuff. It works great but don't let it drip down the driveway and into the storm drain. I use a plastic mortar tray from Home Depot under my bike when I clean.