Author Topic: Vote for your Best Degreaser! I have been cleaning all week. My vote is in! (Read 6773 times)

robdrobd · « **on:** April 21, 2011, 11:05:43 am »

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 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:33:19 am »

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 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:40:33 am »

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 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:41:02 am »

Varsol

camelman · « **Reply #4 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:49:46 am »

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 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:50:32 am »

Quote from: lone*X on April 21, 2011, 11:33:19 am

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 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 21, 2011, 12:13:04 pm »

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 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 21, 2011, 01:02:29 pm »

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 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 21, 2011, 01:33:23 pm »

+1 Varsol works here

Silverback · « **Reply #9 on:** April 21, 2011, 02:20:55 pm »

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

lone*X · « **Reply #10 on:** April 21, 2011, 02:31:51 pm »

Quote from: Silverback on April 21, 2011, 02:20:55 pm

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 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 21, 2011, 04:29:04 pm »

So far none of the ones listed are getting any votes

Skunk Stripe · « **Reply #12 on:** April 21, 2011, 04:43:54 pm »

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 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 21, 2011, 05:21:39 pm »

Brake fluid?

nayto550 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 21, 2011, 05:37:01 pm »

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 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 21, 2011, 05:52:26 pm »

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 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 21, 2011, 06:31:59 pm »

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 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 21, 2011, 06:34:53 pm »

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

sopo400f · « **Reply #18 on:** April 21, 2011, 07:03:41 pm »

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

Nikkisixx · « **Reply #19 on:** April 21, 2011, 08:11:36 pm »

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 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 21, 2011, 08:35:27 pm »

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 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 21, 2011, 10:11:49 pm »

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

stueveone · « **Reply #22 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:25:07 pm »

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 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 22, 2011, 07:56:15 am »

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 · « **Reply #24 on:** April 22, 2011, 08:40:58 am »

Quote from: stueveone on April 21, 2011, 11:25:07 pm

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.

geminimotors · « **Reply #25 on:** April 22, 2011, 08:56:20 am »

I really like the ZEP Industrial Purple Degreaser. It's probably very similar to the Castrol. Off with the grease, with minimum of brushing with a nylon brush, and it doesn't hurt rubber, paint, or cad plated parts. A good rinse with water, thorough drying, and parts are ready for paint with no contamination. It's inexpensive at the Home Despot.

dave500 · « **Reply #26 on:** April 22, 2011, 11:38:12 pm »

KEROSINE

Dusthawk · « **Reply #27 on:** April 22, 2011, 11:50:14 pm »

If you aren't worried about stripping paint or clear coating, Berryman B12 Carb and Choke cleaner works the best for me. If you rinse it away as soon as the part is clean it doesn't harm the paint or clear, but if left on it'll strip it clean down to bare metal taking away even caked on tar.

KRONUS0100 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 23, 2011, 05:52:23 am »

simple green, castrol purple stuff.....watch that stuff soak the oil right out of concrete, and citrus based cleaners all work well

somesuch · « **Reply #29 on:** April 23, 2011, 09:15:42 am »

Quote from: Hannibal Smith on April 21, 2011, 11:40:33 am

...
LPS degreaser (Citrus base) for secondary soak-
...

In my experience, cadmium and zinc plated hardware develop white oxidation if the cleaner is not completely rinsed with (warm) water......I found that a lot of bolts when removed later were showing that whitish powder....that was on a new bike, with the whole washing history known, plus it discolors them a bit as well.

K+L bike wash seems to work better to give a nice clean look, and (so far) I do not notice any corrosion. It is pricey though....

chrislib · « **Reply #30 on:** April 23, 2011, 02:47:59 pm »

wd40 to marinate and loosen the crud, followed by either simple green or krud kutter (whichever I have handy).

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Author Topic: Vote for your Best Degreaser! I have been cleaning all week. My vote is in! (Read 6773 times)

Markcb750