Topic: Cleaning interior oil passages

[Don R]

 Has anyone delved into cleaning out crankcase interior oil passages? I've pressure washed through the filter hole, bottom holes where the pump connects and through the port on the right side of the gallery, and sprayed brake clean through the smaller holes. I haven't ever removed the ball bearings on a crankshaft and cleaned the interior passages though.
  I saw where CycleX drills and cleans out the cam tower oil pathways and then plugs the holes afterwards. Ken is aways a step ahead.

 I'm looking at universal gun cleaning kits, they have a lot of brush and swab sizes. 
 A Klola brand kit on Amazon with brass adapters is around $50.

[BenelliSEI]

Has anyone delved into cleaning out crankcase interior oil passages? I've pressure washed through the filter hole, bottom holes where the pump connects and through the port on the right side of the gallery, and sprayed brake clean through the smaller holes. I haven't ever removed the ball bearings on a crankshaft and cleaned the interior passages though.
  I saw where CycleX drills and cleans out the cam tower oil pathways and then plugs the holes afterwards. Ken is aways a step ahead.

Don……. When I did my last top end build, I took the head to be vapour blasted and they claimed they clean out all oil passages….. afterwards I ran the head in my larger ultrasonic tank and then blew it out. Got absolutely nothing so they seemed to have done a decent job.

[HondaMan]

I (just once) found something inside of the crossover from the pump to the transmission's mainshaft bearing: pulling out the little rubber plug (on post-K1 engines) and spraying some brake cleaner thru it got a couple of grits out (the ball bearing in that housing had crumbs in it, which was my first clue). The bigger "worry" about grits and crumbles happens in the early sandcast engines inside the main oil galley across the back of the cylinders. Honda used a 2- or 3-piece plug in the molds right there and the flash is often thin and copious inside, breaking off over time (I posted pix of this in my sandcast build thread). It was found (eventually) to be the common cause of so many of the sandcast's cam bearing failures because those early engines had only a single oiling hole into the rocker tower on each side. Honda over-reacted by making the expensive dome-shaped oil screens with lotsa holes on them to filter out that grit. Once they went to a 1-piece rod thru the whole oil galley in the molds the problem went away and the 7-hole mini-screens appeared.

[PeWe]

Be aware of the small rubber plug that cover a hole to left side bearing holder. I have seen it flying twice when using a power washer or compressed air.
Saw where it landed first time, covered the flight path next time to catch it
Good idea to take out before cleaning.

Crank need some wash thru all holes too.

[Don R]

 Thanks for the tips and tricks, I'll check for the rubber plug and be more aware.
 
  This engine, although covered was left outside and open, every critter that could crawl inside was living in it.  I'm re-using mostly just the cases since the numbers are correct for the late K0 (with a 71 title). I did save the 67mm Henry Abe cylinder, I'll see if it can go to 67.5 and I also saved the RC rebuilt rods.
  I may remove the crankshaft ball bearings just to see how hard it is. The main and rod bearings looked like they were coated with Permatex. No solvent I have would touch it. 

[HondaMan]

Thanks for the tips and tricks, I'll check for the rubber plug and be more aware.
 
  This engine, although covered was left outside and open, every critter that could crawl inside was living in it.  I'm re-using mostly just the cases since the numbers are correct for the late K0 (with a 71 title). I did save the 67mm Henry Abe cylinder, I'll see if it can go to 67.5 and I also saved the RC rebuilt rods.
  I may remove the crankshaft ball bearings just to see how hard it is. The main and rod bearings looked like they were coated with Permatex. No solvent I have would touch it. 

Can you get MEK where you live? That'll probably work - it even dissolves some rubbers.

[Don R]

 I think I can get MEK, I might give it a try. As a model car builder and then a Plumber and Hot Rodder, I've probably subjected myself to enough solvents, so I'll use it outside.

[MRieck]

Be aware of the small rubber plug that cover a hole to left side bearing holder. I have seen it flying twice when using a power washer or compressed air.
Saw where it landed first time, covered the flight path next time to catch it
Good idea to take out before cleaning.

Crank need some wash thru all holes too.

I have drilled out the aluminum plug opposite that rubber plug and tapped for a 6mm Allen head. That eliminates the blind hole and all the crap that sits there. Also....run brushes everywhere....powerwashing helps but doesn't get rid of film especially when cases have been powder coated.

[PeWe]

Be aware of the small rubber plug that cover a hole to left side bearing holder. I have seen it flying twice when using a power washer or compressed air.
Saw where it landed first time, covered the flight path next time to catch it
Good idea to take out before cleaning.

Crank need some wash thru all holes too.

I have drilled out the aluminum plug opposite that rubber plug and tapped for a 6mm Allen head. That eliminates the blind hole and all the crap that sits there. Also....run brushes everywhere....powerwashing helps but doesn't get rid of film especially when cases have been powder coated.

This one too, drill thru for cleaning?
An allen M6 plug to cover the hole.

[Don R]

 I'd be willing to bet that plug can be pushed out from the other side and either thread tapped or put back in.
  I got a gun cleaning brush through the main oil galley and through the hole behind the rubber plug and yes, the rubber plug was missing. Probably somewhere in the car wash. I kept a crankcase that had extensive weld repair, and the plug was still in it.