Best Solvent?

[TonyHuntimer]

What are your favorite solvents for cleaning dirty/oily/greasy car parts? ...including engine parts and the insides of engine blocks?

I've heard Castrol Super Clean and POR-15 Marine Clean works...but in California you can't get Castrol Super Clean anymore.

What do you use?

Tony Huntimer
RaceHome.com

[LowBuckX]

To remove heavy stuff and not be knocked over with odors use good ole Dextron mercon tranny fliud and a stiff brush...... letting it soak in tranny fliud over night will soften some of the greasyest crap you can find... I keep a squirt bottle with a 50.50 mix of wd-40 and atf in my cabinet....... Then use Brakeleen or contact cleaner to remove the Atf. Ever notice that a leaky tranny pan is the cleanest part underneath work trucks....

[chicane67]

M.e.k.

[TonyHuntimer]

M.e.k.

Huh?

Tony Huntimer
RaceHome.com

[neki67]

MEK Solvent (Methyl Ethyl Ketone)

And now go and update your blog!

[chicane67]

Huh?

Tony Huntimer
RaceHome.com

Oh... wait. You're in Kalifornia. It's been banned from that state.

[neki67]

Oh... wait. You're in Kalifornia. It's been banned from that state.

Like it is around here (the Netherlands) but you should still be able to get your hands on it when you're still able think a bit outside the box. . . .

[68BNUT]

I like and use P.B. Blaster, it works good on breaking bolts loose and cleaning parts. pretty strong odor though.

[Jim Nilsen]

Cintas is our uniform company but they also have a parts cleaner that you can actually drink they say, so California should allow it. It always worked better than most of the petroleum solvents you can find that I have used. It can get a nasty smell if it isn't changed when needed.

If you have a Cintas in your area maybe you can buy some from them.

Can you guys still use Gunk? It always does a decent job.

Carb cleaner is always around.

Windex will do a lot more than just windows.

Brake cleaner

oven cleaner can do an engine and smell lemony fresh

Westley's bleachwhite is also a good thing to have for some things

For the really tuff things that fit, the sandblast cabinet can't be beat along with a new coat of paint.

The wire wheel gets a workout on a lot of parts too.

That's what I use to clean most things in the shop.

And if you really want to get a bad headache ,go ahead and use the MEK.

[QuasarZ]

M.e.k.

You are kidding right. I use to work on ink jet printers and m.e.k was used to thin the ink. A few guys would get really sick from that stuff.

[Happyfunballs]

MEK works great. Lacquer thinner, Xylene, and Acetone work as well. You just may not be able to have kids when you're done.

[oestek]

They're all pretty nasty. One that works really well, but you have to be very careful, is good ole' E85. It's about $2.75 a gallon here, (cheapest parts cleaner around!) and it's mostly alcohol... the stuff works great. Also nice for rinsing fuel tanks... cleans varnish out like crazy. Oh yeah, they say some cars can actually drive on this stuff!

[neki67]

Any degreaser containing 1.1.1. trichloroethylene also works greats. BUT as with MEK it has some drawbacks . . . .
http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/...onNumber:1.1.2

[Jim Nilsen]

You are kidding right. I use to work on ink jet printers and m.e.k was used to thin the ink. A few guys would get really sick from that stuff.

Thats how I know about the bad headache.

MEK is labeled as bad for a reason.

[CHILI442]

Naptha in my parts washer.

Brake Kleen for final cleanup.

Then I wipe all parts down with Prep-Sol or Laquer thinner before paint.

[BonzoHansen]

I primarily use Lacquer thinner, POR Marine Clean & Brake clean. I also have zep orange in a small parts washer, that stuff works good too.

[Restomod]

You are kidding right. I use to work on ink jet printers and m.e.k was used to thin the ink. A few guys would get really sick from that stuff.

Thats what I was thinking, I dont want that stuff anywhere near me.The wd40/atf sounds MUCH safer....

[moreHP]

Chem-tool or brake-clean

Failing that, just soak them in gas and burn off the grease!!!

[wedgehead]

Just remember all of those fluids that are extremely flamable can and will burn you. Naptha is the safest petroleum solvent to use. NEVER use gas or anything like it. Remember you want to live to drive these cars we are all working on. I use a parts washer that uses naptha that I service regularly. To clean parts that won't fit in my parts washer I use a cleaner called Red Hot it will take grease and oil off of anything. You just have to be careful around painted surfaces.

[Bow Tie 67]

MEK works great. Lacquer thinner, Xylene, and Acetone work as well. You just may not be able to have kids when you're done.

25 years ago we had a parts washer with Mek in it, and used no gloves. ( yep young and stupid ) I was able to have kids and after awhile I became used to their extra limbs.