GUNK engine clean...

I've been using gunk engine cleaner for 20 years and never failed to amaze me.

 

I've used about everything out there. For a really dirty engine bay gunk is good. But once and engine is cleaned really good, it doesn't take a lot of harsh chemicals to keep it that way. I use WD-40 and am very happy with it....you do have to wipe until things are DRY though. But once clean and dry things look great.

 

I do believe that Gunk is petro based & latex won't be able to stand up to it., nor will macadam. Mechanics hate servicing engines that had that stuff used on cause of the stench.

By the way, what type of clear sealer are/will you be using after bead blasting your components?

 

+1

 

I've had Gunk trash a painted floor. The next time I used it I got one of those drip pans that you put under the car to catch oil leaks and such.

 

This can be a tricky area. Check out what Autopia has to say on the subject
http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80226-engine-cleaning-detailing.html

I have had good luck with Griots Engine cleaner. They dont seem to use unnecessarily harsh chemicals that maybe Gunk does as they are focused on the higher end cars..
http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1001&SKU=11128

 

A Big Thank-you for the info!

 

I've used Gunk engine degreaser for years with great success on Mustangs, Corvettes etc(but not on my Ferrari yet-just simple green so far) but here's how I do it. Spray it on the greasy spots with the car in the street , then drive to the nearest "do it yourself" carwash and hose it off there, the grease and oil will have time to dissolve, by the time you get there. Then the hot carwash water will rinse it off. This is something I'd only do on a seriously greasy engine, Ferraris rarely get that bad.
Gunk is great on unsealed driveway oil and grease spots too but keep it away from paint of any kind, including driveways.

 

I have used petroleum-based Gunk--it smells a little, but it works great. Have also used the non-petroleum based Gunk and it works (not quite as good as the petrol based Gunk). The Costco driveway degreaser works good too, but I thought it might of "etched" the bare Alum a little. The alum was clean, but it went from being naturally shinny to having a faint glass beaded look? If a cleaner is a strong "basic" Ph it could etch the Alum a little; after all a strong caustic dip is what they use to chem-mill aircraft parts.

Prior to doing my 60K on my 328 I used Petrol based and a 25 cent car wash. After cleaning the engine I drove it for about a n hour, but when I took the cams out, there was a very faint ring of "black Oxide type of corrosion on one of the cams where the seal rides. I presume the high pressure water from the car wash seeped in past the seal. After this experience I changed my engine cleaning tact.

Currently, I put plastic down and use a Harbor Freight engine cleaning sprayer and Stoddard Solvent (Mineral Spirits). This works really well and won't corrode anything. If a tray is held under where the spraying is being done; hardly any solvent makes it to the plastic. What does get to the plastic can be wiped-up with rags.

Mark

 

Believe it or not, unless extreme grime exists, I use very a mild dish detergent (such as Palmolive) and water on aluminum engine parts (cam covers etc..) for most cleaning and to keep things bright. Let it sit - massage with a soft brush (not a steel or brass brush!) and most dirt/grease will come right off.

Anthony

 

Some of you are spraying water on hot engines? I would think that might crack or deform the block...

Or do you sit at the car wash for hours while the engine cools?

 

cool engine

 

Most of those do it yourself car washes use high pressure water that is heated. I've use those places for decades for engine and parts cleaning and have never had a problem except when I screwed up and sprayed something I didn't want to spray. I still think it's the best place to clean your engine, even though there's usually signs around that say "no engine cleaning" I have a power washer at home but I don't like the the mess to clean up afterwards. Also, where I live, the drain goes right into the bay. So I have to be extra cautious about where the mess goes.

Bob Wassam