Best engine degreaser

[bixxjs]

Hi Y'all
This weekend I pulled the engine out of a project car.It's covered in oil,grease and grime.What's the bed way to clean it up before I strip it down?

 

[peter2772000]

Brushed-on kerosene, let it soak followed by a high-pressure washer

 

[38Chevy454]

Oven cleaner at the dollar store works good for degreasing. Don't buy the name brand Easy-Off, get the generic stuff. It is just sodium hydrochloride as the active ingredient, so once you degrease it can just be washed down with water.

 

[larry_g]

x2 oven cleaner. Put a tarp under it to catch most of the junk to keep it off the drive.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[BoostedOne]

Another super awesome degreaser can be had at Dollar Tree as well, its called Totally Awesome. Soak down, hit with pressure washer. Do it a few times and you will be golden.

 

[larry_g]

Another super awesome degreaser can be had at Dollar Tree as well, its called Totally Awesome. Soak down, hit with pressure washer. Do it a few times and you will be golden.

I don't think they have the Dollar Tree in the UK.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Rex_A_Lott]

Steam cleaner. Purple Power and a pressure washer. Over here the degreaser at the car wash does a fair job,not sure if you have that over there. Good Luck

 

[ScottsGT]

Simple Green works good too.

 

[Streetbu]

Steam cleaner. Purple Power and a pressure washer. Over here the degreaser at the car wash does a fair job,not sure if you have that over there. Good Luck

Purple Power for the win... works all the time, every time on grease.

 

[cadunkle]

Another super awesome degreaser can be had at Dollar Tree as well, its called Totally Awesome.

Indeed, TA lives up to it's name. I use it dilluted for vinyl upholstery, pulls all the grime out. Also works great for oily bilges.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Sometimes working in layers is the best option, brush off the loose stuff, hit it with some compressed air, garden hose and compressed air again until dry.

Then hit it with some Purple Power or Simple Green, let soak and rinse with water again, preferably hot water. Compressed air until dry.

Then hit it with some oven cleaner, gunk or kerosene, scrub and again rinse with preferably hot water. Dry with compressed air.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've always had great results from Oil eater...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EALHH6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Tommy

 

[ezriderga]

This is what I use. Really cleans and is safe to use on aluminum and paint.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VXU7OE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[1redTA]

diesel fuel applied with a brush or spray bottl, agitate and rinse

 

[triumphguy]

I would try Gunk or Williams Racing degreasers off of amazon.co.uk or go to poundland or poundwold and get some generic cleaner or oven cleaner and try them. Most of the ones mentioned here aren't going to be available in the UK. LA's Totally Awesome is on amazon in the UK but 4 bottles which is $4 in the US are £50, basically a total ripoff.

 

[chaosracing]

Diesel fuel or kerosene is great at removing really dirty oily gunk.
What I usually do it first hit with pressure washer to remove loose dirt. Then hit with diesel fuel and let soak. Pressure wash again, then I use the Purple simple green at full strength. Let it soak and pressure wash again.

The Gunk engine degreaser has diesel fuel in it, its cheaper to just buy straight diesel.

 

[Colin Len]

This is what I use. Really cleans and is safe to use on aluminum and paint.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VXU7OE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Wow, all you used on that manifold and other cast aluminum bits was Simple Green Extreme? The outcome looks amazing - cleaning cast parts under the hood has been hit or miss for me.

The Extreme is much more expensive than the normal stuff but if it works this well then I must give it a try.

 

[T_R]

Best thing is a diesel fueled heated pressure washer. They get hot enough to burn all the oil off with no chemicals needed.

If that isn't an option I like gunk foamy engine brite and simple green.

 

[joe_padavano]

x2 oven cleaner. Put a tarp under it to catch most of the junk to keep it off the drive.

lg
no neat sig line

X3 on the oven cleaner. I use the cheapest foaming oven cleaner I can buy at WalMart. It DOES lift paint, however, so I wouldn't use it on an engine installed in a car. Here are before and after photos of suspension parts from my 67 Olds. Sprayed with foaming oven cleaner, put in a plastic bag for a few hours, and hosed off with light wire brush scrubbing.

 

[James-W]

A buddy of mine has a steam cleaner and one time I was at this house when he was cleaning an engine with it. I have to say that the steam cleaner worked extremely well.

I normally use Gunk when I clean up the riding lawnmower in the Fall after I am done using it.

 

[ezriderga]

Wow, all you used on that manifold and other cast aluminum bits was Simple Green Extreme? The outcome looks amazing - cleaning cast parts under the hood has been hit or miss for me.

The Extreme is much more expensive than the normal stuff but if it works this well then I must give it a try.

Yes that’s all I used along with some brushes which you would use with any cleaner. I also used 0000 steel wool with the SG extreme on the aluminum cam/valve cover. It is expensive but it is also available in a spray bottle for less $ if you can find it.

 

[DHCrocks]

superclean works really well and is cheap, only about $10 for a gallon at walmart.

 

[rambo19]

I use parrafin, followed by bilt hamber on my land rover.

 

[jgorm]

I learned about oil eater on this site. I thought it was hippie **** because it's environmentally safe, but it works better than the toxic stuff. I bought a gallon the second time. I warmed up the engine fire maybe 3-5 minutes. Shut it off, sprayed oil eater, pressure washed then tuned it back on to dry everything. I was amazed how good it turned out.

 

[psbeamish]

Oven cleaner for sure!

 

[Jedduh01]

FYI oven cleaner is a great foamy Degreaser but it WILL Etch / Discolor Aluminum.

 

[john mariner]

Best way is to use a degreaser , I have been using a coolant and a Rx degreaser for a long time that I found to be working best. You should also use a degreaser

 

[Smithclarck]

I often clean a motor block before mounting mineral spirits and compressed air. A stand tray is used for the proper disposal of dropping waste. Wear an "rubber" mask and face shield to prevent vapor from respiring. Clean the drum with ATF (Automatic Fluid Transmission) and paper towels. It is ready when the paper towels are clean. Enable the ATF oil film to prevent rust. When not working, keep a large trash bag over the block

 

[pelletman]

I get Purple Power for less than 20 bucks for 5 gallons buying online local pickup with coupon. I like Totally Awesome too. I like oven cleaner but I generally use that for removing layers of paint on old stuff. Lots of good ideas in this thread

 

[rambo19]

I use parrafin.

 

[brownbagg]

Oven cleaner for sure!

in high school this guy cover a car with oven cleaner, it bubbled the paint and then the paint hardened in a bubble. they had to grind the whole car

 

[enrare]

Wow, all you used on that manifold and other cast aluminum bits was Simple Green Extreme? The outcome looks amazing - cleaning cast parts under the hood has been hit or miss for me.

The Extreme is much more expensive than the normal stuff but if it works this well then I must give it a try.

The blue Heavy Duty Simple Green at Home Depot is the same stuff. I contacted Simple Green about the Extreme formula a few years back when looking for an aluminum safe engine cleaner and they said the Heavy Duty formula was the same product. Customer Service said the only difference is labeling on the container for marketing purposes.

 

[fussyfarmall]

Oven cleaner at the dollar store works good for degreasing. Don't buy the name brand Easy-Off, get the generic stuff. It is just sodium hydrochloride as the active ingredient, so once you degrease it can just be washed down with water.

Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda)or(lye) is used in degreasers and cleaners. Sodium hydrochloride (sodium hydrochlorite)or(bleach) is used in sanitizers, whiteners, cleaners and you know other bleach purposes. Not a good engine cleaner. A little mix up on ingredients but great suggestion. $1.25 compared to $5-7

 

[like2wheel]

Prepare to be shamed...

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

I would like to add that I spray WD40 on the motor 2-3 times and let it soak for a day or two before I start using any cleaner product, it seems to loosen up the gunk and grease and most degreasers will benefit.

 

[P51Mustang]

Oven cleaner has worked well for me on engines and other large parts that I can then hit with a pressure washer.

Simple Green works well and I have also used brake clean and carb cleaner for getting into tight places where oven cleaner and water can not be used and I do not care about paint.

 

[ATC]

Here ya go!