Brake Cleaner

[theoldwizard1]

Like everything else, the price of brake cleaner has gone up ... A LOT !

My first choice has always been CRC BraKleen, chlorinated. Now close to $5. Anything else work as well as a better price ?

 

[LXCam]

I'm a fan of O'Reilly's brand and in AZ it runs me normally $3.60. But when it goes on sale at $2 (really rare now) I'll buy a couple cases.

 

[pooterguy]

CRC at HF goes for about $4.50 on 30% discount weekends.

 

[Fedwrench]

consider buying brake clean in gallon or 5 gallon containers and using it with a sureshot type sprayer. it goes a lot further than the aerosol cans.

 

[AJHD]

I haven't bought it in awhile, but I buy my brake clean at Wal-Mart. The SuperTech Walmart brand usually runs about $2/can. I've been using it for years and never had an issue with it. Works just like the expensive CRC brand for my purposes.

When I worked at AutoZone, I would buy their AZ/ShopPro brand, it goes on sale quite often.

Side note, I haven't used brake clean in awhile and I miss it. My current employer forbids it. Safety Nazis make everything so damn difficult.

 

[dnschmidt]

consider buying brake clean in gallon or 5 gallon containers and using it with a sureshot type sprayer. it goes a lot further than the aerosol cans.

Fed, the best buy is to get it from a chemical supplier. In Phoenix we have an A. G. Layne branch down in South Phoenix from which I buy my Acetone, Urethane Grade Reducers and Lacquer Thinner to clean my spray guns. In their catalog they also have four types of brake clean all available in 5 gallon cans.

 

[Kuma601]

Prices have been increasing constantly. CRC is in that $6 range so I've been buying Blaster brand at HD for $4.50 or Super Tech for $3.50'ish depending which store I'm in. Lowes shows CRC for $3.28 and available locally. Hmm...

 

[theoldwizard1]

I haven't bought it in awhile, but I buy my brake clean at Wal-Mart. The SuperTech Walmart brand usually runs about $2/can.

WallyWorld switched to non-chloronated. $3.28/14oz. Brakleen at Walmart is $5.43/19 oz. 3 out of 4 stores are out of stock.

 

[cvairwerks]

Make sure you are comparing same size cans....it comes in 14, 19 and 20 ounce cans.

 

[theoldwizard1]

consider buying brake clean in gallon or 5 gallon containers and using it with a sureshot type sprayer. it goes a lot further than the aerosol cans.

Genuine Brakleen

5 gallons is about $200 or about $0.32/oz

19 oz aerosol can is $4.70 or about $0.24/oz

 

[theoldwizard1]

Side note, I haven't used brake clean in awhile and I miss it. My current employer forbids it. Safety Nazis make everything so damn difficult.

Not sure why ? Most is now non-chlorinated and non-flammable.

 

[Fedwrench]

Not sure why ? Most is now non-chlorinated and non-flammable.

Even the non-chlorinated stuff is quite harmful to your central nervous system I also worked at a job where brake clean was banned. There's no safe version of it. Long term daily use isn't good for the human body.

Not sure where you shop but, 5 gallons of CRC runs me $135 and generic is only $75 for five gallons.

 

[Walkers]

Even the non-chlorinated stuff is quite harmful to your central nervous system I also worked at a job where brake clean was banned. There's no safe version of it. Long term daily use isn't good for the human body.

Not sure where you shop but, 5 gallons of CRC runs me $135 and generic is only $75 for five gallons.

Wher are you buying it?

 

[WWheeler]

Not sure why ? Most is now non-chlorinated and non-flammable.

Chlorinated is the least flammable version by far. Most brands advertise their chlorinated brake cleaner as 'non-flammable'. It's also faster drying and is the stronger solvent of the two.

Non-chlorinated is the one that's highly flammable.




Ont thing to note though, got to be a lot more careful what all you get Chlorinated brake cleaner on. I've seen it destroy wheel well liners and splash guards and such where someone was being a bit too liberal with it.

I buy a case of chlorinated whenever my local Napa has it on sale. It used to get down to $2 a can but lately their sales for CRC have been $3 but have been 23oz I think, a slightly larger can than usual. Buddy of mine who works there will send me a text whenever the price drops and sets me a case (or two) aside. I also try to keep a can or two of the non-chlorinated around. It's usually the more expensive of the two and/or comes in a smaller can, but it's safe to use on around automotive plastics.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I personally like 3M brake cleaner. Napa has it and maybe some other places. It’s the best I’ve found. As far as I know its chlorinated, non chlorinated brake cleaner has never worked for me. Always leaves stuff behind.

 

[Wiz02]

For the non professionals, what are you using so much brake cleaner on? I have one chlorinated can from "the year of the flood" and one non chlorinated can that has to be 10 years old. I use it for cleaning brakes and that's about it.

 

[WWheeler]

For the non professionals, what are you using so much brake cleaner on? I have one chlorinated can from "the year of the flood" and one non chlorinated can that has to be 10 years old. I use it for cleaning brakes and that's about it.

I use it pretty liberally on most anything metal to clean up my hand prints when I'm wrapping up a job or to clean up a pan/block/trans so I can identify a leak. I sometimes use the can in one hand and a blow gun in the other and use both simultaneously to get lots of oily greasy crud off super quick. Works great but do not attempt without eye protection.

 

[Komet]

For the non professionals, what are you using so much brake cleaner on?

30 year old cars that have been leaking for 25.

 

[Wiz02]

30 year old cars that have been leaking for 25.

I have a drip pan under my '79 for leaks, I don't clean them.

 

[Dagny]

12 gauge

 

[Dagny]

nothing better for an auto loader.

 

[txvwnut]

I just bought a couple cases of Johnsen’s brake cleaner from Rock Auto. I like it much better than the CRC non-chlorinated I had.

 

[xjfish]

Employer buys 110 gallons at a time from a chemical supplier. Hand pump and a sure-shot get it done. Personally, I buy a lot of "FVP" branded stuff (cans) from Menards when on sale.

 

[craftsman creep]

Any break clean that is non-chlorinated work for me.
-Preston

 

[southalabama]

Gets the oils out of 80 percent lowers before painting.

If you know you know.

 

[AA/FC]

I personally like 3M brake cleaner. Napa has it and maybe some other places. It’s the best I’ve found. As far as I know its chlorinated, non chlorinated brake cleaner has never worked for me. Always leaves stuff behind.

I like the 3M stuff from Napa, too. I use to buy it by the case back when it was on sale for $1.99 per can. Those days are long gone! However, I will still buy it today by the can when I need it but I have found the chlorinated stuff is getting REALLY hard to find these days. (and no, I do not live in CA) Most of the 3M brake clean I see at Napa today is all NON-Chlorinated.

For the non professionals, what are you using so much brake cleaner on? I have one chlorinated can from "the year of the flood" and one non chlorinated can that has to be 10 years old. I use it for cleaning brakes and that's about it.

You have two cans that have lasted over ten years? Wow! Sometimes two cans won't even last 10 minutes in my home shop. lolol.

I use brake clean for:
General parts degreaser
Cleaning carburetors (among other things)
Cleaning differential housings / transmission housings / transfer case housings
Cleaning out funnels before each use. (remove residual oil, coolant, fluid, dust from sitting, etc)
Removing sticky glue from paper sticky labels on smooth surfaces... remove stick-on wheel weight glue
General cleaning of things including oil and grease stains on the floor
Surface prep for spray painting parts and pieces (not automotive paint jobs)
Surface prep for pieces that need to be super glued together (I also use accelerator with super glue)
Cleaning guns
Removing sharpie marker from metal working projects
Removing oil coatings from raw steel that comes in new from the steel yard
Etc.
Anything that is dirty and needs to be clean. Anything. It doesn't need to be automotive brake related.
The list could continue on....

I am one of those guys who will use the spray coming from the can to "rinse" dirt and grease away from the parts. I am NOT one of those guys who gives the part a 1/4 second spurt from the can and thinks the part is now clean because it was wet for a split second.

I use brake clean like this guy..... Okay, maybe not EXACTLY like this guy, but you get the idea. lolol

 

[dnschmidt]

What's wrong with Super Clean rinsed off with water? It seems more effective to me than brake clean. I load up one of my zillion spray guns with 1:1 Super Clean and water (you could use a pressure washer if so inclined) and blast away. These new water based cleaners are grease killers. This is also how I clean my engine prior to any work. I HATE DIRT!

 

[Wiz02]

Interesting to see what others do with Brake cleaner. I use carb / maf friendly cleaner for carbs / fuel injection intakes, WD40 for labels / sticky residues, (Throwing @PelicanPines a softball here), contact cleaner for well, electrical contacts, bug and tar cleaner etc.

I've never bothered to check MSD's for the different products. Maybe they all use the same solvents? Rainy day post retirement project number 1001 to find out.

 

[regguy1]

Even the non-chlorinated stuff is quite harmful to your central nervous system I also worked at a job where brake clean was banned. There's no safe version of it. Long term daily use isn't good for the human body.

Not sure where you shop but, 5 gallons of CRC runs me $135 and generic is only $75 for five gallons.

I agree, I don't use it. For drum brakes I put a drain pan underneath and spray on some household spray cleaner or dawn liquid diluted and rise with water hose and blow dry with compressed air. To clean pads or rotors I use denatured alcohol. see before and after photos
works great and doesn't cost much.

 

[PelicanPines]

Interesting to see what others do with Brake cleaner. I use carb / maf friendly cleaner for carbs / fuel injection intakes, WD40 for labels / sticky residues, (Throwing @PelicanPines a softball here), contact cleaner for well, electrical contacts, bug and tar cleaner etc.

I've never bothered to check MSD's for the different products. Maybe they all use the same solvents? Rainy day post retirement project number 1001 to find out.

I like goof off... I only brake clean when brake cleaning. I buy WD40 by the gallon. I have "sticky remover" for the body... I get residue stuck to me from my Borg Implants... that need to be changed every 2 weeks. Guess what it is called... "Medical Goof Off"

 

[PoorUB]

consider buying brake clean in gallon or 5 gallon containers and using it with a sureshot type sprayer. it goes a lot further than the aerosol cans.

This the route I am going. I bought a gallon of CRC from NAPA and have the Sureshot sprayer already.
CRC has two varieties, one that is pretty much all acetone, and the other is mostly tetrathloroethylene. So pick your poison.

 

[pooterguy]

Advance has Brakleen red label 1 gallon $39.99 and Sure Shot model A 65.99 minus 15% coupon code 2MAY plus free shipping
Both for about $95 total.

 

[Treeman]

This CRC 29 ounce red can at Menards is 18 cents per ounce (the math that counts) vs. pooterguy's 1 gallon above at 31 cents per ounce.

CRC® Brakleen® Pro Series Non-Flammable Brake Parts Cleaner - 29 oz.

The #1 selling brand of brake parts cleaner! CRC® Pro Series Non-Flammable Brakleen® non-flammable formula is our strongest cleaner, formulated to quickly & effectively remove grease, brake dust, brake fluid, & oils from brake systems.

www.menards.com

EDIT: see calculation correction further down the thread: content weight vs. content fluid ounces. This Menards product cost about the same per fluid liquid ounce as a bulk gallon.

 

[AA/FC]

What's wrong with Super Clean rinsed off with water?

Nothing.... do it however you like.

 

[Pexto]

This the route I am going. I bought a gallon of CRC from NAPA and have the Sureshot sprayer already.
CRC has two varieties, one that is pretty much all acetone, and the other is mostly tetrathloroethylene. So pick your poison.

Tetrachloroethylene: (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0599.html)
NIOSH REL: Potentially Carcinogenic - minimize workplace exposure concentrations.
OSHA PEL: TWA 100 ppm, Ceiling 200 ppm (for 5 minutes in any 3-hour period), with a maximum peak of 300 ppm.

Acetone: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0004.html
NIOSH REL: TWA 250 ppm
OSHA PEL: TWA 1000 ppm

So basically if you prefer to listen to NIOSH, you should be aiming for ZERO exposure to tetrachloroethylene, while 250ppm exposure to acetone is the limit for an 10-hour day.
If you prefer to listen to OSHA then the permissible exposure for acetone for an 8-hour day is ten times that for tetrachloroethylene.

As a further data point, the EPA limit for tetrachloroethylene in drinking water is .005 mg/L (the same as benzene). The EPA goal level for tetrachloroethylene is zero (because it's probably carcinogenic). Meanwhile acetone is not even listed in the MCL tables.

What it boils down to is that tetrachloroethylene is very nasty stuff that's probably carcinogenic in addition to causing many other ailments, while acetone occurs naturally in your body in small quantities and has known metabolic pathways that are not harmful.

Frankly I don't understand why anyone would use tetrachloroethylene outside of a highly controlled environment. I dont allow stuff like this in my garage - it's simply not worth the health risk.

 

[dnschmidt]

There are some things that the use of dangerous chemicals simply cannot be avoided. One of these is isocyanate activators in automotive clearcoat. So I take precautions. However removing grease at this point in time in human history can be accomplished using any number of safer methods than solvents. So why use them if you don't have to. Thirty years ago you might not have had a choice, now you clearly do.

 

[Fedwrench]

There are some things that the use of dangerous chemicals simply cannot be avoided. One of these is isocyanate activators in automotive clearcoat. So I take precautions. However removing grease at this point in time in human history can be accomplished using any number of safer methods than solvents. So why use them if you don't have to. Thirty years ago you might not have had a choice, now you clearly do.

I think it's a matter of instant gratification Brake Clean evaporates almost instantly, leaving no residue or puddles of water/cleaner laying around. Most techs are focused on beating flat rate, making money, and are less concerned about the long term effects from using it.

 

[dnschmidt]

I think it's a matter of instant gratification Brake Clean evaporates almost instantly, leaving no residue or puddles of water/cleaner laying around. Most techs are focused on beating flat rate, making money, and are less concerned about the long term effects from using it.

I thought that's what blow guns were for. You can beat the book today but your not going to beat cancer tomorrow.

 

[Wiz02]

Boy am I glad to learn what is in brake cleaner! I never looked at the can before, but my dad used to clean his drafting tools with Tetrachloroethylene, but sometime back in the 50s they found out that while it's a great cleaner it's really nasty stuff. Hard to believe that it's still readily available.

 

[M6erfan]

I rarely use Brakeclean. Nasty stuff, it can damage paint and some plastics. Much better alternatives available for most jobs.

(not a flat rate technician)