Help Me Get Rid Of My Engine Block Deposits

[spiffyguido]

I'm open to ideas here.

I've got a B20A5 taken apart in my garage right now, and I've been trying to get the block really clean. I already had it dipped in a hot tank, so every trace of oil and grease is gone, but there are still some hard deposits that won't go away.

I don't know what the deposits are. It's likely something similar to limescale; likely fallout from coolant and soapy water getting baked onto the block. The deposits are greyish in color, and very hard (I can't scrape them off).

I've also got a little bit of antifreeze buildup in the block's water jacket.

Does anyone know of a solution that might help me out. I've experimented with a variety of strange cleaning brews to strip the stuff away; no luck so far.

Solvents won't work; this stuff is not oil based. It's a mineral deposit of some sort. I thought about using something like CLR, but I'm worried it might eat away at my block too. Don't want my alluminum block to get pitted.

Ideas? Who's good at chemistry?

[RedRacer]

Hey Spiff!

Dude I don't know about this one. I'll have to ask around the plant, and do a little research on my own.

Have you tried Greased Lightning and / or Simple Green?

I'll get back in touch.

Josh

[spiffyguido]

Thanks Josh.

Actually, I haven't tried GL or Simple Green. Next time I'm in a hardware store I'll go and take a look at some; maybe they might do the trick.

I'm really stumped on this one. My guess is that I'll be able to get the antifreeze residue off the inside of the water jacket easy enough, but the stuff on the outside of the block is tough as nails.

It's what I get for being meticulous. Bah!

[RedRacer]

Yeah, that porous aluminum can be stubborn for getting clean. Of course you could always take the Dremel to it.........heh.

Now this is kind of interesting:

http://www.sa-motorsports.com/blockdiy/blkdiy.shtm

and this might be a little further in scope than you were ever considering:

http://www.martwash.com/html/seminars_a ... _soils.htm

More later. Gotta run. Warm today......gonna take the Ducati out for the afternoon! YAY!

[spiffyguido]

Thanks much! These look like they will be helpful (I always wanted to know how to clean aircraft parts). I'll print them off tommorow and read them during my commute home from work.

Warm today......gonna take the Ducati out for the afternoon! YAY!

I'm going to buy you a helmet cam so we can all enjoy the ride. Be safe!

[RedRacer]

Thanks much! These look like they will be helpful (I always wanted to know how to clean aircraft parts). I'll print them off tommorow and read them during my commute home from work.

Please tell me your commute home involves a train or bus or some other mode of transport that you don't have to drive! Otherwise, PULL OVER!

Good luck on the cleaning. I have yet to really come up with any other suggestions or answers to your particular problem.
Lemme know how it turns out and if you use the Dremel on it or not. I would think that a light grit bit would actually be possible for this application.

Warm today......gonna take the Ducati out for the afternoon! YAY! I'm going to buy you a helmet cam so we can all enjoy the ride. Be safe!

I always wear one and it's a state law here. And should be the law everywhere, if you ask me. I won't even rollerblade without my helmet. Head injuries are just too scary and way to serious. Worst of all, if bad enough, they are mostly irreparable.



Josh

[spiffyguido]

Yeah, I take the train. Don't want to take my car out in the snow, and plus, parking downtown is very expensive.

I know you always where a helmet. I was talking about getting you a helmet camera so that we can all see what it's like to do breakneck speeds on a Ducati.

[RedRacer]

Oh good GOD! I don't even KNOW how I missed the word CAM in that sentence!

Helmet CAM.....Sometimes I am too dangerous to be walking around amongst others!

For now, this will do:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... ducati+996