best degreaser

[Racer2172]

About to pull the motor out of my 80 k20, its a nice oily mess. What are everyones preferences for decreasing motors and oily greasy trucks, I have a pressure washer, but the weather is in the 30's, any recommendations for a faster cleaning and less chance of frostbite?
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[INSIDIOUS '86]

Gloves and a pressure washer. Engine degreaser from a parts store. About two cans will do spray it and scrape it. Spray it clean then brush it spay it clean and let it sit between steps.
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[KQQL IT]

Simple green or purple power.
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[BigBlocksRule]

None of the degreasers are going to work very good when they're cold.
Put the engine in the warmest spot you have, remove any plastic stuff on the engine and dig off all the crusty stuff you can get to. Spray it down good with some oven cleaner (generic is just as good as name-brand), use a whole can. Let it set awhile, then hook your pressure washer to the drain line on your water heater so you have hot water to wash it with. Hot water helps to melt the grease, makes an amazing difference.

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by BigBlocksRule

None of the degreasers are going to work very good when they're cold.
Put the engine in the warmest spot you have, remove any plastic stuff on the engine and dig off all the crusty stuff you can get to. Spray it down good with some oven cleaner (generic is just as good as name-brand), use a whole can. Let it set awhile, then hook your pressure washer to the drain line on your water heater so you have hot water to wash it with. Hot water helps to melt the grease, makes an amazing difference.

x2

But don't breathe it.

[BigBlocksRule]

Yeah, or get it on your skin, it's lye!
And keep in mind that the more you're able to get off before you spray it down, the better it'll work, regardless of the degreaser you choose. Scrapers, screwdrivers, etc., are your friend, work at it until you get everything off that you can, then use the degreaser.

[zook]

wear rubber gloves and eye protection if you go the oven cleaner route. trust me it will melt your skin and burn. it does work well and the hot water tank what great idea.
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[Racer2172]

Thanks everyone for the input, would like to do use the hot water solution, unfortunately can't because to because hot water heater is in hall closet with no drain if hose were to leak, thinking oven cleaner will do the trick with goggles, and gloves.
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[zook]

I know you already thought of this. any faucet that has hot h2o.
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[manimal]

Usually the washing machine will have a hot water spicket.

[Racer2172]

Originally Posted by manimal

Usually the washing machine will have a hot water spicket.

It's in the hall.closet as well
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[PanelDeland]

Don't use water over about 120*.I believe it's actually 160 the manufacturers recommend staying under but I prefer a good margin of error.The seals in most pressure washers will deteriorate after a certain temp.So much so that heated pressure washers all pressurize the water before heating it.

[Gumby]

dollar store, mean green [simple green just cheaper]

[dougf]

I second oven cleaner, it will work great. Be VERY careful like others said. On my truck I sprayed oven cleaner on a suspension part, and started scrubing with a brush without eye protection. The next thing I know, the bristled fling quite a bit of oven cleaner in both eyes. It burned extremely bad and I had to find my way into the house, got into the shower and started blinking my eyes under the water for about twenty minutes. That sucked!

[zook]

dude can you see? it must have felt like you put gas on your eyes and fired them up! OUCH!
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[eldogg]

My friend Chris @ Chicken City Hotrods was using kerosene the other day when I went by his shop. It smells just like Gunk Engine Degreaser. Coincidence I think not.
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[ETsC10]

Unless you are breaking down the engine for rebuild and, instead, plan on touch-up paint after cleaning, you will get far better/long lasting results if you re-clean the engine with soap and rinse with water prior to paint.

Also, it seems a no-brainer but make sure your runoff from the de-greasing isn't washing into a storm drain or stream. Generally, storm water goes directly into local waterways and aquifers (your drinking water).

I hire out to mega-detail a few engines & engine bays each year and when I can't take the motor to the car wash (for the above reasons), I scrape first, hand-clean using mineral spirits (works the same as eldogg's kerosene) and a scrub brush followed with carb cleaner or lacquer thinner and clean rags until the surfaces are paint ready.

Unless the motor's going into a freshly done truck, this is also a perfect time (while the engines out of your way) to really clean the engine bay, cross member & core support, attend to messy wiring, etc.

My 22 cents worth...

[NONHOG]

Originally Posted by Racer2172

any recommendations for a faster cleaning and less chance of frostbite?
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5 gallon buckets of hot water after degreaser/scrubbing etc.
then have a squeeze bottle to force the hot water rinse. Won't be much force but better than pouring it and more control.

[JJH Jimmy]

POR's Marine Clean. The best degreaser that I have ever seen. Just make sure you wear rubber gloves.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by JJH Jimmy

POR's Marine Clean. The best degreaser that I have ever seen. Just make sure you wear rubber gloves.

Ding ding, we have a winner.

Simple Green is great for maintenance...but POR Marine Clean will take off 40+ years of caked on, hardened grease with almost no effort at all. I imagine it is the same thing as bilge cleaner. It is biodegradeable, but it WILL burn your skin, so you do need to wear rubber gloves. I use Simple Green to wash my hands all the time.

[Goostoff]

I have a commercial supply truck that brings stuff to the shop. The stuuff I get is called Oil Eater. Not sure if it is available to the general public but it is hands down the very best degreaser I have ever used.

[BigDan3131]

Originally Posted by Goostoff

I have a commercial supply truck that brings stuff to the shop. The stuuff I get is called Oil Eater. Not sure if it is available to the general public but it is hands down the very best degreaser I have ever used.

It is and I love it too.

[mrolds88]

One thing that was missed was that Racer said engine was still in the truck. Whatever cleaner you use, I would runt the truck up to tempurature and let the exhaust coll for a short time, then spray it down. leave it set a bit, start it up to keep the temp up, shut it off and pressure wash. Repeat as needed.

[Born Lucky]

Direct http://www.por15.com/

[arturo7]

I'm having really good luck with the Marine Clean and a pressure washer. Putty knife to get off the clumps, soak it down with the Marine Clean, power wash, let it dry, then get whatever is left with a wire brush.