Parts Cleaning - Ultrasonic vs Tumbler vs Wire Wheel?

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jaymar

jaymar

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10 Year
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Just took engine (mostly) apart and trucked off to machine shop. Looking to clean everything from fasteners to manifolds. What are your thoughts on parts cleaning methods that leave the parts undamaged?

What should just be dropped off for blasting (and with what kind of media)?

Thanks for any help!
 
Remove anything rubber or soft and find an engine parts dip tank. Usually overnight. Local engine rebuild shop
is where I used to go until they closed. Today I was actually going back to town to find a new spot. I've got all
front axle parts I want dipped and cleaned, birfs and bearings and hardware.
Pick them up next day all dry and clean as new.
 
It’s is always easier to have really greasy and oiled parts dipped in my view in my old age. As @cruiserpilot said…you can pick them up in a day or two fully ready to use. Small stuff I have usually glass beaded and re-painted. Most of my experiences were with vintage motorcycles so most of it fits in a few boxes
 
Sooo, about dip-tanks... What kind of residue does that leave (if any), and how do you get it off? Also--I assume that will eat aluminum, brass etc.? Is this the same stuff they use to hot-tank blocks?
 
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jaymar said:
Sooo, about dip-tanks... What kind of residue does that leave (if any), and how do you get it off? Also--I assume that will eat aluminum, brass etc.? Is this the same stuff they use to hot-tank blocks?
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Not the same stuff, no it doesn't leave a residue. Basically when I get them back they feel like dishes coming out of the cupboard.
 
For rusty bolts and nuts or anything small enough to fit into my sonic cleaner I use Evapo-Rust. This is made by the same company that makes the thermocure cooling system cleaner. I am not sure how it works but it's not acid, only removes rust and doesn't strip away good metal. Works best when warmed to to 30ish centigrade which is why I put it in my sonic cleaner.
 
So depending on time... I have a bucket of 1k kerosene that I throw the slimmy greasy stuff in for a while... I am usually busy so a few days. If anything needs a little help after that I take a toothbrush and help it. Then break clean or remove the 1k residue.

For intakes I had good luck with Berryman b12 in the ultrasonic cleaner.

I've soaked stuff in gasoline with great luck but obviously there are safety and smell concerns.

For rust I also use evaporust.

For dirt I have an ultrasonic cleaner... have used it with citric acid for greasy stuff too.
 
Separate aluminum/zinc from ferrous/red metals. Take it all to engine rebuilder and pay them to wash it all. They use two different processes. For aluminum/zinc they use a mild cleaner made for transmission housings. For ferrous/red metal they use Caustic soda (lye).

If you put aluminum or zinc in lye it will disappear.

Your parts should come back ready to use for a reasonable price.
 
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Before and After. Took a couple of tubs of front ends parts, basically spindles out including backing plates. Island D machine shop used an extremely hot soap spray at high psi and then ran stuff thru a dryer. It’s clean. No residues, I expect to lay Cosmoline directly to the backing plate. The bushing on the inner spindle isn’t effected as this is a non-chemical process. Any engine rebuilder or machine shop should have a washing facility. I had to negotiate. Hourly labour rates are $145/hr here now at all shops. They cut a bit of slack for me, came out $97. There’s taxes and environmental fees involved too. In today’s world pretty darn reasonable since I don’t have to **** around with filthy dirty crap for 2-3 hrs to clean it up. Worth every penny.
Special Note: I expressed my fear of losing the cone washers. He nicely counted and bagged them up separate for me!
 
@cruiserpilot Great plan for the cosmoline…when I was restoring my WWll motorcycle I had New Old Stock parts from the 1940’s wrapped in gauze and cosmoline that once out in the free open air, looked as good as the day they were manufactured 60 years earlier
 
Parts look good.

One suggestion- wipe all the grease out of those hubs with paper towels or old rags before dropping your parts off. They'll end up wiping that grease out to keep it out of their washer and charge you for the time/hassle.
 
PIP said:
Parts look good.

One suggestion- wipe all the grease out of those hubs with paper towels or old rags before dropping your parts off. They'll end up wiping that grease out to keep it out of their washer and charge you for the time/hassle.
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You are right. Time is money.
 
So i just went through in my ultrasonic cleaner and ran all my remaining piles of greasy nuts and bolts as well as an intake. it was 20 liters of water, about 2 cups of zep degreaser (orange) and half a 1/4th cup of dishwasher detergent. set to 45 degrees C. i reused the water for 3 days as i had a lot to clean including metal pipes. most batches were clean after 25 mins, some I ran twice. Wish I would have figured this out about 2 years ago.

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The only ultrasonic cleaners we've seen up here are size of small microwaves. Not much of what i have would fit.
I guess maybe start looking for a bigger one? Since the costs of having it done is much greater than pre-pandemic.
The problem lies in dumping contaminated cleaner fluids. They ship from Island D 700 miles east for proper disposal.
 
I have a 30 liter cleaner and the decreaser I use are primarily citrus based and biodegradable.

I also have a kleentec 63536 biological parts washer that does not use solvent. I do this stuff in my basement so I can't deal with fumes in my house. When I am done cleaning parts the water/solution just needs to sit for a while to continue breaking down the contaminates and according to their statements becomes safe for regular outdoor disposal. So far testing it on some plants...they haven't even started looking sick and since it was dry for a month they grew faster since they were getting some water from it.

Overall the ultrasonic cleaner still seems to be faster and less effort but even with a 30L it does limit size.
 
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I'm spoiled, i can fit a straight 6 engine block in my ultrasonic.
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What solutions have you found to work well and what size is yours?
 
clx16 said:
I have a 30 liter cleaner and the decreases I use are primarily citrus based and biodegradable.

I also have a kleentec 63536 biological parts washer that does not use solvent. I do this stuff in my basement so I can't deal with fumes in my house. When I am done cleaning parts the water/solution just need to sit for a while to continue breaking down the contaminates and according to their statements becomes safe for regular outdoor disposal. So far testing it on some plants...they haven't even started looking sick and since it was drive for a month they grew faster since they were getting some water from it.

Overall the ultrasonic cleaner still seems to be faster and less effort but even with a 30L it does limit size.
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Am I mistaken or is that over $3K to buy?
 
When I need stuff really, really clean and corrosion free I use this local company that specializes in cleaning parts. They charge about 25 cents a lb to make parts look like new.

Another process, if you want the aluminum parts on your engine to look amazing is vapor honing. Vapor honed aluminum has this soft, perfectly matte finish that really looks sharp.
 
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