Undercarriage caked in oil (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 30, 2019
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Sydney, Australia
Hi guys so the undercarriage of my 80 is covered in oil. I have fixed all the oil leaks that came with the car from the previous owner. Is it worth cleaning the oil off everything or just try clean any parts with rubber etc?

if so what is the best method for this type of cleaning? Does a steam cleaner do a good job ?

added some photos to show how bad it is.

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Hotsy power wash.
 
Otherwise it’s elbow grease time with purple power or simple green. It’s a great rust preventer if you leave it.
 
It should not hurt rubber seals.
 
Could it have been purposely oiled? Like with Fluid Film or actual oil? A lot of people do that here for corrosion resistance. Not sure what is popular over there.

That said, you could actually go ahead and keep it coated in something. At the very least it helps bolts and nuts come off easier when needed.
 
I recently did some cleaning and although I have a regular power washer I didn't use it. I bought simple green at sams in gal jugs a few cheap brushes and funny enough a solid toilet bowl brush worked best.

Basically I started with a flexible putty knife parked on cardboard sheets and got a lot off that way. Then when I got home from work every night I would soak everything in straight simple green and let it sit for maybe 15min. Scrub with brushes and rinse with garden hose. Its not perfect but it definitely helps when working on areas for leaks.

I've also seen people use oven cleaners but avoid aluminum and becareful breathing that stuff. I just didn't take the risk but some do. Good luck 👍
 
The coating of everything under the truck is far too even to be from oil leaks. This was done as rust prevention.
My truck looks similar after years of Fluid Film treatments, as dust tends to stick to it.
If you plan to enter your truck in a "show and shine", then by all means clean it up. Otherwise it is a waste of effort IMO.
 
I've had to deal with the same on my truck. A roll of quarters, a bottle of industrial degreaser and a trip to the local car wash was my solution. Take a face shield and wear old clothes. Once you get there, spray down the undercarriage with the degreaser. Fire up the power washer and get to work. It will take several rounds to get it clean. But in the end it is much nicer when work needs to be done to not be covered in black grease.
 
If the pump on your pressure washer is rated for hot water (you'd be surprised how many are), hook the washer to the drain from your hot water tank with a heat-rated hose and blast the undercarriage in your driveway. I put a catch pad down when I did mine and put a pig sock at the corner where the wash water was flowing off to the curb to catch all of the oil and grease. Worked great. Mine was only engine oil/ front diff oil/ knuckle grease though - Didn't need to tackle anywhere behind the B pillar.

You can also hook a rented pressure washer to your hot water tank (again, assuming the pump is rated - rental counter should be able to steer you right). Self contained hot water washers are a pain to move unless you have a pickup or trailer.

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Agree, leave it be unless you want to see things start to rust.
 

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