Cleaning muck and grease off engines

Hi everyone.

Not sure if this has been covered before.

What is the general thoughts of what is best to clean muck and grease off
a engine.

Been looking on the net and they say diesel and washing up liquid brushed onto
the engine , then washed off works well.

I would appreciate you thoughts please.

Thanks OHM

I've just made one of these...

http://rustandoil.50webs.com/rust_removal.htm

Good for little bits but for blocks and heads I use a pressure washer and as I don't want to get my drive covered in oil, grease and crap I use the one at Morrisons forecourt.

i use central heating oil to get the gunk and loose dirt off andd also to flush out the carbon ect internally of the engines
heating oil is less oily than diesel and within 12 hrs the castings are dryed and and remaining deposits you couldnt get out the crevisiss  will be loose and just paint brush ut as lumps or power 
kev

I tend to use turpentine and a smart price toothbrush from Asda.

Used to use solvent, but one day I used a bowl of turpentine I had lying around by accident and it worked brilliantly!

Make sure you dont put it on the kitchen bench though, my dad wasn't too happy with the mess it left!

I used WD40. it worked amazingly. most of the oily muck just ran off the engine! I then used an old duster to wipe away the WD40 you can't feel it on the engine at all. when i applied my transfers i cleaned the area with mentholated spirits to degrease it properly. though i think its best to keep engines with a bit of oil on it to stop flash rust on unpainted bits ect (hence the wd40). for example my lister d was restored, rallied then put into storage in 1988, it was coated in engine oil and left untouched until last year. after a clean with wd40 it came out lovely (see avatar>>) that's 26 years and only minor surface rust to the pulley and flywheel, plus a few bits here and there.

hope this helps,
Callum

I tend to use WD40, old toothbrushes, small paint scrapers (For the seriously gunged up areas) lots of old rags and for the fiddly difficult to access areas old screwdrivers and bradawl's.

I was introduced to Gunk engine cleaner when restoring a couple of MG Midgets 30 years ago. Still got some and it's very good.
However you might also want to try Betterware Oil Patch remover. Cheap and effective. It also softens paint so decide if that's OK or test a small area first.

Word of caution - This stuff contains Sodium Monosilicate which will corrode aluminium so probably best to disassemble and separate any aluminium parts.

Just came across new WD40 Specialist range. I got a free sample of Fast Acting Degreaser and tried it on the fiddly bits around a Villiers carb.  Did a pretty good job.
Look out for freebies in Toolstation, Wickesand and the like.
PS I have no affiliation with any of the above. Tried it again on Zenith carb' see below:

moderators please don't remove! i found that swarfega jizer is really good.
i tried the halfords own in a pump type bottle, it seems ok but i think its water based so if its not all cleaned of the part may rust.

I use brake and clutch cleaner for cleaning up carbs etc but what I've found is buying in bulk can save a few bob.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-LITRES-BRAKE-CLUTCH-AND-PARTS-CLEANER-LEAVES-NO-RESIDUE-/221706336816?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339eba3a30

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Polygard-Brake-And-Clutch-Cleaner-10-Cans-400ml-Bf03725-/271578157546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f3b51d1ea

You sometimes need to check the size and postage costs but these arn't to bad price wise.

I also buy WD40 by the gallon or 4L whatever it is and it's about £30 a big saving on cans.

Stu.

We have just tried Muc Off Nano Tech Bike Cleaner. Pretty effective and water based so when you finished you can wash off with water. Presumably better for the environment if you are of the Green persuasion.

I./ve had good results cleaning Carbs with 24 hrs in vinegar