Pressure washing a crankcase

[cognos]

That Marine Clean is primarily Potassium Hydroxide - a strong base, similar to Sodium Hydroxide, with similar hazards.The carrier is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, a polar solvent, I think. Used as an oil spill dispersant, too... 

Should work as well, or better, than NaOH.

Here's the MSDS - http://www.por15info.com/msds/MarineCleanMSDS.pdf

The strong bases leave skin dry and flaky is because it hydrolyzes the fat and oil on your skin on contact, turning them into water-soluble soap... which washes off. Extended contact times will turn the fat under your skin to soap. Not something I'd like to have happen.

Does the same thing to oil and grease on your engine.

[AdeV]

Ouch.

That first photo in particular, I think, shows why you guys have such trouble balancing the Listeroids.... so many voids!

What's your plan to try to fix them?

[vdubnut62]

Man!!  Them there holes are kindly spooky lookin!
Jens, seriously, hang those wheels up and smack them with a hammer to make sure they "Ring". If they sound dead (thud)  then "Run Forrest Run!!!"
Ron

[vdubnut62]

Jens, the last time I had to deal with diesel  "krudd" I used one of these cleaning guns from Harbor Freight.  Air pressure and diesel fuel cut the stuff pretty well, (wear a respirator!!!)   then follow up with the strong detergent of your choice with pressure washing following that.
 
Sorry, it was too late, but I did think to myself when you started the thread about the pressure washer " Oh $--t he's gonna have to throw his clothes away!".
I know this from experience, I threw away a perfectly good pair of ragged work jeans and a  T shirt Doh! Like to have never got the spots off me,
it took my wife and a stiff brush with Dawn dish detergent, and I learned my lesson. ouch.
Ron

[cognos]

Once again, like the wet blanket that I am ( ), I beg caution when doing things like aerosolising diesel fuel with a cleaning wand...

You are creating a highly flammable - quite possibly explosive - atmosphere when you aerosolize diesel. And the static electricity generated by passing it through a nozzle at speed is adequate to provide an ignition source.

What sounds like a good idea at first, may turn out to be quite hazardous. Be careful out there - I don't want to read about any of you in the incident reports I see...

[vdubnut62]

Containment system? I'm not BP.
Jens, I am talking a few ounces here, not gallons. Less than the  equivalent hydrocarbon content of an aerosol can of Gunk, which is mostly kerosene.
Just trying to help.
Cognos, way to lean to burn, I tried.   You know, "Here hold my beer, and watch this.
Just kidding! Don't jump on me again!!
Ron

[cognos]

Hey, I'm not jumping on anybody - didn't mean for it to sound that way.

It's just that I've seen/heard/read too much, where an otherwise "good idea" goes strangely wrong.

We only use water-soluble/non-flammable cleaners when pressure-cleaning exchangers, pumps, etc, around refineries, for the reasons stated - too many "incidents" in the past...

Hey - I feel for anybody trying to remove mystery gunk from metal... been dere, done dat, with varying degrees of success...

[vdubnut62]

Cognos, seriously thanks for the heads up. I never thought about static electricity .
When I used the thing, I was inside a Cummins that was inside my truck, that was open to the crankcase. My options were limited to non detergent petroleum based solvents, and since I had a couple hundred gallons just sitting in the tank and it was handy...........well, one thing led to another. And it did the job really well.
I did learn from this to let my redneck show a little less though, it just  makes things too complicated.
Ron

[cognos]

Hey - I'm human, I've made some (quite spectacular) errors in the past. But I try not to screw around with safety.

I'm a redneck too, man, and proud of it - get that red neck out there doin' honest work in the sun with real people...

One of these days, someone will come up with something that quickly, reliably, and safely removes baked-on veg oil and other oily stuff... if we're lucky, it'll get posted here...

[Crofter]

Oxy Acet. flame cleaning. Have never used it as extensively as doing a whole crankcase but going over a painted and oily piece with the torch and oxygen blast sure shocks the shat out of a surface. A quick wire brushing and paint it while it is still hot.

[vdubnut62]

Well, I have built a big pile of brush and set it a-fire, then threw nasty cast iron parts in. Then all you gotta do is watch the fire burn and enjoy a cold beverage
until things burn out and cool off. I guarantee it will be clean down to the metal.
I was afraid Jens would have a stroke if I suggested his doing this to his dear Thumper
Ron

[Crumpite]

I was afraid Jens would have a stroke if I suggested his doing this to his dear Thumper
Ron

LOL !!!!!

Now that's funny !!!!

But then we'd have this big discussion on how to remove ash from cast iron. 

Great discussion...

Crumpite

[Crofter]

Throwing it in the wood stove gets that nasty baked on veggy oil off my cast iron griddle! Thumper would be a bit too big in the butt for my stove though. 

[mobile_bob]

i haven't followed this thread as closely as i should, but

have your tried oven cleaner?

sit the crankcase down inside a large garbage bag, like a black leaf bag
and then take a couple cans of oven cleaner and hose the crap out of the casting
inside and out, and close the bag up and tie it off

leave it out in the sun, the black back will heat things up inside and the oven cleaner works
its magic

i can't imagine that it would have any trouble with veggie oils or any other greasy grime whether it is cooked
on or not.

i tried it once on a 472 cadillac engine that was caked all over with crusty burnt on cinder like globs of carbonaceous
carbuncles, it worked exceptionally well removing everything down to bare cast iron, paint and most of the rust as well.

just a thought

nothing beats a caustic soda wash cabinet though like they use in heavy truck and gear shops, not much survives a 15 min
run in one of those things

bob g

[LowGear]

OK!  I've just got to ask.

Why does it need to be this spanking ass clean?

Casey