cleaning caked on oil/dirt off of an aluminum valve cover. any smart tips? ill share what i learned.

ive used tide, which works great on large flat areas. also works for soaking fairly well. 70% off

after that there were some really hard pieces caked on, so i used a plastic brush and a green scrubber thing that got a lot of it off too. tide was also involved here 90% off

now its down to the nooks and crannies, this is the hardest part. tide, is useless at this point. the green scrubber and brushes are now too big and not effective enough on the hardest oil/dirt cake stuff in the corners and stuff. ive resorted to plackers (they are little flosser things with a pick at one end.) this works well but is going to take forever to do. im currently at 95% off and im going to try a pressure washer.

ill let you know how it goes, if it fails let me know your tips and tricks!

99% of the dirt, oil and grime was taken off by the pressure washer. However if you follow the same step I did. Be aware, you'll come out drier than if you just came out of the pacific.

Lots of guys on here use a dishwasher...to the point, I consider buying one for parts only. I currently have no dishwasher.

This stuff was much better than I expected:

When I get around to doing this on the E30, my plan is to first attack it with a scotchbrite pad and Simple Green, then finish with the pressure washer.

Lmao, get a cheap dishwasher. I bet youll break it within 5 uses. Anyone wanna put money down?

Had I seen that earlier I would've tried it. Wheel cleaner that is.

I've used simple green before, imo tide works better. Not sure on cost ratio. I grabbed my mother's can of tide. Wear a swim suit for pressure washer, trust me.

Ive had good luck with oven cleaner. Caution, use with care, and not on polished stuff.

nboyles85737 wrote: Lmao, get a cheap dishwasher. I bet youll break it within 5 uses. Anyone wanna put money down?

I'll put a lot of money down that you're wrong. What do you expect to break? People have been doing that since household dishwashers were a thing. I'm not entirely sure there even is any difference between a big commercial dishwasher and the parts washers that engine and trans shops use. The detergents are even similar, both were sodium triphosphate based until a couple years ago AFAIK.

brake parts cleaner

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

nboyles85737 wrote: Lmao, get a cheap dishwasher. I bet youll break it within 5 uses. Anyone wanna put money down?

I'll put a lot of money down that you're wrong. What do you expect to break? People have been doing that since household dishwashers were a thing. I'm not entirely sure there even is any difference between a big commercial dishwasher and the parts washers that engine and trans shops use. The detergents are even similar, both were sodium triphosphate based until a couple years ago AFAIK.

Wrong. I'm An appliance technician. The soap is different, doesn't cut automotive grease like you'd think, and the wash motor for a household dishwasher is far inferior to a commercial one. My buddy was using an old residential DW for a parts cleaner. The sump is so clogged with grease now it won't turn. It's done. Took about three "parts cycles" yrmv.

What about soda blasting?? I have used this to clean a transmission an it help remove most of the oil and dirt.

A navy buddy of mine once told me they used Kool Aide and water to clean the aluminum on their ships. Don't add the sugar though or you'll be worse off. I can't vouch for this personally as I haven't tried it.

In reply to nowucme:

Sounds like a weak solution of citric acid, if I had to guess.

Diesel fuel diluted with water and rinse with high pressure washer will surely remove it. Just make sure to shampoo it afterward to remove the smell.