block cleaning methods?

[MidnightCarving]

hey everyone,

im building a 135 that got blown up last year, and i inherited it for minimal funds. only smoked number 5 but i figured as long as i was taking it all apart i'd do some smoothing inside the case and exhaust. removed casting flash, and rounded all the edges in the exhaust chest.

anyway, i'm done with all that, honed the cylinder today and cleaned up all the gasket surfaces.

then i cleaned the block, i just pressure washed it, then scrubbed the inside of the cyl with soapy water to make sure i got everything out from honing, then blasted again.

anyway, how reliable is pressure washing as a cleaning method? i let the carbon soak with power tune for a while and it blasted off pretty easily, so i think i'm ok, and i definitely got all of the aluminum shavings out.

[Scott in MN]

Your cleaning methods are probably better than mine(detergent scrub and then compressed air). I would be concerned with why #5 went down though or you may get more cleaning practice than you want......

[Jay Smith]

Your cleaning methods mirror mine. I first use some carb cleaner or acetone to spot clean very greasy places then I let soak then I use a 4000 lbs hot soapy water soapy spray and compressed air . If its steel you MUST wipe down with a lubricant to prevent rusting. After I wipe the bores down with 2 cycle oil I place the block in a larger thick mill trash bag and seal before I assemble. At assemble time I remover the block from the bag and SCRUB the bores down with acetone to make sure the hone abrasive is removed from the bore material..

Hope that helps,
Jay

[sschefer]

#1 Rule never go through the cleaning process until ALL of your machine work is done. If you do any machinining, (even just using scotch brite) after you've cleaned it, go clean it again.

My method is to blow everthing out super well. Then I throw it in a deep sink full of warm soapy water (I use Dawn dishwashing liquid). I use a bore brush to clean the bores and about a dozen different nylon tube and scrub brushes to get into all the nooks and crannys. I also put a tube brush on my Makita and run it backwards so that it pulls any gunk out of the threads that I missed when I cleaned them after I chased them.. You'd be suprised what comes out. I scrub for quite a while. When I think I have it I power wash it with a 1800psi power washer and then quickly stuff the cylinders full of rags to prevent flash rusting. I then blow it out thoroughly.

When I'm ready to do the cylinders I pull the rags out and immediately put oil on the cast area of the exhaust port. I use a white paper towel with Merc premium blended 2 stroke oil on it and start wiping down the cylinders. I look at the towel frequently and if I see a dark stain begining to appear I stop and take it back to the deep sink. That dark stain is honing material and finding it means the cylinders are not clean enough. Just so you know, I've never seen the stain yet.

Once it's clean, I bag it in a large plastic bag and if I have to stop during the assembly process I put the bag back on it. Unless you have a clean room for assembly, dust and dirt is in your shop and you don't want to ruin a perfect job with a big ole power robbing scratch in a cylinder from a tiny piece of 100 year old dirt that's just been waiting for this opportunity do mess up your work.

This is what my blocks look like when I'm done and just before bagging. Dirt is your #1 enemy, don't let it ruin your hard work!:cheers:

http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr121/sschefer/The%202010%20FrankenMerc%20Project/FinishedBlock017.jpg
http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr121/sschefer/The%202010%20FrankenMerc%20Project/FinishedBlock016.jpg

[sschefer]

Your cleaning methods mirror mine. I first use some carb cleaner or acetone to spot clean very greasy places then I let soak then I use a 4000 lbs hot soapy water soapy spray and compressed air . If its steel you MUST wipe down with a lubricant to prevent rusting. After I wipe the bores down with 2 cycle oil I place the block in a larger thick mill trash bag and seal before I assemble. At assemble time I remover the block from the bag and SCRUB the bores down with acetone to make sure the hone abrasive is removed from the bore material..

Hope that helps,
Jay

Too funny Jay, seriously I did my post at almost exactly the same time you did.. We both agree 100% I'm flattered!!!!

[MidnightCarving]

thanks all, i've got it in a bag right now, i'll do one final acetone wipe in each cyl before assembly, but i'm still about a week away from that, waiting on time to do it.

thinking about blasting my heads and treating them with some alodine in the mean time.

[sschefer]

Would you like some help with Alodine and Blasting?

[Jay Smith]

Steve,
In assembly, the parts as well as the assembly areas CAN'T be TO clean... I even have carpet on the floor in my assembly to eliminate dust..

Jay

[sschefer]

I wish I had your setup... Best it gets for me is wetting things down with water first. I try to assemble at night also when the wind is less likely to blow and the temps don't dry up the water as fast.

[MidnightCarving]

any tips on blasting/alodine?

[sschefer]

The best tip I can offer is to glass beed with 80g resin beed or AA resin bead afer you've got the gunk off. This will harden the surface and close up cuts from the heavier abrasive.

Never use AlumaPrep prior to Alodine, wash with Dawn Dishwashing soap then scrub with De-Ionized water until the water no longer separates on the surface. A lot of folks try to use Alodine 1201 which has a gold tone. That process is better done in a tank followed by a stop rinse. It's not so bad on smaller objects like the Electrical Plate, carbs, coil plate, etc., but on larger areas it can go splotchy on you if you're not practiced at it. Getting it right the first time is often a stretch of the imangination. Not to say it can't be done but it is tough.

My solution was to use Alodine 1500 instead. It is not tinted and almost as good as a 1201 but not quite. If it's a fresh water motor it will be just fine. You have to remember that Alodine is a chromate conversion process and not a finish. It does two things, prepares the aluminum to accept a finish and improve the electrical properties of the metal. It does create some corrosion resistance but is not an anti-corrosive. Aluminum on its own in a fresh water environment will oxidize and create a natural resistance to corrosion that is probably just as effective.

I seriously doubt if I'll bother to do it on my next engine.

Steve

[keviinpiter]

My approach is to blow everything out super good. Then I put it in a deep pool filled with warm, soapy water (I use Dawn dishwashing liquid.) I use the brush cleaning hole-hole and a dozen different nylon scrub brush into the tube and all the corners and crannys.

[Rodney Nance]

The best thing I ever used was owned by the company I worked at for a long time. We had 2 gas fired steam pressure washers. You could blow everything out of all the ports, nooks and crannies. It would get the blocks so hot that by the time you hung up the gun and carried the block into the shop the cylinders would be dry. Put a little oil on the cylinders and turn it upside down on the bench with a cover on it and you were done. Damn I miss that.