Best Way To Clean An Engine Block And Finished Look?

[audiobull 6]

Stripped the block today. its had a good degrease and quick wash but i started using a wire brush which did not do anything. so go out the wire wool which does make a difference but it does not seem to be giving a good finish.

 

whats the best way to clean the years of surface dirt and corrosion off a block?

 

what should the finish look like, what was it at factory?

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

its aluminium cast so dull silver on the outside and shiny on mating faces

 

[audiobull 6]

cool, yes i dont seem to be able to get that in the crevices. Would a hydrochloric acid bath do any damage to it? It is a completely bare block.

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

bake it in an oven then dishwasher it for an hour

[audiobull 6]

whats a dishwasher?

[hoodygoodwood 70 3 Cars]

I have seen some pics of vapour blasting and it seems to get good results , not sure how expensive it is though .

I used wire brush attachments on a cordless drill , it takes time and elbow grease but will strip it back to bare metal . I made sure I masked off all the oilways etc as I did not want grit getting into the engine .I then cleaned it all with thinners and painted the block with a spray can of Simoniz engine paint - make sure you do it in a clean and dry environment not a damp garage like I did .

Some people will say not to paint it but you will get dusty white corrosion all over it in no time .

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

Ive got a working dishwasher out in the yard i throw parts in and just chuck in a bucket of water and washing powder, it empties out into a drain and i rinse with a jetwash does a decent job.

[Kane 34]

+1 on vapour blasting I had these parts done when my engine was away getting machined and as you can see they came up really well. Once you get it done don't bother painting as that is what I've done and its already begin to flake off after a few months. Quick coat of wd40 or similar should keep it looking great.

 

[audiobull 6]

how much was it kane? Is sand blasting an option or a no no for the engine?

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

+1 on the wd40 makes a superb preserver if you put a decent coat on. And would you really want to sandblast soft aluminium? It would be like a hair dryer to butter

[Kane 34]

I don't know the price of the blasting alone and don't have the invoice to hand unfortunately but I don't imagine it was a lot of money. I don't think sand blasting would be a good idea either as it is fairly aggressive for alloy. If you're looking for a DIY solution look into soda blasting, you will need a compressor although the other kit required does not cost a lot plus you can use it for cleaning other miscellaneous parts. Have a search on google for diy soda blasting kit.

[audiobull 6]

so let me get this straight. I brought a sand blasting gun ages ago but never used it. If i go get some baking soda and put it in the gun. that will work for cleaning the engine?

[welshpug 1,657]

whats a dishwasher?

 

 

seriously?

[audiobull 6]

No but i cannot use it for engine parts. not only will i be living in the shed, i couldnt let my kids use anything from it after. Plus we still do the washing up rather then use the dishwasher all the time. thats when you fill the sink with water, add washing up liquid (fairy) and he he he an ancient art soon

[Kane 34]

If you've got a gun then look into adapting it to use soda or even crushed glass, either of those would clean up the block easily. I believe you can get large bags of baking (a few kgs) from Asian supermarkets or possibly online. You can get different grades of crushed glass online as well. Have a search for different blasting media that you can use with the kit you have and I'm sure you'll be able to find all the info you need

[audiobull 6]

im going to pop the block in for vapour blasting today, converting a blasting gun to soda is hard work.

 

Can i get the head done at the same time or does that need to be done using a different method?

[Kane 34]

Get the head done as well although probably best to make sure it's all stripped down, I.e. valves out etc.

[audiobull 6]

yep both are completely stripped. They cannot do vapour blasting but can do glass bead. i guess this is still ok?

[Rjuhar 52]

Dry ice blasting is a proper method to do it but it's not the cheapest, at list where I am.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOpk6ycv0nI

[Kane 34]

As far as I'm aware glass bead should be OK, maybe someone else can confirm

[audiobull 6]

we shall soon find out tomorrow. bits are in being done ;-)

 

is dry ice extremely cold though? just thinking of any damage it might cause if an apprentice used it.

[acox99 74 1 Cars]

Be careful with glass bead, will it be boil washed in a parts washer afterwards? If not a thourgh clean in a wash tank. The problem will be getting any trapped Bead out of the oil galleries.

[audiobull 6]

thats cool thanks for the heads up, not sure if it will get cleaned, i will be blasting it with compressed air when i get it back to be double safe.

[audiobull 6]

here we go

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=158568&p=1411504

[hoodygoodwood 70 3 Cars]

One of the critical areas on my 1905 cc GTI engine block was the area around the liner seat . I had loads of scale/crud right around where the 'O' rings would seal off and I spent hours carefully scraping it away without marking the surfaces . When I do my Miami 309 engine I might go for vapour blasting just to save on time in this area .

I would not let any form of sand/bead blasting near my engine , a friend had an inlet manifold blasted and then cleaned it but some hidden grit then ruined the engine .

Edited April 23, 2014 by hoodygoodwood