ian010778 21 Posted August 19, 2019 Hi all, Looking for some advice on cleaning the various s*it-up components currently festooning my garage please. 1. Can I pressure wash the gearbox? I have no intention of opening it and it is currently separated from the engine. Can I just temporarily mount it on a stand, spray a load of degreaser on it and go at it with the jetwash and a stiff brush? I am planning on painting it so I want to get into all the nooks and crannies but not sure if blasting it with water will do the internals any good if said water can ingress? 2. What cleaner(s) does everyone use please? A quick search has revealed loads, including one company selling three different products that all claim to be the best on oil, dirt and grime . I really want to buy a concentred product so I can dilute it in a tub of water for long term soaking of things like hubs and callipers but one that I can also use neat (in a sprayer) on really bad stuff like the engine block and gearbox casing. Any recommendations welcome please. Ian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
calvinhorse 870 Posted August 19, 2019 I bought some “Gunk” the other day, it’s ok but essentially I paid £8 for a litre of red diesel in a fancy tin! i often use petrol for degreasing, obviously outside and away from any ignition source.. a good jetwash works well on a gearbox, just avoid blasting it at sensors and linkage seals and the input shaft. I stuff a shopping bag in each driveshaft hole to keep water out Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ian010778 21 Posted August 20, 2019 Yes, I've got a spray can of Gunk for doing little jobs but I've never been that impressed with it. I will have a few litres of fuel once I've dropped and drained the tank and I have thought about using that in a bath but I reckon it might be a bit dangerous. Good shout on the driveshaft holes - cheers. Ian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miamigtimark 3 1 Cars Posted August 20, 2019 Screw fix no nonsense degreaser does a pretty good job if you agitate with a brush and use hot water Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fenton 1,542 Posted August 20, 2019 You can’t really beat an industrial steam cleaner. Some lorry wash places will probably steam clean your gearbox for not much cash if you ask nicely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbly 22 2 Cars Posted August 21, 2019 I use TFR (traffic film remover) which you can get from various Industrial suppliers. I get stuff manufactured by Gunk which isn't as harsh as some others - but be warned - used neat they are all brutal! I turned my tyre sidewalls brown with some once, which isn't a good look!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ian010778 21 Posted August 21, 2019 6 hours ago, Nobbly said: I use TFR (traffic film remover) which you can get from various Industrial suppliers. I get stuff manufactured by Gunk which isn't as harsh as some others You mean this stuff Nobbly? https://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/product/wax-wash/gunk-5-litre-traffic-film-remover-gc-6869/GC-6869 Not a bad price @ £3 less than the ScrewFix stuff - some of the ones I'd found the other day were over £30 for 5 litres! 20 hours ago, Tom Fenton said: You can’t really beat an industrial steam cleaner. Some lorry wash places will probably steam clean your gearbox for not much cash if you ask nicely. Tom, I do have a steam cleaner (not industrial but pretty meaty) and hadn't considered it for this. I think this would be less risky than the pressure washer by way of keeping water out. I reckon a spray over with neat TFR followed by a steam clean might be a good starting point - I'll get some pic's up once I've tested. Ian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fenton 1,542 Posted August 21, 2019 By steam cleaner I mean a hot (steam) jet wash. Eg what they use underneath lorries. They will take paint off of you are not careful so gearbox crud no problem. A wallpaper stripper type steam cleaner will not be much help I’d say. Jet wash steam clean is how I’ve always done gearboxes. Plug the holes up first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mac Crash 78 1 Cars Posted August 21, 2019 Technically known as high pressure water jetting, just leep the nozzle at a sensible distance and watch the progress, cold water is fine, it's the impact of the jets that cleans, not the temperature of the water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SootySport 23 Posted August 21, 2019 3 hours ago, ian010778 said: You mean this stuff Nobbly? https://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/product/wax-wash/gunk-5-litre-traffic-film-remover-gc-6869/GC-6869 Not a bad price @ £3 less than the ScrewFix stuff - some of the ones I'd found the other day were over £30 for 5 litres! Tom, I do have a steam cleaner (not industrial but pretty meaty) and hadn't considered it for this. I think this would be less risky than the pressure washer by way of keeping water out. I reckon a spray over with neat TFR followed by a steam clean might be a good starting point - I'll get some pic's up once I've tested. Ian. Use Gunk, traffic film remover, or anything like that. Use a paint brush to work it into the nooks and crannies and steam, pressure washer or even a normal hosepipe will clean it up. You can always give it second going over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ian010778 21 Posted August 26, 2019 The results are in. I picked up some Gunk TFR yesterday so sprayed some neat onto a section of the gearbox. I left it overnight and got the steam cleaner on it this morning. Not quite the magic bullet I might have hoped for but it certainly looks a lot better. I reckon a couple of applications and some proper elbow grease it'll clean up nice ready for painting. I did put the steam cleaner on a different section that hadn't been treated with the TFR and it made no impact whatsoever! I have also seen online engine and gearbox painting kits that come with a degreaser that is applied by brush before the paint. This geezer uses such a kit - might be worth investigating if not too expensive (sorry about the massive video - the forum's HTML editor won't let me edit the video size). Ian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SootySport 23 Posted August 30, 2019 Shouldn’t leave the tfr on all night, it dries out and doesn’t do much. Go by the instructions is best. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
