i just got another ka for my s14 ( finally doing the 5 spd swap and i was wondering how to take off the greese or dirt here some pics if u can see
I’m also interested to know how to get the best clean short of acid dipping the shit. Scrubbing with a brush doenst ever get it mirror clean using the following products:
Simple Green
Drunk
Varsol
Castrol Super Clean
so the question lies what works? Maybe you just need to acid dip everything but i sure hope not.
Gunk, varsol and elbow grease. Pressure washer is good too.
Andrew.
what he said but run hot water through the pump thats what i had to do when i work at the wrecking yard and they turn out alright
tow it behind your car on that handy chain of yours and the road will do the rest 
whaty i usually do and it works awsome is get a good engine shampoo and soak what you need to clean let it sit for 10 minutes or so. then pressure wash with hot water. it works great
if/when you are goign to point a pressure washer at the motor, make sure you avoid the wiring and fittings in the motor…
please keep that in mind.
no seriously, soak it with engine foam for 15 minutes and wire brush the areas that dont just rinse off.
im talking about getting clean shiny brand new looking aluminum
just some soap sitting for 10 min doesnt exactly do it, pressure washer either
ohhhh
bead blaster and then high polish??
Aluminum oxidizes and it’s very hard to remove the oxidation, so getting it new looking is tough. I’ve tried using aluminum cleaners and they don’t even work. I think the only real way is bead blasting.
Cleaning it with a power washer and soap and then painting with high temp paint is probably your best bet.
by far the best thing i have ever used to clean off engines is gasoline (dont make fun of it) or better yet, engine oil. take a paper cloth, soak it a bit, make sure not to get any on ur driveway or anywhere u dont want a nice stain, and watch that dirt come off, takes a bit of time but works wonders. take a cue tip and scrub between the letters.
I tried using a bunch of stuff from crappy tire and wal mart but nothing works as the consumer items are diluted. Try to find a store that sells commercial cleaners and get the commercial grade tsp. Stuff works amazing, just make sure it’s not on for too long. By too long I mean more than a minute. Scrub the really dirty places a brush and all the oil was gone.
Just a quick note, it will take off any loose paint that might be on any part. Also, make sure you wash it off the garage floor and driveway; I left some of it on my driveway and it coroded parts of it. Good luck!
does CLR work?.. i seen it in commercials. and it looks really cooll… jus woundering if anyone tried it b4? on an motor
^yep
i think what im going to end up doing is to actually sand it all off with like a metal grinder all the harder parts take the valve cover off and paint everything with like high temperture paint (silver )
that works, than pressure wash it, than varsol it, than blast it, than buff it up, and than clear coat it with high temp coat
^yep[/quote]
where gloves when you use that my friend hands where peeling for weeks lol
CLR is garbage, unless you get the commercial one. The ones in stores is diluted compared to the commercial one, which works very well.
Yeah, aluminum will never get that “new” look without some serious help.
it will oxidize and pit, and the only way to get it smooth again is to polish it again. But it will go ugly again in no time.
Engine degreaser is always a good bet, but straight varsol or brake clean will work in a pinch.
For the really nasty stuff, I use oven cleaner. Just don’t tell your mom/girlfriend/life partner.
But, 10 minutes on the road, and you’re back to where you started.
I just did a 40 year old motor last night with Pyroil Degreaser, an assortment of wire wheels for a drill, little wire toothbrushes, a big wire brush, brake clean and some rags.
And that was just to get it clean enough to paint it.
The only thing about using those “metal look” paints … you won’t fool anyone. It will look like it was painted, no matter what you do. A spray can is not really a precision tool.
Sash, you inspired me too. Gold all the way 