Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
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Cleaning Tips & Tricks - from the "School of Hard Knocks"
I probably have tried just about every cleaning trick known to man and I think that I have come to "as good as it gets". When cleaning a 60 year old engine (I have disassembled and cleaned a half dozen Corvairs now) I think I have tried every soap, solvent and cleaner - always trying to find the easiest solution. WW recommends spending a couple hours with a pressure washer and your engine - NO FUN! It ALWAYS takes a little "armstrong" power but this is what I have found is the ultimate help:
A GOOD air compressor and blow tip &
DK SONIC 30L 600W Commercial Ultrasonic Cleaner
With these two things you can clean just about everything CORVAIR.
The ultrasonic tank is BIG - 30 liters- it will handle almost any part. You can clean whole case halves and whole heads easily plus the rear accessory case and misc parts and push rods and tubes. One of the main enemies in these old engines is built up crud - the ultrasonic cleaner gets to the smallest crevices. It cleans passages and galleries and years of crud.
Take your case half directly from disassembly and put it in the HEATED ultrasonic cleaner. Add a small amount of Dawn and cycle the cleaner for 20 min. Blow off all the big chunks of crud with your air nozzle - work it well. Repeat this cycle 3 or 4 times and your parts will look like new. I am amazed.
I am definitely to the point in my life where my time is a little more valuable. I dislike the hard scrubbing with harsh chemicals. I hope to pass on this time saving tip.
PS I have NO INTEREST in sales of these US cleaners - i bought mine off Amazon for $450 delivered. I have worked it hard and it is still performing well.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ernest Christley on
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What is the difference this and waiting for your wife to leave the house for a few hours in order to use the dishwasher?
(It's a JOKE, fellas. Sheesh!)
(Well. Maybe it is :-)
On a serious note: How many engines do you plan on cleaning?
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Permalink Reply by Russell Johnson on
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I did something similar to that when my wife left the house for a few hours. I needed to heat the heads to loosen the valve guides, thought surely the fumes wouldn't be that noticeable in the oven, boy was I wrong.
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Permalink Reply by Damon Brantley on
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Thanks for posting this. I have my Corvar engine core, but it will be a while longer before I am ready to disassemble and clean. I will definitely keep this cleaning option in mind.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Baenen on
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I have cleaned parts with gasoline - after a while your hands look like died up tree bark - that cannot be good for you. Same with other harsh solvents - bad for you.
Some degreasers like MeanGreen / Simple Green / Advance Purple cleaner are expensive - 20 - 25 $ a gallon -wow. Regular derergents just take a lot if scrubbing!
Alanis says it best:
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought, it figures
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I only used two spray bottle of simple green after a power wash.
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