Good grease cleaner for tractor

[Bull 33]

Hello All,

 

I am cleaning up my 417A and was wondering what everyone was using for a grease cleaner.

 

Regards,

Bull

[WHNJ701 4,165]

Purple power

[ebinmaine 67,695]

7 minutes ago, jabelman said:

Purple power

Yepp. 

Can also use Simple Green. 

 

Here in Maine there's a product called Incredible Pink. 

 

Any of them. Spray on full strength. Let sit a few minutes. Spray off. Preferably with hot water. 

Pressure washer is ideal. 

 

Repeat as needed. 

 

 

[RandyLittrell 3,884]

If cleaning before painting, I really like oven cleaner and take it to the car wash. But it can take some paint off, so don't use it unless painting. Most carwashes have an engine cleaner setting and I find it works pretty good to clean grease off. 

 

Those other suggestions are spot on! 

 

 

 

 

Randy

[pacer 3,174]

Yep, Simple Green. But I would stress that although the directions call for a mix with xx amount water, You.ll find that straight is best. And, while it and a couple others like Eric mentioned do wonders, some of these old boys have not had a bath in .... well maybe never, youll just have to get down to the old fashioned 'elbow grease' And also as mentioned oven cleaner is also good to keep handy. Then finally, a pressure washer is needed to really top off the clean up.

[BeninCT 451]

Castrol “Super Clean” .  Amazing stuff with warm water.  Brush on, let sit for 4 and scrub off.  

[haydendavid380 759]

I buy a gallon of Zep and mix it 1:1 in a spray bottle. 

 

Get it wet, spray it down with zep, and pressure wash it down

[Pollack Pete 2,273]

I use Zep also.Spray on full strength,let it soak,wash off with my hot water pressure washer.Gotta be careful if you want to save the decals.It'll blast them right off.

[953 nut 55,329]

One more vote for purple power. Once it has soaked in a bit I flush it down with Windex. I don't have a water supply to my shop so I keep my garden sprayer full of water and rinse it off with a high pressure misting. 

[peter lena 8,647]

agree with grease clean up, but using a light oil rub down on your painted surfaces , ( if they have never been waxed or regularly maintained ) is the best way to save your paint ,if you want to. MMO, has easily brought out neglected paint that I have purchased, it feeds the paint and cuts thru the crud , often leaving a bright clean shine. just my own experience, pete

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Not that there's much aluminum on our machines but be aware that Purple Power is not recommended for aluminum.  It says that it can leave a hazy and streaky finish.  If accidentally applied they say to buff it out with aluminum polish.  Doesn't actually say that it causes damage to the surface though, just an appearance issue.

 

I'm going to try Zep Fast 505 this afternoon on the aluminum manifolds and valve covers on the Chevy engine I'm working on.  Will let y'all know how that works out.

 

[next day edit / addition:  Wellllll...  not great.  I made a GOD AWFUL MESS of the laundry tub!  Took me longer to clean up the mess than to clean the parts.  Yes, it got it clean but not without the extensive use of various wire brushes and such.  If you are cleaning parts from an engine such as this, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for a proper parts cleaning SOLVENT machine.  All these various degreasers do is soften the crap.  They don't LIFT and DISSOLVE it!  After the first pass with the FAST 50, I next tried straight up concentrated LAUNDRY DETERGENT applied with a brush.  Let it sit about an hour and hosed it off with garden hose OUTDOORS! (of course) using HOT water.  (fortunately I have a hot water hose tap)  I turned my water heater up as high as it would go temporarily.  That water was HOT!  I did this a few times. Then I wasted a can of Brakleen on it and one more pass with the Fast 50 straight up brushed on, let sit, HOT water rinse.  In retrospect, I should have just let the parts sit in a tub of mineral spirits for a couple hours, a quick brushing, then a wash with the FAST 50 and HOT water.  If my friend still worked at the machine shop (closed now) I would have asked him to hot tank the stuff for me.  That would have been best.

 

BOTTOM LINE:  Don't expect miracles from any of the so-called 'De-Greasers' ]

 

By the way... If I'm wiping greasy dirty stuff down by hand with a rag when I've got most of the cruddy stuff off I give a quick shot of CRC or WD40 and this really loosens the rest of the crud allowing a clean final wipe down.  

Edited January 19, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[Bull 33]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

[BOB ELLISON 2,981]

To clean grease off my engine I put mineral spirits in a spray bottle and wet it down.

then I use a small paint brush to clean off the small tight areas. I spray as I clean top to bottom. I tried with a pressure washer and get grease all over myself.  I won't do that again.

[AMC RULES 37,132]

Start here with a liberal dose of diesel painted on with a brush, then let it sit.

Might reapply a couple times if it's really nasty.

Then hit it with the high heat pressure washer.

Guaranteed, squeeky clean the first time, everytime. 👍👍

Edited January 24, 2021 by AMC RULES

[c-series don 8,730]

Craig,I’m getting the feeling that you are doing that at work and not at home? I hope the taxpayers are not paying for this!!😂😂

[953 nut 55,329]

On 1/18/2021 at 8:37 AM, Jeff-C175 said:

Purple Power is not recommended for aluminum.

        Any caustic product like purple power, lye, sodium hydroxide or oven cleaner is bad on aluminum but great on removing grease and grime. May also damage paint             gota read the label.

[AMC RULES 37,132]

Vs that diesel process which actually seems to enhance the patina with no damage to the paint or it's underlying surfaces.

[peter lena 8,647]

AMC RULES, totally agree with the thinner oil base patina saving  rub down , its so simple and easy and it just works. I  have been using MMO  for all my metal saving rubdowns , find it just starts to feed paint , then after a few rub downs , use a hand buffer and a cleaner wax, and it looks like fresh paint . every time I see an oil / rust starved finish , I quickly get some aerosol oil on it , let it sit and watch it come back, also same process on mower decks as the baseline rust stopping process, pete

[ebinmaine 67,695]

43 minutes ago, AMC RULES said:

Vs that diesel process which actually seems to enhance the patina with no damage to the paint or it's underlying surfaces.

You runnin' the hot water right out the home water heater or does your pressure washer cook it?

 

[AMC RULES 37,132]

Shouldn't matter it's source, the HOT water is key.

[rmaynard 15,519]

I know this is an old thread, but degreasing depends a lot on whether you are doing small or large surfaces. When I was young, my father always had a bottle of carbon tetrachloride on hand for parts cleaning. It has since been banned from use in household products, but is still available commercially. The closest thing you will find to it is chlorinated brake cleaner, which does a great job of degreasing small parts. However, here is a tip. Don't buy the Walmart (Super Tech) brand as it contain water. Larger surfaces require a different process. If I am cleaning an engine block or transmission, I always start by removing as much built up grease and gunk with a putty knife, wire brush, or suitable tool. Then after sealing all openings, spray on a degreaser such as Gunk. Let it sit for 30 minutes (but not long enough for it to evaporate), and hose it off with hot water. Repeat the process until clean.

[squonk 41,164]

CRC engine degreaser works better than Gunk brand IMHO plus it doesn't stink as bad. And this Simple Green works well also especially in an ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

On 1/23/2021 at 7:44 PM, AMC RULES said:

hit it with the high heat pressure washer

Uh... I hate to say this... but...

 

Who the hell has a "heated pressure washer???"

 

I'm an equipment nut... and own a pressure washer... but... not... a... "heated pressure washer???"

 

I don't even KNOW anyone who owns a "heated pressure washer" 

 

EDIT: Oh... I see why I don't own a "heated pressure washer" ...

 

 

Don

Edited August 8, 2022 by Snoopy11

[ebinmaine 67,695]

8 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

Uh... I hate to say this... but...

 

Who the hell has a "heated pressure washer???"

 

I'm an equipment nut... and own a pressure washer... but... not... a... "heated pressure washer???"

 

I don't even KNOW anyone who owns a "heated pressure washer" 

 

EDIT: Oh... I see why I don't own a "heated pressure washer" ...

 

 

Don

 

Trina's pressure washer can be connected to the utility sink. 

Not sure the high temp resistance. 

It'll run hot 🔥 water through it that way.  

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

pressure washer can be connected to the utility sink

Oh... so... it's technically not a "heated pressure washer"

 

Just... the water that goes through the pressure washer is hot...

 

I say all that... 'cause the average joe-douchebag (myself included) doesn't have... or want... a "heated pressure washer"

 

Don