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Degreaser

Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 6:17 pm
by myoldjalopy
Hi peeps, I want to clean up and repaint the engine bay floor - can anyone recommend a suitable, effective and easy to use degreaser product?

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 6:34 pm
by Classiccars
Maybe gunk

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 6:35 pm
by King Kenny
Gunks good.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 10:18 pm
by les
The company that I served my apprenticeship with, used a chemical called trichloroethylene (tric). Parts were suspended above a tank of the liquid, the fumes alone did the degreasing! I think it’s now banned.
I worked in another department but made use of the facility now and then, when doing a little ‘homework’

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 10:23 pm
by JOWETTJAVELIN
Yes, Trichlo would be good but I doubt you would get it now unfortunately. The best for a job like this is a water soluble degreaser which you brush on and rinse off, of which there are many types available (a 5 litre can of Carplan degreaser has lasted me 10 years), or even petrol used sensibly will remove the most stubborn deposits.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:27 pm
by alanworland
I remember the tric tank where I worked, about 8ft long 4ft wide and 6ft deep - boy did I clean some parts in there! It's very ozone depleting hence it's no longer used.
I have used petrol for years but of late bought a gallon of paraffin and I'm finding it better than petrol.

Alan

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 8:33 am
by Classiccars
I guess petrol would be OK for small areas and cheaper than products for a one off job .May do that myself ta.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:22 am
by oliver90owner
Volatile, flammable solvents should be avoided wherever possible - too many using them in confined spaces where sparks may cause ignition/explosion. Most are not good for the environment, either.

Dipping in a volatile solvent might be acceptable, but not swilling the solvent around in the open!

Use a proper detergent and a suitable method of removal - like a strong water jet (pressure washer?), is my asvice.

The reason for the banning of Trike was toxicity, back before atmospheric pollution was regarded as important.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 10:49 am
by JOWETTJAVELIN
Paraffin leaves a greasy residue which is good for things like cycle chains and nuts and bolts where this is beneficial, but no good for applying paint. Hence petrol is ideal because it evaporates and leaves the treated area dry as a bone.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 12:18 pm
by myoldjalopy
Thanks for your replies. I will want to paint afterwards - will gunk allow that?

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 12:30 pm
by les
Then maybe a wipe over with brake/clutch cleaner, it evaporates quick and degreases.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 4:23 pm
by kevin s
As it's the body you are cleaning I would avoid any thing based on solvents (unless you want to strip all the paint off!) a couple of goings over with a water based degreaser and then some panel wipe should do it.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 7:54 pm
by paul 300358
Try neat concentrated orange juice, we used to use it to clean aluminium prior to welding.

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:01 pm
by myoldjalopy
Well, in the end I used some Green Gunk (supposed to be better for the environment) and it did the job, although there was a stubborn bit of baked on oil that I needed to scrub a bit with a plastic scourer. Anyway, the dirty work is over! :D

Re: Degreaser

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 5:13 pm
by Classiccars
Good to know Green Gunk