Cleaning carbon from piston tops - any homebrew remedies?

[ThomasL]

A buddy of mine put me onto Kleen Flo Brand, Combustion Chamber Kleen, a couple of years back. I think it's meant to be sprayed in the intake of a hot engine to de carbon it, but I've never used it that way. I'll warm up a piston or head by running hot water on it and then spray it with the Combustion Chamber Kleen. About 2 minites and spray it off. Sometimes I need to do it a second time but usually not. A touch with a fine scotch brite pad if it's really bad and they look like new. I don't know if you guys can get kleenFlo products south of the boarder, but I'm sure someone will have an equivalant product. I know OMC offered one when I worked on marine stuff, but that's back about 30 years ago.

[SWR]

Honestly... I don't know.

It is a mixture of different grit walnut shells... Bret would know for sure.

I use plastic grains for aircraft paint stripping in my blaster.. virtually impossible to see which pistons have run afterwards. Same for valves..

[MadBill]

Baking soda in a blaster would likely work well also.

[Malvn]

Hi I use Sinple Green 50/50 mix in my parts washer that is heated it takes the carbon right off with a stiff parts brush and a little scrubing works great for me. Malvin

[Forced_Firebird]

Just to let you all know the result of using Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) was disasterous.....I was given a sample and used it on an old piston.

When I dropped the piston into the solution it bubbled and foamed like mad. It does strip the carbon off, but then it turns the piston black. Once it dried, the area dipped changed to a dark charcoal grey which looks permanent to me.

The whole process took about 20 minutes.

Actually I have found that most alkalines do that. In fact a friend had machined a batch of parts on his Swiss screw machine using cutting oil instead of coolant. To wash the parts, he soaked them in Zep (name brand alkaline) and thought they would be ok. Came in the morning and had a bad batch of black parts that were supposed to be polished.

I've actually uzed Zep on aluminum parts, but it has to be watered down and washed immediately to avoid eating the aluminum. This is the kind of project you did as a kid when you dropped aluminum foil in naOH (sodium hydroxide) or HCl (Muriatic acid) and watched it foam and the aluminum dissapear.

Long, long ago, I left a cast iron motorcycle head to soak in a strong lye solution in an alumium pot. When I came back, the lye was everywhere but the pot was not...

I almost inhaled a peice of my bagel when I read that

[shoedoos]

Just before I go and do the next carbon stripping experiment, thought I'd check with you guys about the ingredients for the latest product sample I've been given.....any warnings or comments would be appreciated...

ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER 10 - 30%
MONOETHANOLAMINE < 10%
NONIONIC SURFACTANT < 10%
WETTING AGENT < 10%
WATER > 60%

Let me know what you think....

[shoedoos]

Just spotted this little gem.....

http://www.garagenight.tv/diy-soda-blas ... rig-cheap/

[CHT]

Seriously just leave them in some acrylic lacquer thinners and it'll all be gone. Even enamel thinners will work but takes longer. shoot

[cjperformance]

Seriously just leave them in some acrylic lacquer thinners and it'll all be gone. Even enamel thinners will work but takes longer. shoot

X2 and the thinners smells way nicer than all the other cr@p!

[maximumbob]

Baking soda in a blaster would likely work well also.

x2

[Strange Magic]

Soak piston tops in tranny fluid, some elbow grease and scotchbrite.

[dode]

I've been using baking soda in a hopper gun for cleaning up parts like pistons and intakes for quite a while and have been quite pleased with the results.

John

[F-BIRD'88]

I use dollar store oven cleaner. I clean the block, heads and piston tops before disassembly.
Yes oven cleaner contains sodium hydroxide. But it is diluted and you don't leave it on the aluminum very long.
Then, you neutralize it to stop the action.
You can neutralize any residual caustic action with vinegar/water, then baking soda/water rinse. Power wash, dissassemble,
then oil up the pins.


I also use CTC Motomaster Foamy engine cleaner too. Its petroleum solvent based.

[F-BIRD'88]

Just before I go and do the next carbon stripping experiment, thought I'd check with you guys about the ingredients for the latest product sample I've been given.....any warnings or comments would be appreciated...

ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER 10 - 30%
MONOETHANOLAMINE < 10%
NONIONIC SURFACTANT < 10%
WETTING AGENT < 10%
WATER > 60%

Let me know what you think....

Here is the MSDS for Easy Off oven cleaner
http://msds.canadiantire.ca/OpenReposit ... =54277&v=5

[shoedoos]

Okay then, there's plenty of remedies out there....what about taking thermal coatings off piston tops and also the skirts?