Whats the best thing to clean aluminum engine components?

Question

The engine is apart & Im really having a hard time cleaning the heads. Is there something that will loosen the carbon deposits & make the aluminum shine. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Check at some of the local truck stops. Some of these places have spray bottles of products such as spray aluminum wheel cleaner. Mothers makes a good spray aluminum wheel cleaner, as does Meguires. This will work on your aluminum engine components. Try not to get too much on the painted surfaces, though. If they are really grungy and in terrible shape, remove them from your engine and blast them with Easy-Off Oven Cleaner. That stuff makes the valve covers, intake manifold, and everything just like new. But be sure to remove them from the engine first, as it will remove paint from the engine as well as the engine compartment.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Well, hot tanking will loosen up the oil and old paint and if left in over night the scale inside the water jacket areas. IF you really want them to shine then you are looking at some major time investment. Assuming you can get all the crud off with some chemical baths or hot tank you will have to buy a polishing kit that fits a moto-tool or a drill.
IF you can't get the crud off with a hot tank bath then you should ask them to sand blast the heads. Only problem is getting all of the sand out of all of those holes in the heads.

Not an easy task and I don't think they sell a clear coat paint that is heat resistant and that's what you'd need to preserve the polished look once you spent a week polishing away with your moto-tool and polishing kit.

Answer 3

Not at the same time.
Those are two different issues.

Take them to an atomotive machine shop and have them hot tanked.

Answer 4

carburator cleaner should work fine, or brake cleaner