Pee wee soaking

Methylated purple color spirit is 90% ethyl alcohol. It is not harmful for anodizing but all aluminum parts will be darken and a black goo build up within a week. That goo is hard to clean. I tried this with pure ethyl alcohol, not purple colored methylated spirit.

Ok, thanks, I will have a rethink before I do anything.

UK petrol is now 10per cent , or up to 10per cent ethanol, the change happening in September I think this year, from 5per cent.

I have used UK petrol on a few engines for cleaning this summer with no "side effects" noticed. I have not tried it on a Cox coloured tank. I have not knowing used 10percent petrol yet.

I will have a rethink...thanks.

Cleaning aluminum with methylated spirits or pure ethyl alcohol do not cause any problem. But soaking for several days is different from cleaning.

Also I use only kerosene for general cleaning, because kerosene is oily. If I need to use naptha (lighter fluid) or alcohol for steel parts, then I immediately oil them with sewing machine oil to prevent rust.

Levent Suberk wrote:Cleaning aluminum with methylated spirits or pure ethyl alcohol do not cause any problem. But soaking for several days is different from cleaning.

Also I use only kerosene for general cleaning, because kerosene is oily. If I need to use naptha (lighter fluid) or alcohol for steel parts, then I immediately oil them with sewing machine oil to prevent rust.

Got it, finally - methylated spirits aka here in the states as denatured alcohol. I have it, but seldom use it. I use just plain old 91% alcohol mostly as a final rinse after serious cleaning.

I agree Levent. Long soaks risk harm and usually are not necessary.

A little late to the party and no real expert advice here, but I might suggest you try soaking it in your usual glow fuel.

I've done this with several stuck larger engines with 100% success.  I just put a prop on to use as a handle and take out the glow plug, then squirt a little fuel into any openings.  Give it a couple days and gently try to turn the prop a little.   Just did it a couple weeks ago with a nice Webra 3.5CC RC.  I didn't want to take a chance on stripping any screw heads or breaking gaskets etc so I just gave er some time.  Turns over real nice now.  Did it with an HB .40 PDP probably about a year and a half ago, and again with an otherwise very clean TD .09 just a few days ago.  But the .09 just needed maybe an hour to free up. And a Tee Dee .049 that turned but was sort of stiff.  All nice and limber now.

I've had no discoloration or other problems that I can see on any of those engines, and I know I did several that way a few years back with similar results.

Yes, that works, but it's so simple. Must be complicated for us purists.

Actually for badly contaminated engines it takes some aggressive action.