Cleaning engines crock pot style

I think some fluids have a stronger green color added to them. "Old school" glycol was quite translucent, but since the late '90s many of them have kind of a bright "slime green" color and they are opaque even at full 100% strength. I still have some NOS stuff left, I thought I'll get rid of it but now there is a way to utilise it first Crock pots are not common here but I saved a little kettle that my wife was going to put int scrap metal and I also have a hotplate I can use outdoors.

I have both, Prestone 50/50 and some off-brand that is not clearly marked as to whether it's diluted or not and that's what I used.  I assumed that it's full strength, but you know what that say about the word "assume'.  I will buy some marked full strength and test that.  

These two engines were not as dirty as other's I have cleaned.  But that involved a lot of heat, a lot of solvent, and a lot of scrubbing.  There was some left over crusty castor in the fins but not a lot, the AF removed most of it and a tooth brush cleaned up the rest.  I did not have to sandblast the cylinder.  

Bob

Cooked my first half dozen engines today. Holy freaking Cow does that work great. Used my $ 7:00 wamart christmass present crock pot

Is there an easier way to post pictures here? I presently use Photobucket and link my photos there to this site.
It is clunky and slow and someone mentioned there is an easier way.

706jim wrote:Is there an easier way to post pictures here? I presently use Photobucket and link my photos there to this site.
It is clunky and slow and someone mentioned there is an easier way.

Use the "Host an image" icon on the tool bar. Fast and simple.

Bob

Jim, it takes a little getting used to, but 3 icons left of the YouTube one is "Host an image". Click on it, a dialogue window opens.

Click on "+ Select files". Navigate and select the photo(s) you want to upload from your PC. You can select multiple files. Just repeat this step.

After you're done with selecting, click on "^ Send all". You'll see a green upload progress bar for each photo.

When done, click on "Insert all". They will be inserted into your post, one line per photo in BBS style HTML code at the last location of your cursor in the post.

Once they show up in your post, then click on "Remove all". This will reset the menu dialogue window so you'll be able to host new photos the next go around.

To exit this window, click anywhere outside it. This closes it and returns you back to finish your post. Click "Preview" to verify post with photos is how you want it. Tweak as needed, then "Send".

Cross posted on RC groups. This is a home made mount for an AME 0.060 that I used on an original design some years ago.

Jim, that engine mount is a work of art and very functional, nice going.

Thanks "Ghost". I enjoy making these metal creations which usually end up taking a whole afternoon to complete. Also thanks for steering me through the photo posting procedure; it sure is a lot easier than Photobucket. That engine should eventually find its way into a Sig Rascal. I had put it in an original design with three channel control. But not enough dihedral to turn so the model got slightly "bent".

One more project on the go that I will share in the next few weeks......

I broke-down and bought a small (2qt.) "Crock-Pot" brand slow-cooker from Walmart for $9.99 and a jug of Walmart's brand (SUPER TECH) concentrated antifreeze/coolant.. (another 10 bucks..)



I probably should have gone to "Savers" (a thrift chain-store) to see if they had a cooker.. but I honestly didn't think about it until afterward.

Some of these are definitely candidates for a nice hot bath..



The Foxes and McCoys are "parts-engines" mostly.. but it's always good to have "clean" spare-parts.. They "all" deserve a better home than that dirty old box.

EDIT: I actually hope that any "paint" comes off. I have a "red" Fox .35 there in the bunch.. The McCoy .19 "red-heads" I can re-paint with VHT high-heat engine-enamel.. if I want. They look nice when they're bright red-orange.. but I have to wonder whether the paint causes the head to run hotter than without?

I'm planning on setting up the cooker outdoors.. but raised slightly on a "platform".. and under-cover of a weighted-weather-tight hood. Maybe an inverted 5 gal. pail with a brick on top.

I'd rather initially soak only two engines at a time. My candidates are pretty "grimy"..

I hope to get 6-8 "baths" from the gallon of ethylene glycol. I would assume that the solution is discarded after a single-boiling?

I have zero experience with the crock-pot method.
I'm looking forward to your report, Roddie.
Bob

I have cooked 50 to 60 engines and am still using the same batch of antifreeze. It looks like black sludge but still works. Can't even see the bottom and have to fish out parts with a magnet or old tongs. Definitely cook this outside in a garage. The entire house will stink of antifreeze if you do this in the basement.......

While I have not done as many as Jason, I have done quite a few. Some were very dark from castor build-up. I as well, have also crock-potted a couple other things along the way. I am using pure 100% antifreeze, non-diluted. As Jason said using things to pick up parts is what I was doing. I had honestly not thought of a magnet. But, as of late, I found what I like to do is use a thin , very easily bent wire and tie all things together. This way, all I do is hang the wire outside the pot, and when I want to check, it is easy to pick up. I have also used cable ties with success.

I'm with Jason roddie, no need to dump the AF after a single use.  I do periodically dispose of the residue at the bottom of the pot though.  

That's the same AF/coolant that I use roddie.

Thanks for the comments guys! Good to know that the AF can be reused indefinitely. I'm very conscious about being responsible with hazardous waste. As I mentioned; the "cooking" will be done outdoors.

I'm going to look around for a stainless-steel "strainer/screen" that will fit inside the pot. They usually have a handle.. but I'll cut that off and make a "pail-type" handle from some small-diameter stranded-cable.. that will allow the pots' lid to close properly. It may limit the capacity of the pot.. but will keep all the parts together.

Something like this..

Greenie for Bob!
Yep, it's hard to beat for cleaning multiple engines and yes it'll take paint off.
Periodically I'd change it when the green turned to a brown when cool the sludge would settle, poured it off and reuse the top half adding some fresh. I used to do dozens of engines from swap meets, etc.
One time i did leave a Fox .35 in (on high) like overnight and it turned the aluminum a dull army green color?
It seems like med/low and 6-8 hours or high and a couple hours worked.
Fumes are toxic,
Stay with full strength, no 50/50.

Yes, since I first started this thread I have learned a lot.  An 8 hour boil is way to long, 3 to 4 usually does the trick.  

Some metals react to the process better than others.  Deeply stained alloys still need media blasting.  The pictured McCoy was my first attempt after a boil and I was never happy with it, too clean I thought.  Now after blasting I work the finish down with fine steel wool and a light oil for a more factory like finish on matte engines, all the time protecting the shiny parts with masking tape.  Enya's etc..

I found it best to remove the glow plug and dump the complete engine in the mixture hoping that the open intake will allow entry into the crankcase.  The boil loosens the machine screws allowing easier removal without damaging the screw heads.  

On sleeved engines remove the head and backplate and push the connecting rod straight up.  This usually expels the sleeve along with the piston as the piston catches the combustion debris on the top of the cylinder helping to pop it out.  Painful while hot so use gloves.  Occasionally I had to put the headless engine back in the pot to heat it up again.  Sometimes a solvent like carb/brake cleaner helps on stubborn places.

All above pretty common knowledge to those that have done this a few times. Just takes a few tools and patience.  

I also use a strainer basket to recover parts, and got this 'Fish Hook Remover' from WalMart for picking out individual parts.

While I've also A/F boiled many engines, I've had mixed results, with some coming out looking like new, some no different until well scrubbed and others I've regretted doing due to staining/dulling of the alloy. One thing I've never done is placed any anodized parts in the A/F. What is people's experience with anodized parts?

anodized aluminum will lose color when heated, the more heat cycles it's exposed to the more color you'll lose.

Oldenginerod wrote:While I've also A/F boiled many engines, I've had mixed results, with some coming out looking like new, some no different until well scrubbed and others I've regretted doing due to staining/dulling of the alloy.  One thing I've never done is placed any anodized parts in the A/F.  What is people's experience with anodized parts?

Yes, As Mark said.

I learned the hard way.  Comes out something like this on left:

I always used low on the crock pot and would leave it in for 24 hours. I found the high heat can darken the aluminum on some alloys. I always have the engines broke down and the bearings removed from the case before cooking. Used heat gun or sometimes a small butane torch on the stubborn 4 stroke cam bearings on the OS engines. All engines got new bearings and ring from Bowman. Made my own gaskets if needed.