(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Cleaning an engine block

S

SVcummins

Well-known Member
Cleaning an engine block just picked up from the machine shop do you guys steam clean em again or Just trust its clean enough to go ? I have brake clean Was thinking I just spray everything down and then blow dry
cvphoto82247.jpg
 
Wash the cylinder walls down with hot soapy water and clean white rags until the rags come out clean, dry them out and coat with motor oil to keep them from rusting.DO NOT use brake clean. (Per Sunnen engine builders guide.)I have been doing this for years and we never have a problem getting rings to seat. We rebuild a lot of engines . Have 3 on he stands now and more coming. Be sure to follow the torque sequence carefully on that Cummins head also.
 
(quoted from post at 07:44:47 03/20/21)..... or Just trust its clean enough to go?
Click to expand...
[b:5ab8f47b99][i:5ab8f47b99][u:5ab8f47b99][size=18:5ab8f47b99]NO[/size:5ab8f47b99][/u:5ab8f47b99][/i:5ab8f47b99][/b:5ab8f47b99]


(quoted from post at 07:56:23 03/20/21) Wash the cylinder walls down with hot soapy water and clean white rags until the rags come out clean, dry them out and coat with motor oil to keep them from rusting.DO NOT use brake clean
Click to expand...
+1


(quoted from post at 08:05:43 03/20/21) Make sure you blow through all the passages.
Click to expand...
+1

Then blow them all out again
 
I pay the machine shop to do a final cleaning on blocks when I send one in. They jet wash and clean oil galleys and gasket surfaces then wrap with plastic so it's ready to go. It costs extra but not any more than the time I would have in cleaning it myself. Ask tour machine shop how thoroughly they cleaned it for you and proceed accordingly.
 
I use HOT soapy water, and with ALL oil passage plugs out use soapy water on the ALL the passages with engine block brushes too. You CAN'T be too clean. Use the brushes on the crank drillings too, ANY grit left from machine work WILL wreck bearings in a matter of minutes.
 
Dieseltech & Weldingman hit all the key points we use. One additional is we run a tap in every tapped hole before the soapy water wash.
If the shop offers the service like Cliff mentioned ,use your judgment, if you do it yourself you know you did your best.

Brushes mentioned by Dieseltech
Engins brush kit
 

I got bit one time some junk was trapped in a cross drilled oil galley in a head in 3/400 miles it ate the crank bearings and wrecked the head (OHC) Toyota plugs the dead side with a steel ball you don't get it out. I had a donner engine it had junk in that circuit also I went the extra mile to make sure it was clean the next time.

My uncle rebuilt a ford flathead V8 it did not take long the oil light came on. The machine shop tumbled the block one of those polishing stones are what ever they are called stuck in a oil galley.

Thru the years I have seen junk in a crank from the machine shop. It use to be no warranty after the engine has been fired up if there is a defect you have to find it before you put it to work its all on the installer.
 
I had been up 20 hours calving cows when I finally got to pick up the block and a whole lot of questions wasnt on my mind . I think Ill call Monday and see what they say
 
The holes in the block have all been taped and it looks clean as a whistle . I think Ill put off doing anything until I call Monday
 
Is that sand or dirt by that 5 gal bucket? I sure would make sure my rebuild area was squeaky clean before I broke the seal on that block.
 
Always wash mine in super hot water and metal wash, brushing out ALL holes, then hit it with the steam hotsy
and then air hose to dry, being sure every hole is blown out.
 
Hot tanks remove all the oily/greasy stuff. But, what often remains is a hard gritty substance. That is what needs to be removed fro m all oil galleys. A hot water and soap wash after scrubbing the passages with the brushes is the finish process. I use a pressure washer for that as I think the water is better at removing grit and dust while not blowing it into the air. If you do that, it has to come back down somewhere.

No special brush kit in my tool box as I've always been able to find a gun bore brush that works. Never found an engine passage that a a 22, 32, 38, 45 or a bigger shotgun bore brush wouldn't handle. Well except for a few from the cam to main bearings, then a brush from my spray gun cleaning kit gets used.

I lost a rod bearing in an Olds 455 that I rebuilt on time because I failed to clean the crankshaft oil passages. Never again!
The machine shop assured me that it was cleaned after grinding. But the bearing told a different story after less than 10 miles. Lots of grit embedded in only one journal.
 
I cant see a good steam cleaning hurting anything so I think I may as well do it . We were taught to steam clean and blow dry no matter what so I guess I will .
 
I would never trust it to be clean, even if the machine shop says it is clean.

Two reasons, they will not stand behind that statement should there be a problem. The final responsibility is up to you to be sure it's clean.

And think about who does the cleaning at a machine shop? It sure ain't the seasoned machinist taking his job seriously!
 
If it were me I would assemble the engine like it is and then clean it with engine degreaser and power washer after all the holes were sealed up.
 
Thats why Ive made my mind up its getting washed for a good 45 minutes or longer then blow dry a little oil on machined surface to keep the rust away
 
It was floor dry but its gone . Been cleaning like crazy hoping its good enough . Hopefully it works
 
I never trust to be clean.Brushes thru the oil galleys and crank shaft. Soap and water for last clean in cylinder bores. Keep every thing covered with clean plastic when not working on it. First oil change is after 10-15 minutes of running.
 
First oil change after 10 -15 minutes ....overkill alert. Send me something me of you money tree seeds. Or maybe buy better oil. OR unless you are running in a high profile flat tapped cam with high spring pressure in a high rpm performance engine. Even OEM doesnt tell you anything like that.
 
In addition to what everyone else is saying about brushes and hot soapy water, I also wash all the Brand New parts in a seperate small parts washer that I have. I rigged a fuel injection filter on the nozzle line where if comes out of the pump to make sure the junk wasn't being re-circulated.

You'd be surprised at the bits of glitter that accumulate in the bottom of that parts washer just washing brand new out of the box parts!
 
I haven't seen this comment yet...forgive me if somebody posted it.
As for cleaning the cylinder walls, take a huge roll of paper towels and spray the cylinder walls with WD40 and wipe them down with the paper towels.
WD40 pulls the particles out of the walls and the cross-hatches and they are deposited into the paper towels where they get thrown away. Keep spraying and wiping until the gray is gone. I've seen some old-time engine builders wipe cylinder walls down with kerosene. Kerosene actually makes the particles cling to the block and walls.
 
been usen a strong mix Of Dawn and HOT water for many years and a scrub brush and galley brushes Scrub thge walols till ya see Rust then BLOW dry and give a light coat of oil on the oil galleys ya scrub till ya thik your done then scrub somemore then flush and blow dry .
 
I always cleaned them with mineral sprits and run it on a brush thru all the passages then blow dry.
 
I plan on changing the oil in the first few minutes after I start it run a couple hours and do it again and then probably again then run it 5000 miles and change it over to regular 15 40 plus 50 two
 

Machine shop I used has a little tank with a hand hydraulic pump they will loan me when I'm ready for my engine. Hook to an oil galley and pump all the passages full of oil before starting it.
 
I pay the machine shop to do a final cleaning on blocks when I send one in. They jet wash and clean oil galleys and gasket surfaces then wrap with plastic so it's ready to go. It costs extra but not any more than the time I would have in cleaning it myself. Ask tour machine shop how thoroughly they cleaned it for you and proceed accordingly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Ferguson TED20 engine rebuild
Replies
2
Views
201
Tp1987
T
K
2 4 D mixing
2
Replies
21
Views
1K
T in NE
T in NE
S
1100 MF Engine Knock
Replies
6
Views
358
Southman
S
N
JD300 motor project
Replies
6
Views
417
[email protected]
N
stevieb49829
Update on a couple of related things
Replies
0
Views
525
stevieb49829
stevieb49829
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top