jigeye

I bought a trainer with a super tigre 45. The engine is very goop-ed up { I take it's from old fuel but I could be wrong}. I've heard many ways of cleaning out an engine. The latest I heard was to take the engine apart and put it in a crock pot of antifreeze.
I would welcome techniques people have used to clean an engine. I am new to the sport and not very mechanical so keep the solutions on a "remedial level" please.
FYI: I bought another used super tigre 45 for 25 bucks and it runs great, but I would like to see if I could salvage the other one for the helluva it.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Are you talking about cleaning up old castor residue that makes it hard to move the carb and turn over the engine, or cosmetic cleaning to make it look new again?

For cosmetic, the crock pot seems to be the method of choice, although I personally refuse to use it.

If you just want to free up a sticky carb and engine, I just pour in some rubbing alcohol and turn the shaft and move the carb a bit. Then pour this out and add some more. You should also force some alcohol through the fuel spray bar, and remove the needle valve and clean it off. Once everything is freed up and the alcohol is coming out clean, put the engine in the oven at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes. This will help evaporate the alcohol. Take it out, pour in your after run oil of choice and it should be ready to use.

Fuelman

My Feedback: (6)

Demon Clean is the best way to do it if it is gummed up real bad.
Contact Bill at BJ's engines: mailto:[email protected]

wcmorrison

My Feedback: (2)

Cleaning the eninge with a crock pot and anit freeze works like a charm, just do not get it too hot (boil for instance) and after about 8 to 12 hours, the engine will clean up using an old tooth brush. Anti freeze has agents added to clean and protect engine blocks in autos, some of those blocks are aluminum like your engine crankcase.

The caked on stuff is usually castor oil residue, good lubricant but crappy residue that turns brown and black with time and use.

Good luck, take your time and you will not be sorry.

Cheers,

Chip

downunder

Before you use the crockpot method keep this in mind. Don't ever use it for food again or you'll poison everyone who eats it. Don't pour it out or it'll attract every cat and dog in the neighbourhood and kill them. Don't breathe the fumes or you'll get ill. Apart from these minor things appparently it works well but there's no way I'd use it

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Simmer it on low in fresh EtheleneGlycol antifreeze, one of the name brands seem to work best for 10 or 12 hours and it works like a champ. Disassemble the engine and make sure not to put any rubber o-rings in the crock pot. And follow the above warnings. It works great, especially on castor stained mufflers and such.

Glen Wearden

I'm not familiar with the ST 45, but if it is an older iron piston (non ABC) engine, I wouldn't be too aggressive in removing the varnish. I run old engines in control line (Fox 35, McCoy 29, etc.) using fuel with 25-29% all castor, and the varnish is part of the package. In cold weather, they will "feel" goopy, if after-run oil is not used between uses, but they free up once started the next time. Also, don't use fuel with high synthetic oil content, or they will lose compression, and the moving parts will become loose, IF, they have been broken in and run on all castor in the past. It's sort of like starting to use Rislone in the oil of an old car engine. It cleans up the old sludge, and the engine starts leaking like a sieve. FWIW........Glen

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Why don't you just see how it runs? If it's fine, LEAVR IT GOOPY and run it as it is.

Bill.

djlyon

For external baked on castor, etc Use anti freeze and crockpot.

For internal congealed oil, etc Wash in lacquer thinner.

Denis

krayzc-RCU

My Feedback: (31)

oh man i better get that roast out of that crock pot that i used to clean my LA-40[&o]

stall man

My Feedback: (1)

Here's an alternative that worked great for me:

Find an old tupperware container that your engine will fit in. Place the engine in the container, then fill with 50/50 antifreeze and water. Seal the container with the snap on lid. Now this may sound strange, but wrap the container inside a BLACK plastic trash bag.
On a hot summer day set it outside in direct sunlight (VIOLA!! A SOLAR COOKER!!) It may take one to two days but the engine will look like new. No fumes in the house and the wife will be happy you didn't ruin her crock pot.

Oh, wait, never mind, it's still winter.

krayzc-RCU

My Feedback: (31)

stall man i like that sounds like this will keep me from growing that extra finger

djlyon

just go to Rite Aid or what ever and get a little 3 qt crock pot. Cost about 14 to 15 bucks and you are all set.

Max_TMP

I recently found brake fluid to work well on castor. It is vegetable based like the castor, and it won't react with the aluminium casing because master cylinders in brake systems are made of Al.

krayzc-RCU

My Feedback: (31)

do u heat the brake fluid?

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

The common "DOT 3" brake fluid has ether in it. I suspect that's what does the job.

And no, you would not want to heat it.

Bill.

Big Mike

I'm assuming that what you really want to do is get an old stiff engine that's loaded with gummy old castor oil to at least run and that you may be not too worrried about how it looks.

A friend of mine bought an old but hardly used plane with a Magnum 40 that was so gummed up you couldn't even turn it over. Locked up solid. However when I looked in the glow plug hole I didn't see any rust. So, rather than go thru all the hassle of tearing it down piece by piece and maybe still not getting the piston loose we decided to just squirt a big bunch of Liquid Wrench in the carb, exhaust port and glow plug hole. We let it sit for about a half hour and tried working the prop back and forth a little at a time until we could turn the engine over completely. More Liquid Wrench, more spinning the prop (finally with a starter) and it seemed like it might be loose enough to possibly start. drained all the Liquid Wrench out that we could, then poured in some raw fuel, swished that around and drained that. Put in a new glow plug, fueled up the tank and, with a starter, fired her up! It probably wouldn't have fired up by flipping the prop ( I tried and it was still a little too tight for that). After a couple minutes the engine ran great and you could then flip start it.

Quick and dirty but it worked!

Max_TMP

Interesting about the ether, thanks. It's good to know all these methods.

Just to repeat, NO, I don't heat the fluid.
edit: Another thing I meant to say about the brake fluid is as it's not mineral based it doesn't brake down the rubber seals.

leercguy

Crock Pot on low 8-12 hours. Clean w/toothbrush. This method works best.

Timmahh

i got a load of engines in a sale a few month back, 11 or so, 4 were pretty decent, rolled by finger, solid compression, the others were in various stages of GUMMEDUPMESS>
being new to this, i pondered what the best approach would be. after about 20 minutes of thinking, i just pulled the glows, mufflers, and carbs, on at a time, and used afterrun oil as one would when storring the engine for a few weeks or longer.. almost all of the engines were workable by hand after a few dousings and just allowing them to set for 20 minutes or so, 2 needed a bit more persuasion. added a prop and slowly started to work the piston slowly back n forth, by the time i finishe a few hrs later, 11 of the 12 engines were free flowing with good compression on most. a few had had a long life as evidence in the lack of compression. parts or rebuilds for 3. one engine took another day of dousing moveing before it was free flowing, strong running engine now, but still probably need rebuilt. all in all 9 running engines, 6 strong and healthy, 2 pretty damn good, and one good, the other 3 engines will be parts basically, one my run but it so old, the nastalgic value is probably more than the time needed to find the parts alone. good topic starter.
Tim

SON OF PALEFACE

My Feedback: (1)

heat a gummed up engine with a heat gun , oven gloves , till it turns over , flush with methanol , good to go......
use methelene cloride based paint stripper (not caustic) to clean off varnish / baked on oil ect , inside and out , squirt down with garden hose , flush with WD40 to get all the water out , then oil or start..