RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

Has anyone had experience, good or bad, with cleaning an Irvine engine with antifreeze in a crockpot? Specifically, does the antifreeze remove the red powdercoat? Any other recommendations for cleaning the engine?

I have an Irvine 46 that is really cruddy inside and out. The piston and sleeve have built up enough varnish that I can barely turn the engine over. I've had maybe 125 flights running slightly rich on Powermaster 10% which has some castor in it.

Looking for some expert assistance here!

rsieminski

It should be fine on low for a short period of time with the help of your wife's tooth brush. Let it set for a couple of hrs, then brush, then set some more.

Ernie Misner

.........It should be fine on low for a short period of time with the help of your wife's tooth brush..............

Then watch wife the next time she brushes her teeth! Seriously, I think I would write to Paul at Just Engines and ask him.

Ernie

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

I'd asked Paul a while ago and his suggestion was to use petrol and a toothbrush (not specifically my wife's ). Did not do much to remove even the crud on the outside.

Ernie Misner

Okay, take a worn out Irvine part, or the smallest red part you have.... and put it in there first.

Ernie

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

Ernie, unfortunately the only red part is the complete crankcase! I guess since it is the only part, it is both the largest and the smallest!

Piston and sleeve come out relatively easily so, unless someone else has already tried cooking the red parts and found it was not a problem, I guess the red case will stay grungy and I will just clean the other parts. Unfortunately, the engine is exposed in the plane it belongs to.

Ernie Misner

Does anyone have a worn out "red" part that they can send to RC Fanatic to try??

I guess the head must not be red?

Ernie

Sport_Pilot

Hmm, Brush my engine with highly toxic antifreeze with my wifes toothbrush. I'll have to keep that one for future referance.

Sport_Pilot

IMO a clean faded red engine is better than a grungy red engine. Anti freeze is pretty good about cleaning grease off cars without hurting the paint, so I guess it would work. Why not soak it without heat first?

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have the non-painted parts in the crockpot now and am soaking the grungy top of the crankcase in Amway Industro-Clean that I use for cleaning aluminum parts on my car, and for cleaning my motorcycle. If that cleans it, fine. If not, and if no one has a busted or spare crankcase to send me, I'll try the cold antifreeze first, then the hot.

Wish me luck. I do agree that faded red is better than grungy!

Ernie Misner

Whatever happened to "Gunk" that used to be sold in quart cans. We would brush it on, let it set, and hose it off on the motorcycle engines. I think it is only sold in spray cans now? Has anyone tried that on model engines?

Ernie

Sport_Pilot

Yes, Gunk works well on gas engines, not too good with glow engines.

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

Amway Industro-Clean cleaned the outside of the crankcase well, but did not clean out the varnish (in the exhaust port) the way the antifreeze cleaned it off other parts. The Industo-Clean did not attack the powder coat where there was either no grunge, or a fairly soft deposit. However, it did attack it a bit where there were badly baked on deposits. However, from two feet away, it looks okay.

The antifreeze in the crock pot did not clean off the carbon deposits on the inside of the head or top of the piston, and after 24 hours, there is still some varnish inside the sleeve. I expected it to have cleaned better.

I re-assembled the engine. It turns over a lot more freely and still has excellent compression. Will run it this weekend and see how it goes.

Crash_N_Burn

Almost all metal cleaners are high pH containing sodium hydroxide or such.

If the part is anodized red, it will probably etch it.

My guess is that it's anodized as glow fuel attacks and discolors powder coated parts, so try a little bit on the bottom first.