antifreeze cleaning
 

Hello, I dont mean to beat a dead horse , Ive done the search but im still a little
unsure about if im doing this right , Ive had my motor In for about 3 hurs now
and there seems to be a little bit of stuff " growing " on my motor , Its on all
the parts, plastic or not so I assume this is normal and not some form of advanced
corrosion , Im just affraid ill come down to a destroyed motor in the morning !
And I have it on low and it seems its getting really hot , do you guys leave the lid on ?
If not I imagine the element would stay on all night. Anyways thanks and you have a great
site here
NATHAN

RE: antifreeze cleaning
 

What ever you do, you do not want to boil it. Its likely if it boils overnight, It will turn dark.

Enjoy,

Jim

RE: antifreeze cleaning
 

The stuff "growing" is probably the varnish lifting off of the surfaces. You just want a wisp of steam comming off the surface of the coolant. I've had some engines require 2 nights in the bath to get completely clean, even w/ a tooth brush scrubbing.

RE: antifreeze cleaning
 

I use 50/50 antifreeze/water and 'cook' on low. Overnight is the usual time and sometimes it takes two baths. I do final cleaning after the bath with lacquer thinner and a toothbrush. NEVER 'cook' the piston or sleeve...just scrape any carbon deposits off of the top of the piston.

RE: antifreeze cleaning
 

When using the antifreeze method, what parts do you remove before putting in crockpot? Is there anything else one needs to know before putting a engine in the crockpot?
Thanks,
EdMan

RE: antifreeze cleaning
 

Gene, ditch the water and go with straight antifreeze and you may not have to do the lacquer thinner thing. It does not bother me to put the piston and sleeve in the mix, why should I be concerned?

EdMan, out of habit I do not put any plastic or o'rings in the pot. Just a personal thing.

Ed M.

RE: antifreeze cleaning
 

I was told by the late, great, George Aldrich to use a 50/50 mix. I did use 100% until I tried it diluted...diluted works better. Either way I still have to do final cleaning with a toothbrush/lacquer thinner when cooking is done. I don't like to cook a piston/sleeve assembly because it can/will remove any built up coating of castor that improves the seal/compression. This is VERY important if you cook an older engine (non-ringed pre ABC). I guess if you use an all synthetic fuel, go ahead. If you are cooking a ringed engine, fine, cook the piston/sleeve, too.

I don't cook o-rings, gaskets or any plastic parts. I like to tear the engine down as far as I can...including the carb.

Last, but not least, DO NOT EVER use the crockpot to cook food again after using it to cook your engines with antifreeze.