I have read about removing the gunk from your engine using a crockpot and antifreeze and then I heard about Dawn Power Dissolver. After flying a few days ago I decided I would try the Dawn method since I don't have a spare crockpot or antifreeze, and I did not want to cook the engine in the antifreeze overnight in my garage where I could not properly ventilate it.

So I told the wife to pick up some Dawn Power Dissolver the next time she went shopping, and to get me some beer too - I was getting low

Much to my surprise, she told me she already went shopping and that I now have a full fridge of beer and she already had Dawn! I love my wife!

Anyway, here are pictures before and after Dawn. I did not use this on the engine - it did not have the buildup so I just used it on the muffler. Very impressive results. I just sprayed it on, waited a minute, then used an old toothbrush and brushed off the gunk. I finished it by wiping down the muffler with a damp paper towel.
I have heard that the results are the same on an engine, but I cannot confirm that yet. None of the engines I have are at the point where they need to be cleaned, but I wanted to share my results for cleaning the muffler with Dawn Power Dissolver. It's good stuff. The wife loves it too.

Well, that certainly came out nice. A good point to remember.. Ok.. how many parts of beer to the dawn did you use? Just kidding.. thanks for that. A good hint for sure.


Great wife you have there. She got a sister? [8D]


DS.

What's "Dawn Power Dissolver"... another version of Dawn dish soap?

It's more of an oven cleaner. I looked for it for six months before I finally found it. I was looking at dishwasher shelves as well as houshold cleaning.

I'll agree that it works very well. I've just picked up an old Fox 40 that is just about sezed up and looks awful. I'l Post some progress pics of the cleanup.

Don

-pkh-,
I found this page that will help describe [link=http://www.pgbrands.com/pages/cleaners/foodservice/kitchen/product.jhtml?id=prod10025]Dawn Power Dissolver.[/link]

Here's a snippet from the page:
---
No Scrubbing Required! Ideal for use on baked and burned on grease. Just pretreat your toughest pots and pans and wipe the grease away. Effective for pots, pans, dishes, stoves, ovens, grills, and RC airplane engines.
---

OK, I added that last part...

Picture of Dawn bottles shown below.



CGRetired,
I think it was a 100:1 ratio of beer to Dawn, but I don't think any of the beer made it to the muffler...

That would be great! I hope then engine cleans up as well as the muffler did.

Dawn Power Dissolver works great... I've used it on many engines.

It doesn't seem to strip off a layer of metal as some more caustic solutions do...

However DO NOT use it on an engine with aluminum parts, or better yet, remove the aluminum parts first...

I had it discolor and stain aluminum anodized cylinder heads and thrust washers.

Thanks for the tip.
Did you leave it on for a long time?

The amount of time varies upon how much deposits there are on the engine.

Usually I place the engine in a small plastic pan and then cover it with DPD.

I let it sit for 5-15 minutes then use a metal brush on it to loosen the stubborn stuff.

Again I cover it with the Dissolver and let it sit longer.

On occasion I will rinse it in HOT water ( Yes I know... ) and reapply as needed.

Once the engine is clean I first flush it out with hot water, followed by a generous amount of WD 40... and then it is in turn flushed with alcohol followed by glow fuel to get out any vestiges of remaining moisture.

I let it sit for a day, then I flush it out with more glow fuel...


I've even used DPD on the interior ( cylinder head open and removed ) of a few old second hand engines to get out some stubborn build up. The engines have run well after the rebuild.

Thanks!

i belive in the UK we call it...

"HI IM BARRY SCOTT!" ... or "Cillit Bang", i cant remember which

We better ask a woman

Engines that have run castor oil lubed fuel will create a layer of varnish on interior surfaces. It degrades the performace after a pretty long while. Experienced modelers know they can take the engine down and remove the varnish and have an excellent running, sometimes better than new, motor. And some of the removal is done with abrasives. This stuff should do that job without the abrasives. Not a big deal, but worth considering if you're one who has always shied away from using emery cloth on the piston.

i have a TT pro 46 that has a layer of something over the piston and looks black. can i spray this stuff on it and it will magically come off?

Thanks,

Unless you have a specific reason to take the engine apart, don't do it.

That "black" stuff is residue from castor oil.

It will partially liquify when the engine is running, and act to protect it.

If the buildup is quite extensive, to the point of looking like soot, you may want to do this, but not before.

I dunno if i am lucky or what. i used the automotive carburetor parts cleaner that comes in a gallon can and soaked all parts of an engine i had that ran crappy. it was pretty well gummed up and really hard to turn over. I took it apart as much as was possible, then soaked everything except the carb and any O-rings and soft parts in the stuff. I dunno if this should have damaged anything or not. when i was done, i blew, rinsed everything out real good and then soaked the whole thing in automatic transmission fluid. then put it together and ran a couple tanks through it before i flew it again. I ended up with a motor that runs perfect. it used to cause at least 5 deadstick landings per day of flying before the harsh cleaning. now it runs like a top! so like i said, i don't know if this is good advice or not, but i would not hesitate to do it again.

For the very hard to remove lacquer on the engines, strip the engine of plastic. Take it apart. Place in a $5 individual crockpot, cover with any antifreeze. Cook it for about 5 hours, remove, wash, it should be like new. If not, then brush, or do what ever needs to be done. You will be amazed. With the Dawn, this works with those engines that do not have really "cooked" on fuel. Use them both with a little elbow grease and take a pic! Old to new!

Dawn power soap in the spray bottle is far superior than the cooking method you descibe Don, I have used both and the Dawn Power Soap works much better than your anti-freeze method. These engines were toasted with castor residue and the soap melted the castor off with no problem.

AMazing! Thanks for those who have posted here this is EXACTLY what I was looking for tonight. I will try the crock-pot some day just because but the Dawn thing seems like a great idea!

Cheers-

hey i got several engines that need a good cleaning. i'll try that. thanks man.

Hummmm.....Are not most of these engines aluminum? My OS 46 sure is (or at least it does not attract a magnet)?

Nope. Aluminum is very soft so it tends to be used only in areas where maximum heat transfer is required such as those nice anodized heads.

The engine bodies are made of other material blends.

Dawn and other caustic cleaners wreak havoc on the anodization.

If the aluminum cylinder head is not anodized, will Dawn Power Dissolver harm them?

Bruce

No. It won't harm the metal of the engine.

Ken

Automotive Brake cleaner works too. As its made to be sprayed onto aluminium brake components which house rubber "buckets" etc I have found it to be safe on my RC car engines etc.

Another one which is an aussie product although expensive if you want to bath the engine is "Solvit Organic Citrus Clean"

This stuff will remove ANYTHING! It removes silicone and Sikaflex!! I have never seen anything remove Sikaflex until this stuff came into where I work. Be careful around paint etc.

I sprayed this on an old OS 46AX muffler and the buildup just ran off it. Wiped it with a rag and it was like new.
It will also remove dry and wet epoxy residue and thin CA smears. I have wiped it over an old plane wing to see if it will lift the covering and it didnt budge. I wouldn't spray it directly onto the surface tho as it will remove the aforementioned glues if left to pool around hinges etc I should imagine.
Amazing stuff. (No I dont work for them )

Reading the contents it contains Ethanol 49%. I am guessing it contains citric acid as well.
Smells like oranges too which is cool