Cleaning gear box's

[ragnar]

Have a number of brass steamers that have not been run for a few years and am wondering whats the best way to clean out the old grease/gunk from the gearboxs so I can replace with fresh grease..

[cwclark]

I usually strip them down and soak them in alcohol..then take a stiff brush and scrub the gunk off of the parts...i then put the gears back together and give the gears a drop of wahl's clipper oil before reassembly and grease...chuck

[selector]

Goof-Off, Varsol, paint thinner, acetone, ...pretty much anything 'thinner' than the old grease that is petroleum-based, including WD-40, will soften, and rid you of, the old waxy deposites.

Please do this outdoors, in fresh air, and avoid solvent contact with plastic and paint elsewhere on your models.

[nfmisso]

70% isopropyl alcohol. Cheap, safe on most paints, will remove gunk, and relatively safe.

[Virginian]

Toothpicks, Q-tips, and a little laquer thinner always made quick work of the gunk for me. I did not disassemble them completely, and I let them sit a little bit before re-lubing so the laquer thinner will evaporate.

[bogp40]

On any loco that is well broken in/ worn, I am very careful to reassemble all the parts, gears etc. to their origional position. This may not really matter for the most part, but I feel that if the parts ran good and developed any wear patterns, I won't take the chance of creating problems. This is especially true on repowered Athearns where "Pearl Drops" were used in the trucks. [Yes, and the toothpaste does make a difference]
I have always used Labelle 106/ teflon, there have been past posts about using transmission fluid- have not dared to try. Can anyone respond about it's use.
Bob K.

[SpaceMouse]

Someone mentioned WD-40...While I am not an expert on servicing engines by any means, in the gun world WD-40 is a no -no because it attracts dirt and gunk and forms a hard crust that gums up the works.

[ragnar]

W-D 40 is a cleaner not really a lubricate ,Only thing i feel really safe with is Labelles 106...

[selector]

Yes, WD-40 must not be used as a lubricant, I agree. It is a penetrant. However, the original question asked what to use to rid the drive of waxy and dried deposits of old grease. WD-40 is a petroleum distillate and, like all distillates, will soften and free up gummed-up works. As in all cases where you clean bearing and friction surfaces with distillates, you wipe them clean and use acetone as a final agent to rid the sufaces of all contaminants, including leftover WD-40. Only then would you regrease.

And, for the record, grease will accumulate dust and particulate matter as well. All lubricants are meant to keep them in susupension, and grease does a fine job.