best way to clean an engine

[Anonymous]

I have an engine that has grime on it and want to clean it . Somebody told me to leave it because of the look it has (weathered) but its just surface dirt that might have had oil hit it at one point. Anybody have a suggestion or opinion on cleaning a steam engine without damaging something?

It's not going to be sold. It just for my own enjoyment of course.

cade

[andregg1]

Hi
the body I like to clean with water and soap.
the motor or electromechanical component I use somthing like dielectric solvent, this produc clean the oil and grease without damege any electrical stuff, means coils.
Andre.

[Dr. John]

I use Q-Tip swabs with a mixture of water and mild dish detergent, like Ivory. GENTLY rub off the grime with the wet Q-Tip. You don't want to inadvertantly rub off any paint or lettering.

[Anonymous]

What the others said. I usually use a soft tooth bru***o lightly scrub the nooks and crannys of the boiler casting. This won't hurt a steamer, but when moving on the plastic car shells with silver or red paints, you want to be careful. I won't brush over letters or numbers. Many people will use a coat of vasoline on the shell and rub with a rag so it won't be tacky (personal preference though). This will make an engine fairly shiney if that is what you desire.

On the mechanisim, I tend to use Tuner cleaner on the contacts and wd-40 and a tooth brush for the motor frame.

Generally you won't hurt it much. There was a nice article in CTT about fixing bent cab roofs you might keep in mind. The zinc alloy inthese castings melts around 700F if I remember correctly(somebody can look it up) and if you get them to hot they wil melt, and you will be more than likely pretty unhappy. I melted a boiler front trying to straighten out the marker lights one time, live and learn..

Have fun,
Dennis

[marxalot]

I use several small, stiff, paint brushes dedicated to clean up duty and wash denatured alcohol on the engine. The stuff dries pretty quickly but used as a rinse it loosens up old gunk, carpet fiber, cat hair, etc. I then use tweezers, cotton swabs, etc, to get in and remove debris. One of the best tools for this was given to me by a ceramic figurine finisher. It has a sharp point on one end and a nasty looking curved sharp point on the other end. Sort of a dentist tools from the dark side!! Anyhow this baby can reach and scrape in those tight places. I have gently used denatured alcohol on the exterior of a lot of cars but care needs to be taken. Any lithographic cars need special care and gentle soap and water washes. I have always been a little nervous about using WD40 but silicone spray lubricants, or
tuner cleaner is okay..................

Jim