Parts Cleaning Solutions

I've recently accuired a parts cleaning bath. The instructions recommend only water based detergents, so I'm thinking about using simple green or purple power. The clerk at AutoZone says purple power will harm aluminum parts if too concentrated, or if left in the bath too long. I've read similar things about simple green.

Anyone have experience with either product? Is there a good ratio of water to mix in for best results?

I'm staying away from petroleum based products, water base only. Thx for any help.

I have not found any biodegradable cleaner that can come close to petro products.I've tried them all!.
When the parts are really dirty I'll give them a once over with petro solvent and then I'll give 'em a wash in water based cleaner.
I used simple green and Zep bio cleaners and they did tarnish some alu parts.If I had to pick a bio cleaner I would choose Any cleaner with orange oil.Those worked the best for me.cant remember the name.I think Zep makes it.
If you have alot of alu parts to clean and the cleaner leaves a dry coating,follow up with alu polish.

Is the dry coating/tarnish harmful to the aluminum part, or is it only cosmetic?

If the alu gets far enough along in the tarnish dept,its allmost impossible to remove the stains without having to remove the piece and do a full sand and repolish.If the alu is a bead blast from the factory the stains wont hardly show.but if its a polished piece,then the stain is harmful to the alu. No amount of alu polish will restore it.

I opted to use Purple Power (AutoZone, $25 for 5 gal). I know oil based solvents are more effective, but not breathing fumes or worrying about fire hazards have their advantages, too. I wore rubber gloves, but some of the fluid splashed on my arms, shirt, and pants. Nice to clean up with water. Very little odor, but it did attract bugs in the evening!

My parts washer holds 20 gal, so started with 12.5 gal of 4:1 mixture of water to detergent. This wasn't getting the job done, so added more purple stuff for 15 gal of a 3:1 mixture. This worked pretty well.

First up - AC bracket. This has been attached to the front bottom of the engine, collecting oil and dirt, forever. Pretty nasty, almost couldn't tell it was an aluminum part.

Before:



After:





At this point, I picked up a wire brush to loosen the remaining black stuff. More results:

Idler pulley:



A few other bolt-ons (all of these took about 3 hours to clean):



Here's a before shot of the inside throttle body, having never been cleaned or removed from the engine. This is the first light it's seen in 246k miles:



Here's the after:



My favorite was the valve covers. Before:



After:



Overall, I'm very satisfied. Can't wait to put everything back on the engine.

Ahh AA yur such a thorough guy
Cant wait to see what color yer gonna paint the engine if you do? Go special and paint her Gold or something really retro! dont be skeered!

The engine has already been painted. Get excited... factory black.

See the new engine in the Engine Removal & Installation thread:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t9354p30-write-up-series-ii-sc-engine-removal-installation

Gosh dang it, Aaron. Just make the rebuild thread already!!!

Yeah, im really not seeing any new engine in that thread AA.

I haven't posted all the images yet. Will try to get them up soon.

Here is a thread that I ran across http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101728. They give lots of different suggestions.

When I was cleaning my junk, I had a bucket of kerosene for pretty much everything that could be submerged in solvent. Otherwise, usual aerosol degreaser works fairly well.

I am in agreement on kerosene.

kerosene will allmost last forever with little vapor off.