Cleaning a cylinder head with a power washer?

[Randall977]

Sold out - oh well!

 

[normspanners]

Get high caustic stuff, it is usually cheaper, I use it most garages do, and spray or brush on,and wash off straight away but DON'T soak it for hrs.

 

[Randall977]

Just ordered non caustic...before reading your message - will this still work?

 

[normspanners]

Not as well non caustic is for body work usually

 

[MattF]

Just ordered non caustic...before reading your message - will this still work?

Might as well try it now you've ordered it. Caustic is a good grease/oil remover, but really doesn't like aluminium, hence the apply and remove quickly. It'll eat the stuff if given a chance, (your flesh too, if you don't wear good gloves). Plain old paraffin/kerosene is a very good degreaser too, if you have any of that knocking about, and is far safer to use.

 

[Randall977]

That's kind of why I opted for the non caustic...hopefully it will still work on oil...

 

[rikrobson]

You don't want to use caustic on aluminium. soak it on paraffin first then use gunk.

 

[MrFluffy]

Check the tfr there are many different types lots of types of TFR attacks ally also, it is the caustic, it turns it black, so just brush it on and power wash off after 5-10 mins no longer

Indeed, I dropped some aluminium carbs for cleaning at a enterprise, and they left them in overnight and when I cam back for them, they were fit for nothing but the bin...

 

[Pete.]

as usual EH

Yep then I had the brainwave of trying my works postcode and found that Bermondsey had nine bottles so I stopped by and cleaned them out

 

[Robotstar5]

EDIT: I'd check availability because all the stores near me are sold out.

Checked stock and all local stores are out of stock although it did suggest an alternative

 

[Randall977]

Just as a follow up - TFR worked really well, even though I got the non-caustic version. Poured all 25L into a big builders type tub then dropped the heads in for a few hours each. The solution turned black pretty quickly even without agitating it. After a while I got a dish brush and scrubbed the heads all over - this shifted the 50 year old oil and dirt quickly and with little effort. Aluminium came up clean - they looked pretty good one I had rinsed them off.

I had to do another two heads the same day (don't ask me why) after getting rid of the TFR, I used a few cans of spray Gunk and one liquid Gunk and I have to say that it is much better than TFR. Still, TFR is good and cheap.

 

[SmartWerks]

Cartek aluminium and alloy cleaner is a very good product. Not the cheapest but the best ally cleaner I've come across

 

[jordan1]

Cheap source of TFR:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x25L-TFR...536?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234d903818

 

[SmartWerks]

Cheap source of TFR:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x25L-TFR...536?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234d903818

That's not cheap, your local motor factors will do the same for £20.

 

[jordan1]

That's not cheap, your local motor factors will do the same for £20.

Cheap if you are local & can collect

 

[SmartWerks]

Cheap if you are local & can collect

And of course you going to get 25ltrs of TFR for 99p