Cleaning Up The Fins

[Rox Lemans]

What have you guys been using to clean up old oil, gas and grime off the fins on your jugs? I got to doing some detailing the other day and tried a bunch of cleaning products with no avail. Wondering if you guys have some tricks. Thanks. 

[docc]

I learned about SuperClean® from @Chuck.  Carefully hose it off after it sits a few minutes and use a blower to dry the engine and everywhere the hose splashed.

For baked on oil, I will sometimes use mineral spirits and a soft Nylon brush (toothbrush or parts cleaning brush).

[po18guy]

If it is restricted to a relatively small area, some of the more volatile chemicals can be used on a Q-tip or cotton swab. I have found that some experimentation is needed to remove various stains. If it can soak, it will come off better, but how to soak fins? Maybe soak a strip of paper towel and wrap it around the fin.

[docc]

The more volatile chemicals always worry me that they will lift the paint off with the stain. Especially if left to "soak."

[po18guy]

Oops. So the fins are painted silver? Well, maybe one of the citrus-based cleaners - they are more benign.

[po18guy]

Too bad that motor oil was not silver. Who'd know?

[docc]

5 minutes ago, po18guy said:

Too bad that motor oil was not silver. Who'd know?

So, there is a particular O-ring under one of the head bolts at the inboard-center (top) of the head that is known to drizzle an oil leak around the fins at the head/cylinder junction to below and behind the spark plug.   I tried to break that bolt loose to replace the O-ring, but pretty sure my hi-miler will need heat-and-beat to get that bolt out. A "tank-off" procedure . . .

[Lucky Phil]

I've never found anything that will remove the yellowish oil stain from silver engine paint after long exposure. 

Ciao

[cash1000]

How about how to clean up brake calipers back to near their original gold?

[O2 V11]

Cash1000, you could try hand cleaner. I have the Supercheap SCA branded stuff. Used successfully on painted alloy wheels that were black with brake dust. took a while with a toothbrush but eventually removed all the crud. It has a bit of gritty material in it so shouldn't be used on bare metal but is OK on painted surfaces.

Rob

[Lucky Phil]

4 hours ago, cash1000 said:

How about how to clean up brake calipers back to near their original gold?

The ultrasonic cleaner. Pull the entire brakes assembly off including the hoses and master then run the callipers only in the cleaning rig.

Ciao

[Chris Wilson]

20 hours ago, po18guy said:

Too bad that motor oil was not silver. Who'd know?

Um, if your oil was silver I would really worry.

That amount of metal particles would be, putting it mildly, bad.

[Chris Wilson]

20 hours ago, cash1000 said:

How about how to clean up brake calipers back to near their original gold?

Brake cleaner?

If the coating on the caliper is proofed against brake fluid then I can't see a reason why a specific cleaner would effect it.

Chris.

[Chris Wilson]

On 10/19/2021 at 7:33 AM, po18guy said:

......but how to soak fins? 

Easy, place a bucket full of solvent large enough to contain the entire barrel, lean the bike over until the barrel is inverted in the bucket, leave overnight, rinse and repeat for the other side.

Please send pics.

[po18guy]

Have been told to soak my head often enough. If one was doing a rotisserie restoration, simply inverting the bike and dunking the fins would do it.  Has anyone tried Stoddard solvent?