[syz]

Hi all

I took apart my HPI Savage .21 truck today to assess some damages to various components. I have realized that the whole truck is really dirty. (exhaust build up and dirt). I want it cleaned.

My question is this, Would it be OK to take the engine completely apart and place the case into an ultrasonic cleaner. (for those that dont know; dental offices use these to clean some of their instruments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning ) Once clean, reassemble the engine and make it run again.

I actually used the ultrasonic cleaner with some CLR to clean some rusty metal components of a machine at work. After about 45min these things looked brand new.

I will most likely clean some other non crucial parts this way as I have access to such device and it is much easier to clean small parts.


Let me know what you think. Thanx

[moose200]

ya, I would. I took mine apart today to find my crankshaft bearing is out...so it leaks air I used hot water and soap and let it set for 15 minutes. dried it out and it looks good now..but still leaks...

[John M.]

A slow cooker with antifreeze in it (aluminum friendly stuff!) does a great job with NO effort.

Just don't smell the fumes and make sure your kids or your dog doesn't drink it.

[syz]

would it be better if I took the whole engine apart or can i dump the whole thing into the solution of choice

[TeaBagger]

Take the whole engine apart peice by piece. Clean all the parts individually, dry, coat them with afterrun oil when you reassemble it. Also wouldn't be a bad idea to seal it bieng as your taking it apart anyway. Be certain you reassemble every part exactly the way they came out just in reverse order. Note the direction of oil passages on the con rod and position of the cylinder sleeve in relation with the cylinder etc. Check for worn bearings, scoring and o-rings, gaskets, bushing and what not.

[vinver]

Originally Posted by John Melnick

A slow cooker with antifreeze in it (aluminum friendly stuff!) does a great job with NO effort.

Just don't smell the fumes and make sure your kids or your dog doesn't drink it.

+1 here, just redid a muffler and it looks just like new. Takes off all the burnt and caked on oil residue quite easily. I have heard you could drop a whole engine in, but I can't see how you would flush out the antifreeze residue from the bearings afterward. I bought a slow cooker on sale for about $30 and a jug of antifreeze for $10. Obviously you need a dedicated unit that will never be used for food again. You can find one at yard sales cheap if you are into that.
Vince

[xv-townboy]

Slow cooker for three bucks at the second hand stores..Dont forget to remove any rubber gaskets if you have any

[Insane Nitro 99S]

Hey SYZ if you have access to an Ultrasonic machine you are very lucky. I work for a company that sells Ultrasonic parts washers but only to high end customers as they are upwards of 20gs. These machines use sound waves to clean parts so your nitro motor should come out just like new.

[aspeed]

If you don't have an ultrasonic cleaner you can bungee on a buzz sander to a metal container. The true redneck way. I would keep the rubber seals and plastic parts out depending on the liquid used. I don't have 20 g's handy for the toys.

[impba15713]

picked up a unit yesterday will be trying it out soon.

big enought for a gas motor case ( rcmk to a Zen in size )