Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

[Guest]

I have a couple of valve covers here that I'll be doing shortly, and I have a couple of questions...

I know how to prep the outside, but what about the inside?

The inside of both have oil deposits and gunk (most was removed by parts washer), one has a fair amount of sealer around the baffles.

Do these have to be spotless? Will it smoke like crazy if not? What about under the baffles?

I guess I should do a outgassing cycle on them first, which should burn off any of what's remaining that I can't remove.

What do you guys (and gals) do?

Thanks.


Jay

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

Jay V,
I usually outgas on any valve covers I do. Once you do, you can damn near wipe anything left on the inside away with a rag (it will be a powder basically). When I give them back to the customer I like um to look clean on the top and from the bottom, it also gives me a little insurance that there wont be any outgasing under the fresh coat of powder.

[rbroker]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

Run her through the dishwasher. I'm told it works....

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

Dont let the wife catch you!

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I generally degrease, outgas, and then blast. Outgassing will take a lot of worry out of coating them.

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I use the Cybersolve that pbtp sells. It works really well as a stripper and as a degreaser. Get it nice and warm and just let the stripper do all the work. It couldn't be easier. Of course I wash w/ soap and water and then outgas as normal.

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I am finding that many customer's our using our stripper as a cleaner as well One product, many uses .....

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

So, I cleaned both covers very well on the underside with degreaser - except the areas under the numerous riveted baffles. Both covers had a significant amount of build-up and oil deposits from poor maintenance.

I popped them in the oven at 450 - and !#$%^& the smoke! It kept coming out from the area under the baffles for over an hour. Luckily it is a decent temp today, because I had to keep the garage door open the entire time. I had to stop for now, but I'm guessing it will do the same next time.

What do you guys do now? I wouldn't want to try to cure any powder with smoke rolling out of the cover like it was.

More degreaser? Another hour in the oven?

These are mine for tests, but if I was trying to make money doing them I'd be working cheap! - something I try to avoid...

Thanks.


Jay

[rbroker]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I put a cheap bakers pan I got from walmart under anything with grease on it. Then I know nothing dripped in the oven.

I had a part I did recently doing grease burnoff's for hours. I would spray with carb cleaner, blow it out, then put it back in the oven for a burn off. Repeat until it comes out clean.

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

This is the same exact thing that happens with the plastic intake manifolds. I know I dont coat until it stops smoking! I heat until she dont smoke no more.

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I use my kitchen oven I started with to burnoff in so is not to contaminate the curing of powder.

??Some how that reads like a retard wrote it??

Hopefully you know what I mean.

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

So I found out what to do from someone that does a lot of valve covers.

Soak the !#$%^& out of them for 12 - 36 hours. He uses Simple Green and water. I have been using a product similar to ZEP Industrial Purple ($9 gal around here - $7 if you buy 5 gal), and am giving that a try right now.

I found Rubbermaid Super Degreaser at Menards for $6 per gal. Looking closely at it, it says made by ZEP and the last 3 numbers of the product code are the same as Industrial Purple...

Even after cleaning most of what you can see, and smoking the place out for an hour, the cleaner still turned black almost immediately.

He says he reuses his mix may times.

I'm using mine straight, plugging all the holes, and filling it up as far as possible to soak. Should throw it in the oven again when I'm done after a 24 hour soak.

I'll let you know if it still smokes like a chimney...


Jay

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I'd outgas again. You may want to clean the oven after og'ing and before curing any powder.

I wiped it down yesterday - plenty of oily residue on the walls.

Hopefully the next round of outgassing will be a lot better.


Jay

[JNZFinishing]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I guess I'm lucky because I get to use the shop's 4000$ transmission cleaner Hot water, detergent and high pressure water does the trick everytime. After an hour it looks like brand new on the bottom and inside. Though they still smoke like crazy when I outgas them, only so much oil that comes out when they're cleaned.

[Guest]

Re: Cleaning Valve Covers - inside

I have a parts washing tank filled with mineral spirits that I degrease with. Then I clean them of with soap and water. After that I outgas them.