Degreaser that actually works?
 

The intercooler O-rings on my ZT had failed a long time before I got it as there is oil gunk all over the engine bay around that area and its a real gooey mess. Can anyone recommend a good degreaser that actually does what it says it will. :shrug:

Jay

I use BBQ cleaner for normal oily/greasy residue but it may not be enough for gooey mess that you describe. Worth a try. :shrug:

Astonish Car Care Engine Degreaser lots of the small car shops will sell it, cost is from 99p to about £1.49 and works ;)

Aldi Kitchen cleaner or Mr Muscle kitchen cleaner. Spray lots on, leave a few minutes to dwell and soak in, agitate with paintbrush, rinse off with hose or jetwash.

Works for me . . .

Ali.

Go to screwfix and buy the no nonsense degreaser comes in a 5 litre bottle around £12 use it neat or dilute it, brilliant stuff spray on and leave to soak in or give it a scrub if really oily and then rinse off :}

Be careful with a jet wash around engine connections and components.

Brake cleaner is an amazing degreaser but the fumes can be a bit over powering in a confined area and on a warm to hot day it can evaporate quickly.

I usually soak a cloth in the stuff and it can work well at cleaning parts. Ware gloves though as it will take the grease out of your skin.

Surfex HD from Bilt Hamber works well for me in most degreasing jobs.

Autoglym engine cleaner, or Autosmart G101. The bonus with the G101 is you mix it yourself, so you can use it on interiors, wheels, arches and lots of other things too.

Always used Jizer by Swarfega......brilliant stuff that we used to use at the quarry for parts cleaning.
Really does work! ;)

I've always used GUNK. It's awesome stuff. Pour / spray / wipe on and leave for a bit, bit of a rinse with a hose, or a watering can even and the oily goo is gone. Not expensive and you don't need much. It should be called de-gunk!

Big thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Not a job I'm looking forward to though but needs to be done, it's such a mess! I'm no under bonnet polisher but I do like what's there to at least be clean. :}

Diesel is an excellent degreaser.

Barbecue cleaner is based on caustic (sodium hydroxide) or potassium hydroxide. Keep well clear of any aluminium, especially thin sections - like intercooler fins. I've seen plenty of kitchen grease filters totally disappear after a dip in caustic.

My two answers...
1. Unipart used to do an orange-based water-washable degreaser. Amazing stuff. Used in a tray, the soil would sink to the bottom and you just poured the clean degreaser off the top for re-use, then washed the parts with a a hose pipe. Since the demise of unipart I haven't yet found a good replacement. "Orange terpenes" is the ingredient on the tin.

2. Some catering suppliers sell "aluminium safe" degreasers, designed for doing bakery trays, kitchen mesh filters etc. ACE Filtration is one supplier which springs immediately to mind.

Just done mine today while the bumper was off doing the fan resistor, sprayed the no nonsense degreaser all over out of an old kitchen cleaner bottle left for a bit then pressure washed off came out looking really nice no more oil stains everywhere.

methylated spirit is also good and evaporates.
gunk or jizer both good stuff

macafee2

One of my favourites:
http://www.cillitbang.co.uk/products...rease-sparkle/
Ken.

"Her" dishwasher when "she" is not at home! :eek: You might struggle getting larger parts in though!:}

I always use gunk, unless it is really thick then i soften it with diesel first then gunk.

I have always used Gunk since the Early sixties. Lovely smell when the engine warms up.

Agreed, use it all the time!

Brake cleaner, carburetter spray and quick start aerosol sprays contain diethylether (the stuff they used as general anaesthetic in times past, recreational drug, narcotic). So, it's pretty potent stuff that needs careful handling. Its flash point is -45C and will autoignite at 160C, so will flash on contacting any surface warmer than that. If you spray a carburetter when the engine's hot you've a good chance of singed eyebrows. The best degreasers are naphtha based with well designed emulsifiers. Many engine cleaners these days have lost their water dispersibility and leave a greasy residue after hosing down.

TC

Carb cleaner works great too