Acid Dip - mains caps on or off

[Spike]

Hi,

This may well sound like a daft question but I have been quoted to chemically clean my engine block. I asked if they want the mains on or off. They said if I supply separately then there will be a separate charge of £5 per cap!! So I’m tempted to supply fitted.

This will also protect the sump mating face from potential damage as I can’t assume they will treat the block with the care that I do. However I don’t want it sitting on the mains caps.

The caps however have no galleries in so is there any point?

your experience of this process would be appreciated.

Spike

 

[Michel]

Chemically cleaning any part who have hollow and innacessible areas is very very unadvised .....
years ago for a Le mans race car whe had similar proposal for radiators from one of our subcontractor !!! then during practice we suffer on both racings cars a big "jam" in oil an water and had to clean everything on those circuit , find new radiators etc etc !!! lot of work at night to repare that "friend " proposal !!!!
From that day i am personnaly very suspiscious in all sort of chemical cleaning or use of any acid stuff on car parts ;
only there my own experience !!!
There are new methods to clean parts ( Soad blast and others ) that are may be more soft ?????

 

[JP Verweij]

I have my engines ultrasonic cleaned only.
I would ony acid dip an engine if I need to build another coffee table or wine / whisky rack out of it.

 

[Spike]

Michel thanks, radiators are a completely different beast with many inaccessible areas (depending how well they are designed in the tanks). I too have had issues with rads not being cleaned out properly and causing retirements.

I put acid dip as the title as everyone knows what I mean but I do know it is not really that anymore but a more environmentally acceptable mix of chemicals

 

[Neil]

"chemically clean" is a term that could describe many different methods. For an iron block, the usual hot tank cleaner works quite well but you should always clean out all internal oil passages with an appropriate sized brush to insure that they do not contain debris. Never put an aluminum block in a hot tank cleaner. The aluminum reacts with the hot alkaline cleaning fluid and is eaten away by it.

 

[Jac Mac]

Hi,

This may well sound like a daft question but I have been quoted to chemically clean my engine block. I asked if they want the mains on or off. They said if I supply separately then there will be a separate charge of £5 per cap!! So I’m tempted to supply fitted.

This will also protect the sump mating face from potential damage as I can’t assume they will treat the block with the care that I do. However I don’t want it sitting on the mains caps.

The caps however have no galleries in so is there any point?

your experience of this process would be appreciated.

Spike

I assume they will be using a 'modern' alkaline cleaner fluid in the hot tank which is not as savage as the older acid bath type used a few decades ago, Not many if any of those left due to health n safety. Bolt the caps on, as you said no galleries blocked off by them and I assume you will run a thread tap down each bolt hole during your engine build. Be aware that your cam bearings will be ruined so you might as well remove them prior to cleaning as well. ( It is a SBF isnt it ? ) Remove all the gallery plugs also, both threaded & push in cup types, along with the external core plugs. If your on good terms you might be able to work a deal with the guy to leave you engine block in for a 'long' soak on a friday or if its just before they change the fluid.

 

[Spike]

Jac Mac yes it’s quite a big company so not the old school ‘don’t leave it in too long’ fluid.
All threads already cleaned with a plug tap and core plugs and threaded gallery bungs out ready for a decent clean. However I wish I’d left these two well alone

Spike