I carelessly spilled some motor oil on the front of my truck when adding a quart. I tried spraying 409 household cleaner on it and rinsing it. No help. Tried the 409 and rubbing with paper towels. Little help.
To save me experimenting (and buying) other cleaners, any suggestions? Probably gasoline would work but I don't have any or a container for it.
TIA
Simple Green
varsol or hot soapy water and some "elbow grease"
Inside or outside of the engine compartment.
I used to use Fantastic until they changed the ingredients, and maybe the smell, and it makes me sneeze. Now I use 409. I never thought of it as especially good for grease. It's great for getting dirt out of the crinkle finish of many old tvs and other things
Dawn dishwashing detergent is very good for grease, like their commercials say. Though it also stings every cut and scratch I have so I don't use it. Maybe I would for specailly greasy things. And more importantly, it's meant for food-based grease. I'm not at all sure that ti's good for motor oiil or even suspension grease.
What about a do-it-yourself car wash with a want that you spray soapy water. Just avoid getting anything in your electrical parts like the alternator .
Dawn. It is what wildlife rescuers use to clean spilled oil from the coats of aquatic birds and marine mammals.
Soap. Soap and water.
I agree with the suggestion to take the truck to the car wash and spray it with soapy water. I would also arrive an hour early and have a coffee in a nearby coffee shop or waiting room while I wait for the engine to cool down. You could conceivably crack an exhaust manifold by spraying it with water, although I know of people who've driven through deep puddles without doing any harm to the engine.
In fact, I'd clean the whole engine that way. Having a clean engine to work on helps promote proper and punctual vehicle maintenance.
I've pressure washed running engines for decades and NEVER cracked a manifold
Just do it right the 1st time. Go to auto parts store. Purchase a spray can of foaming engine cleaner. Spray only the oily areas. Rinse carefully job done. No engine damage. WW
I carelessly spilled some motor oil on the front of my truck when adding a quart. I tried spraying 409 household cleaner on it and rinsing it. No help. Tried the 409 and rubbing with paper towels. Little help.
To save me experimenting (and buying) other cleaners, any suggestions? Probably gasoline would work but I don't have any or a container for it.
TIA
Same happened to me, it ate right into the clear coat. Use a degreaser and then buff it out with polishing compound. Paper towels ain't going to get it. Pick up some terry towels, old sock or something like that. Als oget a large can of elbow grease.
Fantastic would have certainly done the job, that stuff would literally etch glass.
But not paint.
Whatever you use, rewax afterwards as even regular dish soap will strip off wax (in fact it's a great prewash for a fresh wax job.)
409 is not strong enough - try 410, maybe even 411 - whatever it takes . . .
Do you try to not get the manifold wet?
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:02:04 -0600, "AngryOldWhiteGuy" >>
You could try 435, but... wait, it's time to go home.
Nope. I'd wash the whole thing. Getting poil off the head from leaky rocker gaskets pretty well required you get the exhaust manifold wet too. I used to do it to prove to people you could not only start a wet chrysler, but run it under the hose with the right wires. (both flathead and slant six) - as well as many other engines just to clean them. Sometimes left them running because restarting wet was a problem. (just keep the water out of the intake, and be a bit gentle around the distributor)
A $1 in quaeters at the local pressure washer works fine.
I think around here it starts at $2.50!
Plus it won't spray gasoline.
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