Engine/Aluminum Cleaner

A while back someone was restoring a VFR and the engine went from dirty/clean and I asked what was used to do the job. The poster claimed that there is no "magic spray" to take all of the oxidation, aluminum fuzz, water stains and tarnish off of the aluminum part of the bike (frame, engine, pegs etc).

Not one to take no as an answer, I went on a google hunt and wound up with a product that does the job. I use flitz for general chrome and shiny part polishing on my bikes with great results (better than simichrome and blue job). Anyway, found this:

Flitz Aluminum Pre-Clean

This stuff rocks and works as advertised! Will be doing the whole bike this weekend, but tried it on some sad 18 year old rider pegs, frame and passenger pegs with great results. Spray on, wait a minute, hit with a toothbrush (if you dont have one borrow your wifes), sprayed again, waited another minute and washed off with generous water. AWESOME, like new. Not a polish, but a de-oxidizer.

Smelled like oven cleaner when it was working and the rags I used to clean up went from white to black!

Will document the spring cleaning and posting, but wanted to pass along.

 

Cool, subscribed for pics!

 

op2: Waiting for the results also! I have the CB750 that needs the smoke soot taken off...

 

Ok here is the secret...... Been around since I was 16 years old.
Since around 1960. SIMI-CHROME polish



Sold at GOOD motorcycle shops.

 

Dawn Power Desolver is great for burnt on grunge, at the grocery store by the dish soap.

 

simichrome is nothing next to flitz - have them both.

 

Sounds worth a try! :thumb:

Demo Video Here: Flitz Aluminum Pre-Clean

 

ok, had a spare hour at lunch and while it's a miserable day here (cold/raining) went up to the barn to experiment with this cleaner. I must say that it works great and am very encouraged by the results given the time invested (less than an hour). My wife is out of the country with my nice camera, but here are some pix that show the results from my camera phone. Bear in mind that once I can invest more time with a toothbrush (this is spray on/wash off results) and get better coverage, I think the results will be much better - although these aint bad.

Head Before

Head After

Oil Pan Before

Oil Pan After



the corrosion of 18 years and two crosses of the atlantic ocean are slowly vanishing

 

Wow! I guess I do have to try this!!

 

seems to work, the oil pan pix are most telling. Be warned, when you spray it on, the bike should be cold and in a VERY WELL VENTILATED AREA as it smells like oven cleaner (which I react very poorly to). Also be ready with the hose to way off. Tomorrow is toothbrush and pressure washer day, today was "see if it really works" day

 

I will check that out.

But Simi-Chrome is not a cleaner. It is a polishing compound and cleaner.
It polishes aluminum and makes it look like chrome.

 

not a good idea on the engine block, polished engines will overheat very easily (less surface area than the 'cast' look) and with VFR's known overheating issues not the greatest idea

 

You are right about surface area.
The engine is already very smooth and that black paint cannot be helping the heat problem.
Black attracts heat. And paint on the outside of a metal case would just seal in heat.
Aluminum gets rid of heat faster than most metals.
Aluminum condensates 3.75 times faster than steel.

There were some racing engines in the past that overheated when SAND blasted because small particles of sand got embedded into the aluminum and at high temps take on the qualities of glass.
Now engine parts are blasted with walnut shells or other types of grit other than sand.

 

Hydrofluoric acid (( I didn't say hydrochloric )) the "flouric" acid is used on old crusty aluminum engines by car detailer's (( and former cycle shop owners )) , just spray on and wash off with a hose, then use SimiChrome or the Fritz or what ever.

A power buffiking ball on a drill, plus a LOT of plane old elbow & finger grease on an old rag / divided by a lot of time = shiny engine.

Experts only: Bead blasting with light fine grit and a fast hand can make a sand cast 750 Honda look like new "if" you already have experience practicing wrecking an already junky CL 350, lol.

 

Kinda' hazardous stuff:
-----------------------------------------
From:
http://ehs.unc.edu/environmental/docs/hydrofluoricacid.pdf

"Hydrofluoric acid (HF) differs from other acids because the fluoride ion readily penetrates the skin,
causing destruction of deep tissue layers, including bone. Pain associated with exposure to solutions of
HF (1-50%) may be delayed for 1-24 hours. If HF is not rapidly neutralized and the fluoride ion bound,
tissue destruction may continue for days and result in limb loss or death. HF is similar to other acids in
that the initial extent of a burn depends on the concentration, the temperature, and the duration of contact
with the acid."
--------------------------------------------

The commercial solutions must be fairly dilute... hard to obtain?

 

Please post before and after pix.

OPPS did not see
the pix but THANKS

 

It kinda looks like Mauriac acid and H2O. It does have the same affect. We used to mix it 50/50 but know the acid content of the acid is less in what you buy, you would have to play around with the mixture.

 

Hydroflouric acid is used to etch glass among other things. Before certain plastics were developed for containment, the acid was stored in beeswax. It is some bad shit and the amateurs who rely on anecdotal information should be really careful about posting this kind of BS before they hurt somebody. If I have offended anyone. Tough shit!

Muriatic acid is a solution of hydrochloric acid and water as a 10% solution.

 

I'm just worried about the gaskets/seals and any rubber.

 

a liberal wash after leaving the cleaner on as recommended should be fine. Dont miss a spot. I would be worried about leaving the stuff on until it dried.