Piston Kleen?

Has anyone tried Piston Kleen from Orison Marketing for cleaning carbon from aluminum pistons? Seems its only available by ordering direct from Orison. I just ordered some. If its as good as the claims, I'll be pleasantly surprized.

I got the Piston Kleen and soaked the pistons in it for 24 hours and then pressure washed them. The stuff worked better than anything else that I've tried. I don't know what the stuff is--I'm guessing some sort of detergent or emulsifying agent.

I had tried various solvents like mineral spirits, carb cleaner, laquer thinner, etc., with disappointing results. This stuff seemed to soften the carbon deposits enough to enable the mechanical action of the pressure wash to blast it off.

Originally Posted by davidb

I got the Piston Kleen and soaked the pistons in it for 24 hours and then pressure washed them. The stuff worked better than anything else that I've tried. I don't know what the stuff is--I'm guessing some sort of detergent or emulsifying agent.

I had tried various solvents like mineral spirits, carb cleaner, laquer thinner, etc., with disappointing results. This stuff seemed to soften the carbon deposits enough to enable the mechanical action of the pressure wash to blast it off.

Find something with cresylic acid in it. It will dissolve baked-on carbon. It stinks mightily and we used to have a tank of it, with about four inches of water on top of the acid to hold the odor down. Water is lighter than this stuff.

Sodium hydroxide (lye) will take carbon off iron and steel, and will dissolve expensive aluminum parts. Ask me how I know....

Some strippers will cause hydrogen embrittlement. Be careful. The part might look good when you're done, but be worthless.

Dan

Originally Posted by Dan Thomas

Find something with cresylic acid in it. It will dissolve baked-on carbon. It stinks mightily and we used to have a tank of it, with about four inches of water on top of the acid to hold the odor down. Water is lighter than this stuff.

Sodium hydroxide (lye) will take carbon off iron and steel, and will dissolve expensive aluminum parts. Ask me how I know....

Some strippers will cause hydrogen embrittlement. Be careful. The part might look good when you're done, but be worthless.

Dan

Thanks Dan. I just did some Googling. That cresylic acid seems environmentally un-friendly and might not be available in California. Berrymans Chem Dip might have had cresylic acid in it but I don't think it does anymore 'cause I tried it and it didn't do much for the carbon.

Anyway, I got my pistons pretty clean now but I'm concerned about their health. I used some aluminum mag wheel brightener on them. Its some sort of acid. It etches the surface but I was careful not to let it work too long before I pressure washed them real good. To the naked eye they look ok. What do you think? Did I cause "hydrogen embrittlement" or something else that makes them unserviceable?

Originally Posted by davidb

Thanks Dan. I just did some Googling. That cresylic acid seems environmentally un-friendly and might not be available in California. Berrymans Chem Dip might have had cresylic acid in it but I don't think it does anymore 'cause I tried it and it didn't do much for the carbon.

Anyway, I got my pistons pretty clean now but I'm concerned about their health. I used some aluminum mag wheel brightener on them. Its some sort of acid. It etches the surface but I was careful not to let it work too long before I pressure washed them real good. To the naked eye they look ok. What do you think? Did I cause "hydrogen embrittlement" or something else that makes them unserviceable?

Probably ok. You might Google "hydrogen embrittlement" and see what comes up. What was the acid in that stuff? Phosphoric acid? That's what we use on airplanes to prepare them for alodining, priming and painting.
Dan

Originally Posted by Dan Thomas

Probably ok. You might Google "hydrogen embrittlement" and see what comes up. What was the acid in that stuff? Phosphoric acid? That's what we use on airplanes to prepare them for alodining, priming and painting.
Dan

Yup, phosphoric acid as well as ammonium biflouride, butoxyethanol, and surfectants. It seemed to mostly remove the staining and discoloration without eating away a noticable amount of aluminum but the surface seems duller. I don't think the dimmentions have changed but if I weakened the aluminum on a molecular level, I certainly don't want to fly with them.

Speaking of cleaning stuff - the old Fairchild manuals (the military version) specifically forbids the use of soap-type detergents for cleaning aluminium and magnesium parts. These are porous enough to absorb and retain some of the detergent and it will forever be emulsifying your oil to a small degree. I imagine this is more a theoretical than a practical concern, but worth noting, I think.

I wonder if Piston Kleen would be good for Head Kleen, and crankcase Kleen?

It'd sure save a lot of work!

Originally Posted by PTAirco

Speaking of cleaning stuff - the old Fairchild manuals (the military version) specifically forbids the use of soap-type detergents for cleaning aluminium and magnesium parts. These are porous enough to absorb and retain some of the detergent and it will forever be emulsifying your oil to a small degree. I imagine this is more a theoretical than a practical concern, but worth noting, I think.

Yes, that is one of my concerns. I spent alot of time pressure washing and rinsing with water to help mitigate that issue but....

Originally Posted by challenger_II

I wonder if Piston Kleen would be good for Head Kleen, and crankcase Kleen?

It'd sure save a lot of work!

Yup, and hand Kleen too. There's no indication of what this stuff is on the bottle but I suspect it is just some sort of industrial strength water based detergent like Simple Green. It really does seem to work better at cleaning carbon and goo than any solvent I tried. I am concerned about the emulsifying issue so I won't use it on the crankcase as there are too many nooks and crannies to flush out.

I have an O-235C case, sump, and accessory case that are surlus to my needs, and are pretty grungy. I believe I may have to test this theory!

Originally Posted by davidb

Yup, and hand Kleen too. There's no indication of what this stuff is on the bottle but I suspect it is just some sort of industrial strength water based detergent like Simple Green. It really does seem to work better at cleaning carbon and goo than any solvent I tried. I am concerned about the emulsifying issue so I won't use it on the crankcase as there are too many nooks and crannies to flush out.

Originally Posted by challenger_II

I have an O-235C case, sump, and accessory case that are surlus to my needs, and are pretty grungy. I believe I may have to test this theory!

Mineral spirits or kerosene would probably work just fine for those parts because you are just trying to desolve the grungy oil and dirt.

Now if you are trying to remove "varnish" or carbon from the hot parts of the engine, I have no doubt you'll be surprized at how effective that Kleen product or something simular is but...

Maybe a chemist can shed some light here. There's a bunch of environmentally friendly emulsifiers out there. They seem more effective in that they don't have to desolve a particular substance like solvents do, but rather they encapsulate any grunge so that you can wash it away. The problem is if any is left after you put your engine back together, it will encapsulate the oil and render it ineffective at lubricating. Is there a way to ensure you've rinsed it all away or somehow neutralize it?

I've been doing this for quite a while. While mineral spirits, kerosene and Safety Kleen will, eventually, get the gunk off, ANYTHING that will make the job easier, quicker, and safer, is worth a look.

Originally Posted by davidb

Mineral spirits or kerosene would probably work just fine for those parts because you are just trying to desolve the grungy oil and dirt.

Now if you are trying to remove "varnish" or carbon from the hot parts of the engine, I have no doubt you'll be surprized at how effective that Kleen product or something simular is but...

Maybe a chemist can shed some light here. There's a bunch of environmentally friendly emulsifiers out there. They seem more effective in that they don't have to desolve a particular substance like solvents do, but rather they encapsulate any grunge so that you can wash it away. The problem is if any is left after you put your engine back together, it will encapsulate the oil and render it ineffective at lubricating. Is there a way to ensure you've rinsed it all away or somehow neutralize it?

Originally Posted by challenger_II

I've been doing this for quite a while. While mineral spirits, kerosene and Safety Kleen will, eventually, get the gunk off, ANYTHING that will make the job easier, quicker, and safer, is worth a look.

Well, I'm interested to see how Piston Kleen compares to Safety Kleen products, etc. Sounds like you have the background experience to make a good comparison.

You'll have to order direct from Orison Marketing (and pay shipping) as they don't seem to market it through retailers.