how do i clean this??, valve cover Options

[Malhar95]

since im rebuilding my engine...and waiting on the parts, i was thinking of painting my valve cover...but for that i have to clean it 1st.
I've tried a lot of engine degreaser, carborator cleaner and other fluids in my garage...
my question is, can i use water? like take it to a self car wash and presure wash it with water and soap?

this is what it is right now...



so can i use water to clean this up or what?
if nothing, can i just paint over it?
what paint should i use!

thank you!
also if you guys can help/suggest something on this forum


http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=74264

[NOVAKx17]

ha well i definately wouldn't paint over it... get a good rough scrub brush and go to town on it with engine degreaser,
you put enough elblow grease into it i'm sure it will come off.. . mine did (:


and don't quote me on this but since its off your car i'm like 99% sure you can pressure wash it with
no problems, i mean they sandblast them all the time. i would just make sure that you dry it very well
and then clean it with degreaser again to get it chemicly clean before you paint it

[rave2n]

I'm pretty sure, as long as its dry after pressure washing, it'll be just fine. No water in the engine obviouslly.

This post has been edited by rave2n: Jul 26, 2010 - 7:32 PM

[mgnt232]

WOW! what in the world does your engine bay look like!? lol but good your cleaning it up
I used soap and water and a couple SOS pads, and mine came clean.
I also was concerned about the water, so I taped and put a little bit of paper towel in the 4 plug holes. I wasnt sure if water would mess up the rubbery gaskets inside, so I would tape it off a little as a precaution.

And just scrub I dont think the car wash would help much just let it soak with degreaser, and scrub. Should come relatively clean But keep in mind it wont come 100% clean easily.

And as far as paint, go to the auto parts store. and get whats called "engine enamel" (spray can) comes in all colors, if it cant come clean (assuming you want an OEM look) I would paint it a silver or black looks very clean
Just make sure you tape off the "16 valve" thing if you paint, because it looks alot better than if you paint over it.
Best of luck

[SwissFerdi]

Let me ask you this: if you've already used a ton of chemicals on the valve cover, why would you be afraid of applying pure H2O? Grab a pressure washer and a good wire brush and work your elbow for a few hours.

[Smaay]

go to autozone and get a can of stuff called aircraft paint remover. its a very strong stripper. let it soak on the valve cover and then wash it of and use a brush. it will look brand spanking new. another option is take it to a shop and have it media blasted. they can use baking soda now and it will wash away.

[samir0189]

wire brush will clean it up nice. time consuming though...

[Spider77]

WOW! Forget wire brush, you need a wire wheel!

[njccmd2002]

wow found it, you owe me. after 30 mins

http://caswellplating.com/powder/s_stripper.html

those "separators" are called oil baffles, and yes, they do serve a purpose. some valve covers have rivited oil baffles while some have bolts. the ones with bolts are easy to remove, but the rivited ones can not be removed without retapping the holes and using bolts afterwords. IF YOU HAVE RIVITED OIL BAFFLES, DO NOT SAND BLAST OR USE ANY TYPE OF SOLID CLEANING/ABRASIVE MEDIA WHATSOEVER!!! if even one little glass bead or piece of sand remains in the oil baffles, it could mean the end of your expensive motor.

if yo uhave rivited oil baffles (like the dirty valve cover ^^^) be sure to use only chemicals. the link to the stripper i gave in my last post works flawlessly and effortless. it's a little pricey, but well worth it, you may also want a soft metal wire brush to aid in cleaning it.

[joehernandez]

man just get a degreser, some steel wool (the toughest one) and water, thats how i cleaned mine! look

[Malhar95]

wow thanks for the help guys!!
well what if im planning to paint the cover afterwords??

[JuMPiiN]

SOS Steel wool pads. I cleaned my entire engine bay with that and degreaser, I cleaned the valve cover, intake manifold, everything with steel wool pads. It took like 3 days but it was worth it.

[95CelicaST]

Drill + wire wheel

[Spider77]

Drill + wire wheel

Yeah, work smarter not harder!

[blu94gt]

I've always had good luck with using an "oven-cleaner" product. Spray it on, let it soak and foam up for half an hour to an hour, then rinse it off. Typically everything will just wash off, if it doesn't then just do it again. I did that on my valve cover before painting it and it came out looking brand new.

[RocketScott]

Drill + wire wheel

Yeah, work smarter not harder!

Smartest= blast cabinet

[95CelicaST]

Incorrect. Please reread the thread, with emphasis on njccmd2002's post.

[Spider77]

Wouldnt want media hanging around the baffles.

[youngboy815]

I also was concerned about the water, so I taped and put a little bit of paper towel in the 4 plug holes. I wasnt sure if water would mess up the rubbery gaskets inside, so I would tape it off a little as a precaution.

[RocketScott]

Incorrect. Please reread the thread, with emphasis on njccmd2002's post.

You'd only be blasting the outside. Mask off the rest. If you're really worried then get it soda blasted. It takes a little longer and is slightly more expensive but any soda left on the cover will rinse right off.

It's done all the time, just have to know what you are doing.