Hi all,

What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this purpose? I
need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals from a
'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit there for about 7 years
and its oil has degraded, gumming up the works. And I need to rely solely
on solvent action as scrubbing the internals would require a strip-down
which I wish to avoid if at all poss.

cheers.

On Sunday, 21 June 2015 22:50:50 UTC+1, Cursitor Doom wrote:
Hi all,

What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this purpose? I
need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals from a
'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit there for about 7 years
and its oil has degraded, gumming up the works. And I need to rely solely
on solvent action as scrubbing the internals would require a strip-down
which I wish to avoid if at all poss.

Paraffin works well as a degreaser. Caustic soda is extremely powerful. There are also washing soda & washing powder. I dont know which you can and would need to use in this case though.


NT

On 22/06/15 04:19, wrote:
On Sunday, 21 June 2015 22:50:50 UTC+1, Cursitor Doom wrote:
Hi all,

What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this purpose? I
need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals from a
'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit there for about 7 years
and its oil has degraded, gumming up the works. And I need to rely solely
on solvent action as scrubbing the internals would require a strip-down
which I wish to avoid if at all poss.

Paraffin works well as a degreaser. Caustic soda is extremely powerful. There are also washing soda & washing powder. I dont know which you can and would need to use in this case though.


NT


I've put a few litres of diesel (similar to paraffin) into a gearbox and
given it a drive round the block to flush out the crap.

Mate did the same with a Landrover gearbox prior to disassembly and when
taken apart it was bright clean and nearly dry (only the slightest oil
coating).

I doubt if it will remove the gum the OP was asking about though.

On 22/06/2015 04:19, wrote:
On Sunday, 21 June 2015 22:50:50 UTC+1, Cursitor Doom wrote:
Hi all,

What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this
purpose? I need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox
internals from a 'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit
there for about 7 years and its oil has degraded, gumming up the
works. And I need to rely solely on solvent action as scrubbing the
internals would require a strip-down which I wish to avoid if at
all poss.

Paraffin works well as a degreaser. Caustic soda is extremely
powerful. There are also washing soda & washing powder. I dont know
which you can and would need to use in this case though.


NT


Caustic and other alkalis won't touch synthetic varnishes, which I
imagine this would be

On Mon, 22 Jun 2015 07:44:17 +0100, Tim Watts wrote:

I doubt if it will remove the gum the OP was asking about though.

I Have Been Told that the best "solvent" for gummed oil is biodiesel, the more
bio the better.

This was to remove the gum from letting "bio" chainsaw bar oil sit in the bar
for over a year. The "bio" makes it biodegradeable, which is a good thing when a
forestry worked spreads a quarts of oil a day in the woods, but causes it to gum
the channels and holes when the saw is unused for long times. And the biodiesel
does cause some rubber seals to dissolve...


Thomas Prufer

On Sunday, 21 June 2015 22:50:50 UTC+1, Cursitor Doom wrote:
What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this purpose? I
need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals

Paint stripper?

Not sure what solvent you'd then use to remove the paint stripper.

Owain

Cursitor Doom wrote:
Hi all,

What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this purpose? I
need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals from a
'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit there for about 7 years
and its oil has degraded, gumming up the works. And I need to rely solely
on solvent action as scrubbing the internals would require a strip-down
which I wish to avoid if at all poss.

cheers.


Carb cleaner might do it. It's probably something like
trichloromethane. It did a similar job on my throttle body a few months
ago.

On 22/06/2015 07:44, Tim Watts wrote:
On 22/06/15 04:19, wrote:
On Sunday, 21 June 2015 22:50:50 UTC+1, Cursitor Doom wrote:
Hi all,

What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this
purpose? I
need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals from a
'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit there for about 7
years
and its oil has degraded, gumming up the works. And I need to rely
solely
on solvent action as scrubbing the internals would require a strip-down
which I wish to avoid if at all poss.

Paraffin works well as a degreaser. Caustic soda is extremely
powerful. There are also washing soda & washing powder. I dont know
which you can and would need to use in this case though.


NT


I've put a few litres of diesel (similar to paraffin) into a gearbox and
given it a drive round the block to flush out the crap.

Mate did the same with a Landrover gearbox prior to disassembly and when
taken apart it was bright clean and nearly dry (only the slightest oil
coating).

I doubt if it will remove the gum the OP was asking about though.

+1, the gums and lacquers from degraded oil are difficult to dissolve in
the traditional sense, but diesel should penetrate and soften them, and
the mechanical action of operating the selector forks and synchro cones
should do the rest. I certainly wouldn't use caustic soda in a modern
box because it will corrode the aluminium casting.

In article ,
Cursitor Doom wrote:
What is currently the best degreaser out there to use for this purpose?
I need to get rid of the varnish-like coating on gearbox internals from
a 'box that's been laid up and done nothing but sit there for about 7
years and its oil has degraded, gumming up the works. And I need to rely
solely on solvent action as scrubbing the internals would require a
strip-down which I wish to avoid if at all poss.

Cellulose thinners are pretty good for this. You'll need to find a decent
car paint supplier. Get the gun cleaning variety - cheaper than that used
for paint thinning. Guide price about 12 quid for 5 litres.

But I'm not sure anything will totally shift this sort of thing without
brushing etc.

--
*I yell because I care

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.