Practical Engine Building: Step 6: Engine Component Cleaning
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Step 6: Engine Component Cleaning
02.51
| 00:00 | - Easily one of the most critical steps of engine assembly is cleanliness. |
| 00:04 | With the tight tolerances between components in the engine, any dirt or debris remaining in the engine can quickly result in wear or damage, but fortunately this can be avoided relatively easily by following a strict and thorough cleaning regime prior to any assembly. |
| 00:21 | Engine cleaning really starts before the components leave the engine machinist and it would be typical for the machinist to perform what's known as a hot wash on components such as the engine block and cylinder head prior to packaging them and delivering them back to you. |
| 00:37 | The hot wash could be likened to a large dishwasher for engine components and its task is to flush out the debris remaining after the boring, honing, and other machining processes are complete. |
| 00:49 | The hot was process is useful to a point, however once of the key elements of ensuring a successful engine build, is to never take anything for granted, and never assume. |
| 01:00 | The hot wash process should do an adequate job of moving the bulk of the dirt, grime, and debris from the engine block and components, but beyond this you're still going to need to complete your own thorough cleaning process. |
| 01:13 | What you're going to need to properly clean the engine components is a supply of dry compressed air, a set of stiff bristle brushes of various sizes that can be used to chase out any galleries in the block, clean rags, hot water and detergent, a supply of brake clean, and finally an oiling can filled with clean mineral based engine oil. |
| 01:35 | As far as the stiff bristled brushes go, you can use normal bottle brushes, however several suppliers such as JEGS and Summit can sell well priced engine cleaning brush kits made specifically for the task, which includes all of the sizes you're likely to need. |
| 01:52 | The cleaning process is covered in detail in the practical engine building skills section of the course, so you can refer there to see exactly how to complete this step for each of the components you'll be fitting to the engine. |
| 02:05 | After the cleaning process it's important to make sure that any ferrous surfaces such as the cylinder bores, deck surface of the block, and the conrods are protected with a liberal coat of clean engine oil to prevent any corrosion. |
| 02:19 | Likewise it's important to keep the components protected from dirt and debris until it comes time for engine assembly. |
| 02:26 | At this point we've covered the key components but of course we may also have a range of other parts including oil pumps, the sump, front covers, sprockets, cam chains, rockers, valve springs, cams and more. |
| 02:41 | It should go without saying that each of these components needs to be treated to the same level of cleanliness prior to assembly. |
