Parts washer/ultrasonic cleaner

[croat1]

What are you guys using to clean parts?  I hate cleaning parts as much as I hate polishing parts lol.  Solvent tanks suck.  The old soak, brush, scrub and repeat gets old.  I’m leaning towards an ultrasonic parts cleaner in either 22L or 30L capacity.  Any recommendations?  What cleaner for aluminum.  Cleaning tips?

I’m thinking one of these:

[Hawaiiysr]

I have that very ultrasonic cleaner. I bought the largest one Amazon offered. It was about $230. I waited for the price to drop and the seller offered a coupon.

It's works well enough. I have only used it for valve covers so far. I used dawn dish soap. The built in heater is nice but takes a while to get to temp. Just as you described with the solvent tank, soak scrub, repeat, yields the best results. I will add that my stuff was pretty caked with oil so I wasn't expecting parts to look new. Some elbow grease was still required. The longer you leave the parts in the more effective it is.

FYI LS heads do not fit in the 30L completely 😂

[All250R]

I have that cleaner too. I haven't used it though. I thought it would be good for getting into engine cases for a thorough clean.

[broken1]

I use a solvent pan with kerosene & numerous tooth brushes & pipe brushes to clean parts. It's the most labor intensive & pain in the ass way possible to clean parts. For some reason at 49 I still haven't learned & must enjoy punishing myself because I also polish all my aluminum parts & wheels by hand with mother's & painters towels. Fancy tools that do most of the work for you sure are nice though.

[The norm]

Ultra sonic cleaners are a fantastic tool. I have used them many times in the past. It all comes down to the detergent! There are specific detergents for ultrasonic cleaners. You should use caution when picking a detergent however. If you use the wrong detergent on aluminum you won’t have a part left lol. I use them for cleaning carburetors and I believe there is no better tool.
Loren

[All250R]

Ultra sonic cleaners are a fantastic tool. I have used them many times in the past. It all comes down to the detergent! There are specific detergents for ultrasonic cleaners. You should use caution when picking a detergent however. If you use the wrong detergent on aluminum you won’t have a part left lol. I use them for cleaning carburetors and I believe there is no better tool.
Loren

Do you have a recommendation Loren? Is Dawn dishsoap good?

[croat1]

I was told both of these work good.  I’ll have to do some testing.

[The norm]

I can’t remember the brand name of the detergent that we used when I was working at the power plant, but I can find out. We had a chart that specifically showed which detergent to use for different materials. You definitely have to be careful with aluminum! Our detergents were powdered not liquid. I have used simple green and Awesome. Awesome is  an alkaline and can damage aluminum if left in the cleaner too long. I have not used dawn dish soap.
Loren

[croat1]

I bought the Vevor 30L and the Gemoro concentrate.  Should be here any day.  I’ll starting cleaning parts soon.  I will be posting before and after pictures.

[zcarlson12]

I use my ultrasonic to clean air filters now. Bought this stuff and haven’t looked back. https://www.nashsolutions.com/

[croat1]

Perfect size.  Here’s a clutch cover….

[All250R]

I have an engine that I haver to prep for cerakote. I"m going to try standard dish soap. it shoudl be good enough to get the grease out, and not harsh enough to disassemble the aluminum... hopefully I'm correct.

[All250R]

I have an engine that I haver to prep for cerakote. I"m going to try standard dish soap. it shoudl be good enough to get the grease out, and not harsh enough to disassemble the aluminum... hopefully I'm correct.

ps, in case anyone is curious:
https://dawn-dish.com/en-us/how-to/what-dawn-is-made-of-ingredients/
  contains sodium hydroxide, which is reactive with aluminum, but good at breaking down organic material
https://www.thespruce.com/ph-levels-for-common-cleaning-supplies-1900473
  "Note that Dawn is more alkaline, cutting through grease with a pH of 8.7-9.3." - not too bad, but maybe if left for very extended periods, would eventually have a negative effect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH