I was wondering if any one has tried using diesel fuel as a way to clean auto parts. To remove gunk and grease. I have been and it does a great job. My father adds a little something in the fuel to help it along the way of cleaning.

I've used Biodiesel for this purpose, and it works very well. I'm told they also sell Biodiesel as a release agent for concrete forms, since it degrades naturally.

Kevin

Oven Cleaner will do a pretty nice job on thicker grease and oil and since it is a spray can, it is easy to use..wear rubber gloves and safety glasses....spray it on thick, anywhere on the engine and wait 30 minutes to an hour and just rinse it off...I use soapy water under pressure..some go to the car wash and rinse it off...I suppose that the soapy water dilutes it enough to be safe...Jim

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James A. Harris

Be sure to wear proper protective clothing, rubber gloves, goggles, etc. Contact with petroleum products is cancer causing.

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1984 300D Turbo Sedan (Hilda) 272,115 miles.....
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2001 Dodge Stratus (Silver) (wifes) 55814 miles...

1982 280TE Wagon Astral Silver Metallic/
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260,512 miles (Eva)

1969 230 Sedan Olive Green/Black MBTex
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84,213 miles ????
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Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit

I use it instead of gas, gas seems to leave the surface less friendly to lubrication. And I'll use it for washing grease off my hands. I know its bad, but they are already covered in equally toxic grease and I expect its better that using gasoline.

Jim, ever considered using " GoJo" for your hands ? Products like this also have lanolin to replace what you are washing off your hands... years ago I regularly had bleeding from places on my hand which were simply so dry they cracked open....and I was just using washing detergent...

No oven cleaner on aluminum parts, anodization will be damaged.

Put some gloves on those hands, else liver and kidney problems in your future.

Diesel is an inhalation, absorbtion, and fire hazard, and it stinks.

It is ok to use on a limited basis but not on an ongoing basis.

Just something else to buy and find a place for.

But, Christmas is comming (hint, hint)

Castrol Super Clean
comes in a purple bottle
all I know is...when you accidentally breathe the mist..it burns...
and it sure does wonders on a diesel engine with 250k+ miles

was soo pretty until the oil line failure

hehehe... I've used diesel as a clean'n agent for along time cause it don't dry stuff out like gas does. and it makes your hands smell soooo good.

purple power is the same stuff as the Castrol Super Clean at half the price .
you get it at wall fart wear gloves though
i use go jo or lava to clean my hands

Good to know...thank you

I haven't used the purple stuff since the last century but when I last read the label it had sodium hydroxide as an ingredient. Same basic chemistry as oven cleaner but not as severe. You should read the label to see if it warns against using it on aluminum. Sodium Hydroxide on live tissue of any kind is a big NO NO.

The best thing for cleaning parts is regular old solvent, but they don't sell it at Wall-Mart; it's more of an industrial supply type thing and I think it costs around $10/gallon. For engine cleaning, I've found that Gunk engine degreaser works best unless things are really messy. I actually just used some yesterday on my Grandpa's Lumina (it's going to need some gaskets and a coolant flush), which was dirty but not terrible, and it took it right down. I think the Gunk degreaser is about $1.50 at Wally world, so it's not too pricey (their store brand "Super-Tech" stuff at something like 80 cents, by the way, is next to worthless in my experience). Basically, while gas and diesel can be used as a solvent, it's not a good idea in general. We all know that gas and diesel are fire hazards, with diesel being less of one, but breathing the fumes of either for extended periods is not recommended either. Of course you want to limit skin contact with any and all petrolium distilates. So, I guess anything you use will probably kill you in the end. My dad keeps telling me should just give it up and be a gerdener, just dirt and water there. Ummm... that's ok.

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Once and future king:
'64 Ford Fairlane w/approx 238,000 - looks rough, but amazingly reliable if you know how to look after it; I will soon begin work to totally restore and modernize it.
Family vehicles that I lay some claim to:
'78 300D w/approx 350,000 original, '62 Ford F100 4x4, '90 Ford E150 w/171,000 original

I was playing around with my compressor and gave a greesy spot a blast, it cleaned it right off. Not an ounce of elbow greese was consumed. Now I use that as my first layer of cleaning. It's especially good in nooks and cranneys.