50's vintage wringer washer. Gear box/transmission is filled with "oil" (according to the factory tag hanging on the go lever).

27 years of sitting idle in the shore house has magically transformed the oil into goo far more viscous than black strap molasses in January.

Tried cleaning it out with what I had on hand.... gasoline. Got through some of it and seriously terrified Darling Wife ("I could smell it from the street!!!!!!") thanks in no small part to her well founded fear of all things flammable (row house with spark throwing fuse box, multiple houses in her childhood neighborhood going down in flames, etc.).

So... two questions for all y'all:

1) gasoline, outside, while smelly and not overly effective for what I was doing..... not entirely foolhardy and End Of The World Dangerous, right?

2) what suggestions have y'all got for effective/non-atomic-fireball inducing chemicals for cleaning out the remaining decades old sludge?

__________________
1961 220b: first project car - sold.
2000 CLK 430: first modern Benz - sold.
2001 CLK 55: OMG the torque!!! - sold
1972 280SE 4.5: Baby Gustav
1991 300TE 4Matic: Gretel the Snow Bunny - sold
1978 300SD: Katz the Free Man - given away
1980 Redhead: Darling Wife

A can of Brake-Clean. Put some news paper under it and spray away. The paper will absorb the dissolved gear oil and the Brake-Clean will dissipate quickly. Do it outside.

I used lacquer thinner to clean the goo out of the gas tanks on my moped. Finished up with white vinegar.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Are there any non-metal components in this gearbox that might object to any non-petroleum solvents?

Haven't seen any evidence of non-metal components in the gearbox. There are seals in the cover (where the shaft for the wringer and the agitator drive exit).

__________________
1961 220b: first project car - sold.
2000 CLK 430: first modern Benz - sold.
2001 CLK 55: OMG the torque!!! - sold
1972 280SE 4.5: Baby Gustav
1991 300TE 4Matic: Gretel the Snow Bunny - sold
1978 300SD: Katz the Free Man - given away
1980 Redhead: Darling Wife

I would try to manually scrape out as much as possible, then, if you can remove or isolate those seals, whack it with carb cleaner.

Carb cleaner / brake cleaner and lacquer thinner are way to thin to do the job as they will evaporate quickly.

Mineral spirits (oil base paint thinner / parts washing / stoddard solvent ) works fine however you will have to let it soak a while.

Check for brass / bronze parts in the trans, if it has any, do not use EP lube ( extreme pressure ) as the additives will attack the brass / bronze.

Take whatever you can and boil it in hot water. The oil/grease will slowly flow off.

I was amazed when I saw Army cooks using boiling water in 55 gallon drums to clean greay pots. Made perfect sense from an engineering point of view, after I thought about it.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

If you have a small steamer like the Shark it doesn't take long and is not messy

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__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6