There’s noting I dislike more than having to deal with a filthy oily and dirty engine case when I’m disassembling it.
Of course, it is kind of unavoidable for an engine that has been in a car for decades, and even worse for those I’ve bought that were used in sand rails and such.
After sopping up the remaining oil inside the sump areas, I took the case to the car wash for hot water power washing.
Now my first cleaning is usually to get as much of the exterior gunk off, and Murbella’s engine really had a lot on it due to the oil leaks up top at the filler as well as below.
For $4 there’s little I can do at home that allows for the extreme hot water that I can get at the car wash. My power washer can beat it for PSI, but it hooks up to the exterior hose cold line so it is just not the same.
Sure, it is pretty messy with water and dirt splash back, but it is essential as a first pass.
I tried to get hot soapy water down into the oil galleries and the saddle oil feeds.
Once home, I used the air compressor to blow out all of the passages and to quickly dry as much water that remained on the surface.