Cleaning the motor?

[dads400ex]

We just got a used 400EX and I have been going over it and fixing the little things that are bothering me and doing maintenance on it and was wondering if anybody has a good method or product to use to clean the engine cases and cylinder? It looks like the old owner either had really hard water or did not rinse the motor off well enough and the mineral deposits or soap discolored the metal as it is a dingy gray with a lot of white residue on it. I have tried simple green but it will not cut it, so does anybody have any suggestions.

Thanks,
dads400ex

[Pvt. Maggot]

send them cases to me i'll do them up nice :devil

[Sparky416ex]

i was wondering the same thing!:)

[Pappy]

i use a product called gunk. its an engine cleaner and works very good. i also swear by simple green as an all purpose cleaner...works on everything on the quad:p

[Sparky416ex]

Originally posted by Pappy
i use a product called gunk. its an engine cleaner and works very good. i also swear by simple green as an all purpose cleaner...works on everything on the quad:p


yeah....papppy your the one that got me started on simple green....but i know what hes talkin about...it doesnt work for this stuff...i need some GUNK!

[Stevie-D]

kerosene and a stiff toothbrush work really well for me. if that dont work for it, try Castrol Superclean...i used that stuff at my job all summer and it started to eat my skin off my hands..so i think that should work well also.:p

[Sparky416ex]

i just went and picked up some gunk....i cant wait to get my 300 back im having the swingarm welded

[BadA$$440]

what ever you do, dont use oven cleaner, all it does is strip the paint and leaves a white residue

[Pappy]

i use wd-40 after im done cleaning and before riding to prevent dirt and mud from trying to stay attached. it will attract dust...but makes clean up after the ride much easier.

zracer uses armorall. seems to work just as well....i just figured wd-40 would help treat the metal as well as act as a moisture barrier.

i think maybe i will buy a quad and just ride it...let it stay dirty :devil

[Sparky416ex]

Originally posted by Pappy
i use wd-40 after im done cleaning and before riding to prevent dirt and mud from trying to stay attached. it will attract dust...but makes clean up after the ride much easier.

zracer uses armorall. seems to work just as well....i just figured wd-40 would help treat the metal as well as act as a moisture barrier.

i think maybe i will buy a quad and just ride it...let it stay dirty :devil


i heard pam (cooking oil) works great!...do you spray WD-40 on your motor?

[Pappy]

yeah i spray down everything mechanical with wd40 (not the seat..pegs...bars etc) i normally use honda polish but will be switching to pro polish with the new quad. (its supposed to be better)

now that i have alot of chrome and pc'd parts i will be more carefull about what chemicals i spray but i think they are safe

[AFTERMARKET]

DO NOT USE ENGINE DEGREASER!!!!!!!
That "white haze" That you can wipe off when it is wet but when the frame or engine dries it turns back to a white haze, Is from products like Gunk. I never use any thing like that. The best all around cleaner is the Spray honda cleaner "roadside detailer" In a black can found at any Honda dealers.
This is not my R But if you look close you can see the " white haze" On the frame. Thanks to Mike at sandbros.com
AFTERMARKET
http://www.sandbros.com/mikes_ride/esrfilter.jpg

["BLAHH"300!!]

WIRE BRUSH
mine was 1/2" wide, X 2" long.

i had my motor out, and was about to strip paint from the frame.

i sprayed a little stripper on the bottom of the motor, and used the brush on it....came right off..
i don't recomend using the stripper, the kind i used wassn't very potant...wouldn't even strip the spray paint from my frame.

i also used a little carb cleaner. (yeah i know)

i used these, becouse they were close by. wassn't panning on cleaning the motor, i just got carried away.
when i get the motor back, i'll hit it again with Gunk, or S-Green

deffinatly find you a wire brush. maybe some steel wool, or one of those green pads for washing dishes.

start somewhere out of site, so you can tell if it's scratching the motor before you go "all-out" with it.

[300EXrider02]

I use gunk and it works great, i also use armor all, and Brakekleen, takes off anything

[exriderdude]

omg, you should see my quad right now, it is spotless. i just cleaned it for three hours. power washed it, scrubbed with soap, then sprayed it down with super clean, then i used this stuff called Nice N' Easy- Clear Liquid Aluminum Cleaner, that stuff is amazing, you have no idea, it cleans everything perfect, took the stuff right off my engine, looks better than brand new, everything is nice and white and spotless.



i also spray down my quad with WD-40, i spray down the whole thing, keeps it alot cleaner and shinier.


im definitly taking pics tomarrow:devil