Underbody Cleaning/Degrease

[geocook717]

Good morning folks,

What are some cleaning/degreaser/spray bottle or otherwise options for cleaning the undercarriage. I'm mostly concerned with the grease, oil, gunk that builds up down below due to leaking valve cover gaskets. That is another job which I plan to attend to before winter.

Is powerwashing an option? I plan to at least power wash the skid plate at the local car wash, and will probably use their "degreaser" on that as well.

My thought would be to get some sort of spray bottle or something similar to get under there in the small crevices and also to attack the heavier gunk. Then possibly powerwash it after the fact and get any remaining junk out.

 

[thegipper]

You could use something like simple green and spray everything down. Let is soak for a good 10 minutes than pressure wash it off. Just be careful by any electrical connectors but it should be fine.

 

[TheDurk]

Good morning folks,

What are some cleaning/degreaser/spray bottle or otherwise options for cleaning the undercarriage. I'm mostly concerned with the grease, oil, gunk that builds up down below due to leaking valve cover gaskets. That is another job which I plan to attend to before winter.

Is powerwashing an option? I plan to at least power wash the skid plate at the local car wash, and will probably use their "degreaser" on that as well.

My thought would be to get some sort of spray bottle or something similar to get under there in the small crevices and also to attack the heavier gunk. Then possibly powerwash it after the fact and get any remaining junk out.

I made a discovery last year when I did my frame swap. I was POR-15ing all the removable underbody parts, including frame, diffs, gas tank, skids, control arms, etc. Prepping the engine skid was a special issue. It had 17 years of gunk built up that just laughed at my gasoline pressure washer and regular degreaser. I then hit it with the special degreaser that comes with the POR-15. That stuff is major-league. It completely dissolved all that crud just following the instructions, but finishing up with the pressure washer. Great stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-40104-Cleaner-Degreaser-quart/dp/B00O4U3RD4

Disclaimer. I have no commercial interest in POR-15. I'm just a fan.

 

[Scramble]

You're in PA, I would leave all of that grease & oil on there for the winter. It will protect the metal from salt & prevent rust. Wait till the spring to clean it off & then do some type of rust prevention.

 

[geocook717]

I made a discovery last year when I did my frame swap. I was POR-15ing all the removable underbody parts, including frame, diffs, gas tank, skids, control arms, etc. Prepping the engine skid was a special issue. It had 17 years of gunk built up that just laughed at my gasoline pressure washer and regular degreaser. I then hit it with the special degreaser that comes with the POR-15. That stuff is major-league. It completely dissolved all that crud just following the instructions, but finishing up with the pressure washer. Great stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-40104-Cleaner-Degreaser-quart/dp/B00O4U3RD4

Disclaimer. I have no commercial interest in POR-15. I'm just a fan.

That stuff sounds legit. I will definitely be looking into that stuff.

You're in PA, I would leave all of that grease & oil on there for the winter. It will protect the metal from salt & prevent rust. Wait till the spring to clean it off & then do some type of rust prevention.

Very good point, that'll give me the time to get everything together come spring.

 

[Scramble]

That stuff sounds legit. I will definitely be looking into that stuff.




Very good point, that'll give me the time to get everything together come spring.

POR15 is great stuff & so are Eastwood products. Eastwood has rust converters, encapsulators, epoxy primers & top coats. Spend the winter researching what best fits your undercarriage & start accumulating products. Powerwash the inside of the frame rails & use an internal frame coating.

Eastwood - Auto Body Repair Tools | MIG Welder | TIG Welder | Plasma Cutter | Auto Body Supplies & Accessories

 

[kolelt]

Leave the grease. It is best anti rust ever. Where ever there is grease. No rust ! Lol

 

[ToyotaBrah]

You're in PA, I would leave all of that grease & oil on there for the winter. It will protect the metal from salt & prevent rust. Wait till the spring to clean it off & then do some type of rust prevention.

Cosigned. Since I bought my truck, it has had a very slow valve cover gasket leak and has coated my steering rack, and other components on the front end in a layer of engine oil. Hasn't bothered me and provides to a certain degree a barrier against salt. For the rest of the underbody, I spray every fall Fluid Film. Very effective and I believe no harmful chemicals. It's lanolin based. Avoid spraying on rubber parts, though. Be sure to use a tarp or something to catch the overspray, otherwise your garage floor will turn into an ice rink.

 

[kolelt]

POR15 is great stuff & so are Eastwood products. Eastwood has rust converters, encapsulators, epoxy primers & top coats. Spend the winter researching what best fits your undercarriage & start accumulating products. Powerwash the inside of the frame rails & use an internal frame coating.

Eastwood - Auto Body Repair Tools | MIG Welder | TIG Welder | Plasma Cutter | Auto Body Supplies & Accessories

Yup. I agree with this. Personally I like EASTWOOD because they sell everything. Ofcourse the best way to fight rust is to completely remove it and paint over it.

 

[Mark_BC]

I'm in the process of spraying Eastwood internal frame coating (paint) in recessed areas like inside the frame and rockers, and it seems good. But man it will add up $$. That stuff isn't cheap and a spray can doesn't go very far. This could easily cost multiple hundreds of $$, an investment I guess. It probably already has with all the paint I have bought, most of it I haven't used yet. Also I spray Ospho rust converter on any residual rusty areas overnight before washing off the next day, drying off, then painting.

I also sand blasted inside my frame. Someone said not to because it will accumulate but I didn't like the rust flakes the Eastwood paint went over in there so I blasted them off. There was a lot of sand accumulated but some effort with a garden hose and compressor blow down nozzle cleared it out, ready for some more Eastwood coating to touch up the areas that got blasted. I also enlarged the holes underneath and on the sides of the frame so my pinky can go in and feel around, and drilled one more near the rear control arm mount.

I'll paint all the exposed areas I can and any moving things will get Rust Cure 3000 (oily spray) which seems to be a bit better than Fluid Film but might not be available in the US. The problem is I sprayed some of it inside my frame at the back by the bumpers. Before I coat that area with Eastwood I'll have to remove it so I'll try that POR15 degreaser, it is cheaper up here in Canadian Tire than in the US on Amazon. Usually Can Tire is pretty expensive.

 

[kolelt]

Eastwoods heavy duty costing us really nice. I went to town with 6 cans on my frame. It's like fluid film, but thinner and much more stickier.

 

[geocook717]

Cosigned. Since I bought my truck, it has had a very slow valve cover gasket leak and has coated my steering rack, and other components on the front end in a layer of engine oil. Hasn't bothered me and provides to a certain degree a barrier against salt. For the rest of the underbody, I spray every fall Fluid Film. Very effective and I believe no harmful chemicals. It's lanolin based. Avoid spraying on rubber parts, though. Be sure to use a tarp or something to catch the overspray, otherwise your garage floor will turn into an ice rink.

Are you referring to this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanolin

That's pretty cool, all natural, and as you mentioned no chemicals. Of course in my situation chemicals may be what I need, but nonetheless I can appreciate all natural stuff. It even mentions that is protects from climate and environment on the animals.

 

[BamaDrewski]

The BEST DAMN CLEANER AND DEGREASER I have ever used is SuperClean. it is in a purple jug and sold in WalMart's automotive section. Not that I care, but it is "biodegradeable" and it works like a champ. I use it on everything. The dilution rations are right on the bottle. It even takes out dried latex paint on clothes it you spray it on before you throw them in the washer. Incredible stuff! Try a bottle and you will see.....

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Are you referring to this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanolin

That's pretty cool, all natural, and as you mentioned no chemicals. Of course in my situation chemicals may be what I need, but nonetheless I can appreciate all natural stuff. It even mentions that is protects from climate and environment on the animals.

Yes! I love it. Very gentle on the environment as you said.

 

[sleepydad]

[MENTION=170362]geocook717[/MENTION] I have been using dawn dish soap. Works great and smells good. It drives me nuts when I have to work on something and it's coated with old oil, grease.