Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

The title may sound a bit weird - basically what I'm trying to learn is whether it's safe to use WD-40 in the heads/cylinders as a medium for breaking off and suspending stuck on funk in the cylinder heads so I can then suck it out with a vac. Whether it's very effective is not so much the question - just trying to figure out whether WD-40 will cause (has already caused) some kind of terrible harm to the surfaces, etc.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

NO NO NO dont ever suck anything that is combustible with a shop vac....theres a reason WD 40 makes GREAT propellent for potato guns...

I cant say ive ever seen WD-40 do any harm besides make it sticky after it dries out a bit.

DO you mean your trying to clean carbon off the cylinders and heads without removing a head? If the engine runs introduce a bit of water or better yet seafoam from the carb (spray it or hook it to the vacuum port on the intake and let it run. Let it bog and die, wait 5-10 minutes then start it up and give it the beans.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

WD-40 will hurt nothing if that's what you want to try and , i don't think you will need to suck it out of the cyl. it will eventually end up in the oil pan or out the exhaust

Good Luck
Terry/Tinkirk

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

Try MMO (Marvel's Mystery Oil) in the gas. Or ATF (Auto Trans Fluid) Cleans carbon and what not from the cylinders. Burn it out, don't use a Vac to clean out a engine.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

PB blaster is better

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

Whatever you do, do not sit there and rev the hell out of the motor to do so. Keep the rpm's to a safe level or you'll have bigger problems then you started with.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

I would be careful using WD-40 on rings / pistons... from what I have seen the WD40 turns to glue when heated.

I had a bread maker that I used WD40 on the sleeve bearing thinking WD would lubricate the sleeve bearing.

When bread maker got up to temperature (350 to 400 F) or so the WD turned to "glue" the sleeve bearing seized up solid and melted the micro V drive belt. Nobody makes the Micro V belts in that size any more.

I wonder what the glue would do to the rings ??

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

I have heard that WD40 leaves a silicon residue that can reduce bearing (and cylinder) life. I was also warned by the guy who installed my power garage door not to lube it with WD40 as it could void the warranty. Remember it was designed as a Water Dispersant not a lubricant.

FWIW I add a little 2-cycle oil to my gas. Don't have a clue if is beneficial - just seems a good thing to do.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

Ha, sorry for the confusion. "Clean out heads without removal" - No no no no no. Definitely not trying to take a short cut like that. No.

Someone did work on the heads and the cylinders, and I learned that they were using WD40 as a way to "rinse out" the cruddy carbony stuff and then suck out the mixture out with a shop vac. Before I lost my cool, I wanted to check and see whether there was any harm done (other than the stickiness that has been noted, and that seems apparent).

I couldn't think of any reason why WD40 alone would do any harm to a combustion chamber, but I'd never heard of it being used like that before.

Any recs on what will clean the WD40 off the heads/cylinders while I've got everything opened up?

I'm at least glad I came here to ask (and sorry for that confusion).

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

ahh ok. Yea it wont cause any damage - they probably did it to prevent rusting (does do that) ANy degreaser or even dawn dish soap should get rid of most of it. Dont spray and soak but spray some on a rag/paper towel to clean the cyl and wipe.

Acetone or paint thinner will remove it quicker but best to wear gloves (very easily absorbed into the skin) and have the garage door open for ventelation. I always wipe all gasket surfaces with acetone before spraying the gasket with copper coat and assembling - copper-coat stuff loves a clean surface to stick to.

after the acetone in the cyl it cant hurt to coat the cyl walls with engine oil. Acetone REALLY cleans/drys things out.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

WD-40 caused no harm and helped prevent rust as SeaSlugs said.

When I hone cylinders I washer the walls with gas then I coat them with engine oil, wait a few hours, then wipe them down with white paper towels. The oil will lift out a lot of grit, so I keep repeating this oil and wipe part until the paper towels come out clean with clean motor oil only.

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

Yea thats the way I was taught to hone too but we used parts washer fluid (probably kerosene) instead of gas. Still coated with oil and wiped till you could eat off it.:p

Re: Use WD40 to suspend crud in cylinders for removal
 

We use Kerosene to wash the walls too.
To remove carbon from a head without removing it, I use plain old water.. If a carbon deposit has any moisture in it and the motor is stated, the tiny droplets of water vaporise in an instant - basically explode, thus blasting the carbon apart which is then blown out the exhaust.
With a spray bottle and motor at a fast idle, spray water in front of the carby intake till the motor falters. Repeat but this time, spray enough to stop the motor. Turn it off and leave it overnight to give the water time to penetrate the carbon deposit. When you start the motor, if there is lots of carbon, don't have anything behind the exhaust pipe or it will be end up black.:D