Alternatively a 'parrafin' gun on a compressor will get it clean quick (lie pressurwashing with solvent!) but very messy and make sure you wear goggles!
David
My Pinto is stripped and ready for cleaning and painting before rebuilding with new bearings and cam kit.
Last engine I rebuilt was a Crossflow out of a MK1 Fiesta which I soaked in 'Gunk' and left in a parafin bath over night.
It came up a treat, but I now read that it isn't good to get parafin in the oil and waterways, so won't be doing this again.
Does anyone have any tried and tested ways of removing the copious amounts of oil, gunge, carbon, etc. without damaging the engine.
Parafin will be ak as long as you get it all out after I parafined mine washed it all through then dried it in the oven and my mum loved it.
If the block is totally bare, yank all the core plugs out as well. Then pressure wash it after covering it in some cleaner like Gunk to lift the worst
of the muck off. Messy job...
Alternatively a 'parrafin' gun on a compressor will get it clean quick (lie pressurwashing with solvent!) but very messy and make sure you
wear goggles!
David
I stripepd mine down and soaked it in diesel then steam cleaned it. Perfect.
Parafin is ok as long as you wash it out after and let it dry.
I put some of my stuff through the dishwasher,non oily things, they came up a treat. So did the lump on my head when you know who came back.
Funny they have this instinct when you have been up to no good. 
[Edited on 17/3/06 by stevec]
quote:
Originally posted by John.Taylor
It came up a treat, but I now read that it isn't good to get parafin in the oil and waterways, so won't be doing this again.
Knock out all (every single one including oil ways) core plugs.
Get some long thin bottle brushes and get busy with Gunk, petrol, parrafin etc.
When you think it is clean down every oil way get a pressure washer on it and really blast it out. Then get an airline and blast out all the air and
get some spray oil in all the oilways and on the machined surfaces.
Then get some clean white cloth and a piece of wire (welding rod) and push it down each oil way. If it does not come out comletly clean repeat all of
the above until it does.
It would take me about 5 hours to clean a block satisfactorily this way.
It really is important to get the oilways really clean as there is no point in ruining the new bearings.
John
In preparation for the bottle brushes, is there any halm in soaking the head and block in parafin overnight?
Now where has that thread about the Lidl air compressor 
my method is similar to JB's although i also use a shutz gun full of clean degeaser to blast out oil ways then brake cleaner to remove degreaser.
brake cleaner is about 8quid from unipart.
Paul
Soaking the block and head overnight is certainly a good idea.
I also like the degreaser in Shuzt gun idea, thankyou.
John
Few cans of carb cleaner, a brush and some oven cleaner. Then parrafin, then water, then paint.