Be careful what you spray engine degreaser on

[wavinwayne]

In the process of doing the timing belt job on the GTI, I had to remove the accessory belt tensioner. I noticed that the bearing in the roller is shot. You can hear the balls inside the sealed catridge bearing rattling around. Not good.

I noticed a clicking sound coming from the engine in the tensioner area last summer, but couldn't isolate it. I believe the shot bearing is what I was hearing. In the spring of the same year, I had cleaned the engine with Purple Power degreaser. I'm sure quite a bit of the degreaser got on the tensioner, and I think enough got to the bearing, that it seeped in & slowly diluted the grease in the bearing, eventually depleting most of the grease.

Before I put 2 & 2 together, I also had a similar problem with the bearings in two bicycle freewheels. I had cleaned the gear cassette with degreaser & the degreaser got into the freewheel & killed those bearings.

Although I can't prove this is what killed my VW's tensioner roller, I believe this is what happened. So, be careful if you use degrease when you clean your engines. Cover any parts that have bearings, or you just might have the same problem I did.

 

[Auto-Union]

Definately something to think about.

 

[Colt45ws]

Good tip. I only degrease when I am trying to locate a leak and I try to keep the over spray down.

 

[cousincletus]

I've used Gunk foam degreaser w/o any problems. I don't think it is as strong as Purple Power, though.

 

[JAG]

I agree with this caution 100%. When I was young I stupidly took the grease out of my bicycle's bearings cups. After a while, the bearings got noisy and inspection showed the bearing races were gouged big time and ruined. It showed how important grease is in ball bearings, regardless of whether it's on a bike or a car's tensioner.

 

[Steve S]

How much pressure did you use to wash/ rinse off the cleaner?

 

[PT1]

I only use the spray car wash degreaser which is simple green. but don't get too close to the accy drive system and only hit the engine with a quick light mist. I do each car once a year so they don't get too dirty so heavy degreasing is not necessary.

 

[rpn453]

I never use degreaser or pressure washing under the hood. I'd rather have a dirty engine bay than potentially having chemicals or water where they shouldn't be.

 

[wavinwayne]

Quote:

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How much pressure did you use to wash/ rinse off the cleaner?

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Household garden hose.

 

[Lonnie]

Soapy water, a brush, rags and Pledge do a good job with much less risk of screwing things up. After the soapy water, Pledge and a brush can get stuff out of the smallest of places and when you're done you don't have that phony details look. It all looks like it's always looked new. Oh, and replacing that idler pulley with every timing belt change is a good idea.

 

[wavinwayne]

Lonnie,
The idler puller in question is on the accessory belt tensioner, not the timing belt system. I am also replacing the TB idler pulley, though.
I also bought a new accessory belt tensioner, that I'll be installing. I'm hoping to work on the car some more this evening.

 

[Lonnie]

Sounds like you're going to make the next owner of your car a happy man/woman.

 

[JustinH]

For cleaning under the hood, i bought a 50 dollar electric steamer.

Works fine, just hot steam, no chemicals.

The brand is stanley steamer I believe.

I use it inside the car on rugs, seats, and the like.

 

[Merkava_4]

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I never use degreaser or pressure washing under the hood. I'd rather have a dirty engine bay than potentially having chemicals or water where they shouldn't be.

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Oh man. . . . I couldn't disagree more.

I have got to have my engine clean. Here's a shot of my little Buick's 3800.

 

[Colt45ws]

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I never use degreaser or pressure washing under the hood. I'd rather have a dirty engine bay than potentially having chemicals or water where they shouldn't be.

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Indeed. I dont see any advantage to keeping a engine clean.

 

[Merkava_4]

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Indeed. I dont see any advantage to keeping a engine clean.

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Clean engines run cooler - Clean engines are easier to work on.

 

[Colt45ws]

Im sure.

 

[Shaman]

To quote Frank. A clean engine is a happy engine.

 

[rpn453]

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A clean engine is a happy engine.

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When I was an avid cyclist, that's what many said about their bicycles too. I rarely washed my bike, and when it did it was a careful hand wash. I had already learned that constantly spraying water at my bike causes cable drag. My cables would work smoothly for years, while the guys with clean bikes would always have a lot of cable friction and were frequently changing their cables.

A cleaner engine may be easier to work on, but I'd rather work on a dirty engine than carefully hand wash it first. I clean the parts I'm working on, and that's it.

 

[Matt89]

Quote:

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Quote:

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I never use degreaser or pressure washing under the hood. I'd rather have a dirty engine bay than potentially having chemicals or water where they shouldn't be.

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Oh man. . . . I couldn't disagree more.

I have got to have my engine clean. Here's a shot of my little Buick's 3800.

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That brake fluid looks pretty dirty to me!

Just pulling your leg