Cleaning oil spills in the engine bay?

[proveitwithdata]

I see mechanics use brake clean with caution in the wind in engine bays.

Leaky valve cover gasket, spilling oil on the engine bay or spark plug tubes...brake kleen
Spilled some transmission fluid or brake fluid in the engine bay....brake kleen
Self lubricating chassis system....brake kleen
Spilled some power steering fluid on the Rubber hoses or belts....brake kleen

Is this part of the job safe or just send it mentality?

 

[ctechbob]

What wouldn't be safe about it?

I'm not one for douching an entire can in there, but I have certainly used it to clean up a mess I've caused.

The only thing I watch out for is when spraying the flammable type. I make sure things are blown off and the fumes are blown out of the garage before closing the hood/starting the vehicle.

 

[The Critic]

or just send it mentality?

This. It is hard on plastics and the run-off stains some painted and plastic surfaces.

Degreaser, hose and proper disposal is the "correct" method, but most people don't want to take the time to do it.

 

[Lubener]

I have used starting fluid as a degreaser and it dries very quickly.

 

[kebabaluba]

Brake kleen are a fast way of cleaning tiny oil mess, but if your engine are covered with oil stains/spillage you would need to use degreaser and water. I`ve been a mechanic for 15 years, so i know a bit about that. Brake kleen are generally safe, just don`t use it on hot exhaust and åpen connectors as i have experienced that brake kleen will swallow connector seals making connector hard to connect back.

 

[Astro14]

I see them “blast” with brake clean and wonder - where does the spilled oil and brake clean go? Not Very far, I reckon, it’s all still under the hood, but just dispersed a bit. So, what good did spraying it do?

You have to spray it towards a rag, or wipe the wetted area with a rag, before it all dries up. Then, you’re actually removing the spill.

And yeah, be careful of plastics, and wiring.

 

[D60]

I hose stuff with it. It's way better than leaving an oily mess. Worst case it "cuts" or dilutes the offending lubricant so it disperses/breaks down more readily.

Chlorinated will haze some plastics. I only use chlorinated to kill wasps. Yes, yes, Agent Orange, be afraid, the world is scary blah blah

What's wrong with non-chlor in an engine bay? If it's safe on brake hoses, ABS senders and piston dust boots, why is it uber bad in an engine bay?

Most non-chlor is basically paint thinner, and it'll jack up rattle can paint. A higher quality automotive finish should fare better but I try not to hit painted areas that matter, esp fenders etc.

I think "send it" is to do nothing about oily messes. I'd say attempting to minimize and mitigate it is what a decent mechanic would do. But clearly I'm a hack.......

 

[Astro14]

“Send it” prevents the customer from looking under the hood and seeing evidence of spills and other sloppiness. The oil is still there, but the evidence of mistakes is gone.

I only use the non-chlorinated, by the way, so perhaps I’m overly cautious about what it hits. Heptane and alcohol aren’t that reactive.

 

[D60]

Also with a bit of Google-fu it's surprisingly easy to pull up the MSDS for any brake cleaner. Different companies do use varying formulations.

You could always buy the 50-state stuff which is completely worthless and does nothing......

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

I had to recently clean the plastic intake manifolds on the Pentastar V6 (oil filter housing replacement). I used throttle body cleaner to do it, because that made sense.

 

[D60]

“Send it” prevents the customer from looking under the hood and seeing evidence of spills and other sloppiness. The oil is still there, but the evidence of mistakes is gone.

I only use the non-chlorinated, by the way, so perhaps I’m overly cautious about what it hits. Heptane and alcohol aren’t that reactive.

So it creates invisible oil?

If you're servicing or opening up a system that contains oil, oil loss is not a mistake or sloppiness.

I guess we can agree to disagree, you're not making any sense here to me. I guess others understand so I'm just challenged.

 

[burbguy82]

I would say "send it" since it is rare that anyone gives a crap about what they are doing these days. Clean up the visible mess, send it down the road. i really do not see the point of using brake kleen on anything you might spill in the engine bay, other than brake fluid mess.

Of course, if the idiot spilled a quart of oil on the engine, or something like that, then I could see that to help stop the burning smell of smoke.

 

[Donald]

I see mechanics use brake clean with caution in the wind in engine bays.

Leaky valve cover gasket, spilling oil on the engine bay or spark plug tubes...brake kleen
Spilled some transmission fluid or brake fluid in the engine bay....brake kleen
Self lubricating chassis system....brake kleen
Spilled some power steering fluid on the Rubber hoses or belts....brake kleen

Is this part of the job safe or just send it mentality?

I think it's the closest spray can they can lay their hands on.

 

[KrisZ]

I would not compare mechanics to whatever DIY practices you employ.
They want the fastest and easiest results. A can of brake cleaner achieves just that.

 

[proveitwithdata]

I would not compare mechanics to whatever DIY practices you employ.
They want the fastest and easiest results. A can of brake cleaner achieves just that.

True, but cleaning an oil spill with a whole lot of brake clean is just asking for future brittle plastics?

 

[BrainThicknessVariation]

Gunk Engine Degreaser

 

[KrisZ]

True, but cleaning an oil spill with a whole lot of brake clean is just asking for future brittle plastics?

Why would they care about that? If anything it’s likely their gain since you’re going to come to them to get it replaced.

It’s the same with the medical/pharmaceutical industry and why they’re mostly interested in treating the symptoms, not actually providing a cure. Repeat business.

 

[D60]

I dunno, around these coordinates gravity causes diluted oil and brake cleaner to pool on the shop floor so it doesn't stay in the engine bay but is largely (put perhaps not completely) rinsed away.

This time of year I mop it up with old t-shirts under my boot and throw it in the shop stove (non-chlor only). Then I dance around like Tom Hanks in Castaway

I don't directly spray critical items like ECM/TCMs or their large electrical connectors. I was taught to use WD to clean dirty wiring harnii, so that's what I've always done for that (shrug)

 

[odie]

Glass cleaner with ammonia works well . 70 > 72% rubbing alcohol too . Use them during O.C.s to clean block , etc..