John Veninger

Can anyone suggest a good solvent to clean pistons I removed from a used motor? I'm in the middle of building a 5.0 and want to clean the pistons before re-assembly. I have them soaking in #2 heating oil, but it's not taking all of the buildup off. They aren't bad, but just want them as clean as possible.
Thanks

BillHapke

I use Laquer thinner. It works fine. Just use caution as it most flamable and will take the oil right out of your hands as well.

Thom1

Hi John,

Just a word of caution about the piston walls... The factory manual says that they are coated, and sovents can remove the coating. I imagine that the pistons are not coated.

John Veninger

No need to clean the piston walls. Just a nice wipe down with WD-40 until assembly.

I'll try the thinners this weekend (outside).
Thanks!

Randy V

Interesting comment on the 'coating' of the piston 'walls' (cylinder). The coating is probably a reference to the silicon that is exposed in the aluminum substrate through an etching process during manufacture of the engine block. The silicon is extremely hard and cannot be removed except by aggressive acid solutions. This silicon 'coating' is one of the reasons why the 928 engine is highly immune to cylinder wear.

John Veninger

Bill,
Thanks for the tip! The thinners seem to work very well. Now I have 7 more to go