Parts cleaner questions:

Topic: Parts cleaner questions: (Read 1263 times) previous topic - next topic

Parts cleaner questions:

December 13, 2005, 10:02:08 PM

How many of you have this parts cleaner? (or the 20 or 30 gallon versions, for experience with the brand)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41108

If you do;

1) How well has it worked for you so far?
2) What solvent(s) have you had the best results with?
3) If you've had bad experiences with the brand and/or model, what would you recommend as an alternative? (has to be about as easy to obtain and as inexpensive as this one.. funds are REALLY tight right now, and Mturk has been kinda barren the past few days for money-making.. so no $6000 sonic cleaning auto-agitating butt-wiping automatic parts cleaners.. heh)

I had to pull a valve cover on the truck today, and ended up having to clean it up in the sink while the women-folk were waiting to do the dishes. Wanted to get at least one coat of paint on it before it got too dark and cold to be painting outside.

Having all these cars/engines/etc. around, I'd really like to have a decent parts washer. Thinking about ordering from that link up there, since it's only $8.99 shipping. (nearest Harbor Freight is like 80 miles round trip from here.. not good at the 14 MPG the truck gets)

Ideally I'd like to be able to comfortably work on an intake manifold-sized part in the parts washer. (351W 4v or 5.0 EFI or 360-Magnum-sized) Also cylinder heads, of course. This is why I've focused on this 40-gallon model vs. the 20 or 30 gal. models. (only $50 difference between the three anyway)

Parts cleaner questions:

Reply #1 – December 13, 2005, 11:14:14 PM

My buddy uses an old dish washer he picked up for $30.00.Works great.

Parts cleaner questions:

Reply #2 – December 16, 2005, 02:52:40 PM

, nada.. aside from the dishwasher.

Parts cleaner questions:

Reply #3 – December 16, 2005, 04:02:15 PM

they are pretty sturdy but remeber they are harbor freight quality so dont expect a 1,000.00 parts washer.

as long as you maitain it and the solvent it should do what you want with it no problem.

what kind of solvent were you plannig on using? mineral spirits?

Parts cleaner questions:

Reply #4 – December 16, 2005, 04:16:52 PM

Had no plans on solvents, that's why I asked for input on them. Been years since I was anywhere near a parts washer.. back at the old junk yard I used to work for like 15 years ago. No idea what they used, and even if I knew, environmental regs could've eliminated that choice between then and now. *shrug*

Parts cleaner questions:

Reply #5 – December 16, 2005, 07:56:05 PM

Quote from: SLEEPER T-BIRD 87

they are pretty sturdy but remeber they are harbor freight quality so dont expect a 1,000.00 parts washer.

as long as you maitain it and the solvent it should do what you want with it no problem.

what kind of solvent were you plannig on using? mineral spirits?

What he said. A buddy of mine had a 20 gallon one that lasted him about a year untill he squished it between the bed of his truck and the garage wall on accident one night. Don't know what he was using for solvents, but I know it was good at getting rust off. He bought it because he was building a Baja Bug, and needless to say, a car from 1963 has some rust issues.

Paul

P.S. LMAO at your avatar. How long did that take??

Parts cleaner questions:

Reply #6 – December 16, 2005, 08:00:15 PM

Not terribly long. I made one row and then copied and pasted it several times. Could've been even quicker if I had done more frequent copies.. but it was like 60-90 seconds maybe, so I'm not gonna bitch.

So am I famous yet? :p

EDIT: BTW, I have no experience with Harbor Freight stuff, and there isn't even one closer than 40 miles away.. (I'd be online ordering that one) so I have no idea of the general quality of their merch. However, I can guess it means "don't beat the out of it". Shouldn't be a problem.