Dipping Pistons in Carb Cleaner

[1 Dollar]

I've currently got the pistons out of my Farmall M, and they have the typical gummyish carbon on them. It's not excessive, but would dipping them in a bucket of carb cleaner harm them in any way? Would it eat them in any way(thousanths of an inch?) or etch them? I am pretty sure that are cast iron, haven't 100% comfirmed it yet. They are flat top and standard bore. What other methods exist to clean them before re-assembly?

Thanks

 

[RobMD]

Wire wheel the top, scotch pad the sides.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

Carb cleaner would be a good first step. Won't hurt a thing. It would be a good idea to use a pick and clean whatever cake and crud you can from around them. By rights you should take them off and finish cleaning the grooves, and clean the rings up some more, keeping track of which ring goes where, and which side goes up. That said, you always run the chance of breaking a ring in getting it off or on, so follow your conscience and pocketbook in that regard.

But the carb cleaner is a good solvent for what you're trying to do.

The wire wheel and the Scotch-Brite are good abrasives for the job.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Let them soak 2 or 3 days in lacquer thinner and then use scotch brite pad while they are still wet. Use rubber gloves. As far as damaging them.... think about what they are doing when the engine is running wide open under load. Not trying to be a smart a$$, but you should see what they do with them at an engine shop when a pro is rebuilding it. BTW carb cleaner is to weak to make short work of it. It would take you along time and lots of elbow grease to get them cleaned.

 

[JT]

Carb cleaner will clean light carbon, with no piston damage. The best way to clean is a wire brush, scraper and a ring groove cleaner. If it just soft carbon, clean in parts cleaner, that works real good. Plus if you going to dip in a bucket, any carbon that does flake off could end up in the orifice of the next carb you dip.
Jim

 

[Anonymous-0]

Carb cleaner wont hurt a cast iron piston,but don't clean ring lands with a wire wheel.

 

[44 massey]

Alot of the places bead or sand blast pistons and doses a really good job of cleaning them without removing any of the original piston material!

 

[Goose]

I clean pistons and other engine parts in carb dip all the time. If necessary, use a broken piston ring to scrape the ring grooves.

Cleaning the tops of pistons with a wire wheel is ok, but don't use a wire wheel on the ring grooves. It will round off the shoulders of the grooves, particularly on aluminum pistons.