Glass beading crankcase

[aumick10]

Welcome, Steve!

Just coat the insides...

(Unfortunately, both Gasoila and Glyptal failed in my fuel immersion tests, which would simulate a bad petcock on an OHV. So I haven't many suggestions..)

...Cotten

Cotton,
Have you done any tests on Ethanol free fuel?

[exeric]

Simply scrubbing with detergent and water will make a big difference. Abrasive blasting should be avoided. Baking soda blasting is safe, but will change the appearance somewhat.

Good advice. I don't glass bead any motor parts, and particularly aluminum castings. I clean castings in our laundry sink and use anything from TSP, Comet, Dawn, scrub brushes, scouring pads, and tooth brushes. You'll never make your cases look like they did when H-D put them in a frame, but you can come close.

[kitabel]

I've found embedded glass beads in the surfaces of carefully cleaned aluminum castings, and in other very bad places (behind races, blind threaded holes, inside oil passages, snap ring grooves, etc.).
A few thousand vibrations later, they reappear and flush through the oil system as an abrasive slurry.

[Steve Galli]

I've found embedded glass beads in the surfaces of carefully cleaned aluminum castings, and in other very bad places (behind races, blind threaded holes, inside oil passages, snap ring grooves, etc.).
A few thousand vibrations later, they reappear and flush through the oil system as an abrasive slurry.

Wow.... exactly what I feared... Does not sound like a recipe for a long running motor... Thank you!

[larry]

A friend, as an experiment, blasted a piston. He then scrubbed it with detergent and hot water. He then put it in a pot of water and boiled it. When he finished, there was sand at the bottom of the pot.

[Steve Galli]

A friend, as an experiment, blasted a piston. He then scrubbed it with detergent and hot water. He then put it in a pot of water and boiled it. When he finished, there was sand at the bottom of the pot.

Wow! would never have expected that! Thanks!

[tfburke3]

I would put the cases in front of a space heater ,then hit with a foam type degreaser and scrub brush..Dont glass bead.
Tom

[T. Cotten]

Cotton,
Have you done any tests on Ethanol free fuel?

That would just be more junk science, Mick!

There are over a hundred and fifty Federally-allowed additives, and combinations are more digestive than any alone.

Injector cleaners, mandated Intake Valve Deposit inhibitors (IVDs), "detergents", etc. are why plug reading is now futile.

Ethanol just makes them all worse.

....Cotten
PS: Even if ethanol-free fuel was available, who wants to only ride in a circle around that pump?

[Steve Galli]

I would put the cases in front of a space heater ,then hit with a foam type degreaser and scrub brush..Dont glass bead.
Tom

Awesome Idea!! Thank you!!

[TomL]

Glass beading will close the pores on aluminum castings so it will capture the beads. If you have to clean use silica sand for the media, it will not close the casting pores and leaves a satin looking finish. Silica is another grit that must be removed from the castings before use as in scrubbing, washing very thoroughly.