Cleaning all aluminum 4.6

[ATOLightning]

What's the best cleaner for an All Aluminum 4.6? I know a lot, if not most, clearners on the shelf are not that great for aluminum. What's the best cleaner that I don't have to completely hose down after I'm done? My engine is in a shop and I can't just wash it down. I'm looking for something that I can just wipe off if possible.

[Bob Cowan]

The purple stuff from Castrol is great degreaser, but it can stain the aluminum. If you're going to paint it, that will work ell. Just keep it off the machined gasket surfaces. Same thing with Easy Off oven cleaners.

Simple Green and a Brillo pad is one of my favorite cleaning methods. It requires a little more elbow grease, but it won't harm anything.

For final cleaning before paint or powder coating I use Dawn.

Obviously, hot water works better than cold.

[ATOLightning]

Bob,
I was thinking about using some Simple Green. Is it OK for the machined surfaces? I would think so, but I don't want to find out the hard way!

[Bob Cowan]

Yeah, Simple Green works just fine on machined surfaces. No staining or discoloration. That's my go-to cleaner.

For the non-machined surfaces, you can add a Brillo pad to that, and it will be clean enough to paint.