Best Way to Clean Bellhousing

[sweetair]

I am inquiring the group here about the best way to clean the bell housing on my Cougar. Since it is off the car and on the ground I figured it would be easy to do. I was thinking about non chlorinated brake cleaner.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Bill

[CougarCJ]

Elbow grease, and a putty knife to start.


Then I would clean with solvent, but is it Aluminum or cast iron? Some solvents are too harsh for aluminum.

[sweetair]

I am not sure if it is cast iron. I don’t want to scrape it/gouge it.

@CougarCJ

Elbow grease, and a putty knife to start.


Then I would clean with solvent, but is it Aluminum or cast iron? Some solvents are too harsh for aluminum.

[fordblue]

I had a transmission that looked like an old, burnt cast iron skillet when it was actually aluminum. Here is what worked for me:

The Purple power cleaner from Autozone as a 50/50 mix with water will melt off most grease and grime. If you can’t submerge the bell housing, just keep spraying it down to keep it wet for a day or so. Then a pressure washer or a scrub brush and garden hose will work wonders.

[mo2872]

@fordblue

I had a transmission that looked like an old, burnt cast iron skillet when it was actually aluminum. Here is what worked for me:

The Purple power cleaner from Autozone as a 50/50 mix with water will melt off most grease and grime. If you can’t submerge the bell housing, just keep spraying it down to keep it wet for a day or so. Then a pressure washer or a scrub brush and garden hose will work wonders.

Similar results here with Easy-off oven cleaner, and a pressure washer…

[1969XR7Vert]

I use Gunk Engine Shampoo for stuff like this, along with a parts cleaning brush to scrub it in where the gunk is heavy. Hose it off and repeat if necessary. Works well.