What is the best thing to clean internal and exterior parts for the

rotary engine that will not hurt babbit bearings? Carb

cleaner works but I worry about brain damage from the

fumes.

I used the solvent tank at work to clean all of the engine parts. To

clean teh real tough parts-i.e., the rotor faces, I put a real heavy duty
2inch scotchbrite disc in a cordless drill  disc sanding attachment and took
the carbon right off. The solvent will float all the crap off the rotors.
Just rinse all the stuff off the rotors  and out of the bearings in the
solvent and dry them and you are in business. Plan on taking about 1-1 1/2
hours per rotor. Clean the heck out of the o-ring grooves on the side and
end housings. When you think they are clean, take a bronze or brass brush-
the kind you buy at a welding shop or hardware store, and clean the heck out
of the o-ring grooves. You will suprise yourself at how much stuff was still
in there after you thought it was already clean. Everything else on the
engine cleans up with little more than a was and a little scrubbing under
the faucet in a solvent tank.

I think that all the carbon build up is due to the use of the crankcase

oil being injected into the combustion chamber. Hopefully disonnecting the
oil injection and premixing 2 stroke oil will radically reduce the carbon
buildup on the rotor faces. Tracy Crook can probably give a good accounting
of the longer term results of premix on carbon buildup.

I'm by no means an expert, I've only rebuilt one of these engines so

far, but this worked well for me.

Brian Trubee

"Brian D. Cain" wrote:

I'm a fan of using Simple Green, diluted to 4:1 with water, in the parts
washer.  It works quite well.  Using some brass brushes, I can get most
everything clean.  Although Coastal Super Power Clean is stronger, it's
caustic to the rotor and gear bearings as well as anything else aluminum.  I
actually fried a pair of rotor bearings, on accident, when I let some rotors
soak in there for 3 hrs with the Power Clean.  The stuff turned the bearings
into a bubbly mess.

B

Carb cleaner doesn't hurt the bearings at all. It is formulated for aluminum and
pot metal carb bodies.  It will turn a heavily crusted rotor shiney bright. You
still will have to use a brass brush to clean the side seal grooves. And some of
the side seals are a pain to get out even after soaking for several days.
Royce

 
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