Gearbox cleaning question.

[Suzuki4evr]

How would you clean out the hearbox without having to blast it with water afterwards.

 

[cathead]

I would drain the oil and add a bit of diesel oil. Then mop it clean using rags and probably a stick to get at the difficult places.
Some units have a magnet that collects ferric material that can be cleaned and reinstalled.

 

[Suzuki4evr]

I was thinking of a diesel oil mixture and high pressure spraying it. Is that your way of thinking too? I must say the tight spaces are really tight.

 

[aliva]

I use kerosene as it doesn't smell like diesel.
Clean with a rag as much as possible. Fill with kerosene and run the lathe for about 30 seconds drain and wipe again. Fill with fresh oil of your choice

 

[NortonDommi]

For straight cleaning Kerosene is hard to beat. Slightly lighter than No. 2 diesel,( Used to be called No.1 ). Use a brush and a engine cleaning gun at about 40 P.S.I.(wear a mask and a face shield). Bottle brushes in different diameters are great for scrubbing in hard to reach places.

 

[Suzuki4evr]

Would it not be needed to rinse with water?

 

[NortonDommi]

Would it not be needed to rinse with water?

Why?

 

[Suzuki4evr]

I don't know,to clean the carosine off of the gears? When I was still working for a boss, we cleaned parts with paraffin and then rinsed it with water and dried with air. That's the only reason for asking,but if no harm can come of the small amount of carosine left behind, then it's fine by me.

 

[Tozguy]

The gearbox already looks pretty good to me.
Unless the gearbox will be torn down to each individual part after (for some reason), I would not rinse with water.
After cleaning with kerosene as mentioned in post #4 and some fresh machine oil is added I would run the lathe through all the gears and drain the oil.

 

[pontiac428]

Kerosene/diesel/stoddard solvent/petroleum distillates and an assortment of brushes will get you clean. Rinse with the same to remove debris. Mop up what you want of the solvent with absorbent towels, leave dry overnight. Any residue will end up in the oil to the tune of a small percentage until it gases off. No harm done.