Soaking gears to remove grease?

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When it gets warmer out im planning to do a full restore on my jeeps winch. I did it before and did a lousy job with rattle can paint so it has to be done again.What's the best way to remove all of the grease on the gears? The gears in this thing are a decently complex little network, I want to clean it all and reassemble. There is ALOT of grease in there.Can I soak the gears in gasoline or mineral spirits? Pretty sure the gear assemblies are entirely metal.Last edited by BrooklynBravest; 01-06-2015 at 02:19 PM.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:unless you have dirt in the gears or a problem, I wouldnt open up a bucket of worms....lotsa moving parts in there..Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:I think kerosine is a better candidate then gas. And use some brushes. Make sure you use the correct grease when re greasing
Reply:Or diesel and a little transmission oil
Reply:I clean my hands in trans oil all the time when they get real nasty. I need to get some boraxo
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobbunless you have dirt in the gears or a problem, I wouldnt open up a bucket of worms....lotsa moving parts in there..
Reply:Originally Posted by motolife313I clean my hands in trans oil all the time when they get real nasty. I need to get some boraxo
Reply:Originally Posted by BrooklynBravestLast time I left some of the gears in, and masked off the openings but I don't want to do that this time. The thing was 30 lbs per end cap without taking the gears out makes it a hassle. I figure if they're out, I don't need to be getting every last thing covered in slop.
Reply:Smittybilt.I have all new stickers/solenoid box and everything for it. But it needs a paint job.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:I use gasoline and a brush or some other method of mechanically removing the goop (pressure washer or whatever).Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:I usually use diesel and a brush than finish with brake cleaner to remove residueMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:have a look at alkaline degreaser, mix with hot water extremely powerfull, some are not aluminum friendly. if chemicals are ok with you, otherwise mineral spirit is less scary to work with.
Reply:Lacquer thinner is the best degreaser I know of and cheap too.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmshopi usually use diesel and a brush than finish with brake cleaner to remove residue
Reply:I know money doesn't grow on trees but its a smittybilt winch, why waste the time?
Reply:Originally Posted by Fnord5I know money doesn't grow on trees but its a smittybilt winch, why waste the time?
Reply:I've torn down a few Warn winches for cleaning, and have always soaked them in hot water with degreaser and dish detergent.  Toothbrush helps a lot, as the grease is very thick, and I usually spray everything down with carb cleaner and then hit it with compressed air.  You will make a mess, so be prepared.  The gearing isn't too complicated, should be a couple sets of planetary gears...just pay attention how everything is assembled.  Also, make sure you use a good EP rated grease, although I am not sure what Smittybilt specs for in their winches.
Reply:When I stripped down my lathe for rebuilding, I found that soaking the parts in dishwasher soap and hot water overnight did a really good job. It took off the years of caked on crud, dried out oils, and swarf and removed or softened any remaining paint. Dishwasher soap contains phosphate which will etch the surface of the metal which helps the new paint adhere to the metal.  Commercially coated parts are typically phosphatized prior to coating. You do need to make sure that you thoroughly dry the parts off when you remove them or they will rust before your eyes.
Reply:Diesel fuel in my solvent tank. I also used powdered Tide and water. Tide works great, and is about as cheap as it gets.
Reply:I would use plain ole mineral spirits.....cheap, doesn't smell as bad a diesel. The only thing I use gasoline for is running internal combustion engines.
Reply:This stuff will remove damn near anything....including paint if you leave it on there.
Reply:If you really want to go all out, and have access to wood ash, mix that in a paste the consistency of medium thick mud. Cover your parts with that, then wash the next day. Itreally works well. Its also a easy and quick way to clean greasy hands. Keep a can of ash by the wash sink, it cleans just about everything with a little water. Dad taught me that trick when I was very young.
Reply:If you have access or want to buy one from HF or Menards ultrasonic tank cleaners are pretty cheap these days.  Scoop the worst off with a gloved hand and let the sound waves do the rest
Reply:The ash trick sounds nifty I would be concerned about getting all the grit back outMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:The ash trick is about the same as dishwashing detergent. I normally follow up with a plastic denture brush. Invalueable cleaning brush.You get clean and smelly hands (burned wood scent) Anyhow, i'll give it a try, and the denture brush is also a very good idea thank's
Reply:Works toilet bowl cleaner really eats away the grime oddly enough, but they will rust quick if you don't get them dry when you take them out. Just soak them overnight.
Reply:Originally Posted by LimitpusherWorks toilet bowl cleaner really eats away the grime oddly enough, but they will rust quick if you don't get them dry when you take them out. Just soak them overnight.
Reply:somebody said lacquer thinner. i use that stuff for all sorts of cleaning! also handy for prep before you paint too! also handy to keep some by the band-saw to wipe down greasy steel before you mark/cut/fit/weldbosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:I use kerosene to remove grease.  Then, if you are NOT going to weld on it, but only paint... I would follow up with brake cleaner.  You should never use brake cleaner on something you plan to weld though.Gasoline is very dangerous to use as a degreaser.  One small spark and bad things happen.  You could throw a lit match into an open pan of kerosene or diesel fuel, and it would not light.  Much safer.Dish washing detergents and other water based degreasers used with hot water are much more effective than they used to be.  I've used Simple Green and Zep Orange degreasers, and they both work very well.Hemi-T"Ignorance can be fixed, but stupid is forever."Hobart BetaMig 2510Everlast PowerPro 256 TigMiller Radiator-1 Tig cooler
Reply:lucky you,.... there are NO nice days here in Minnesota in January.......I'd love to make some sparks out in the shop, but i will freeze my nuts in 5 minutes.......
Reply:Sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. Don't put aluminium anywhere near it tho...
Reply:A 5 gallon can of concentrate for under $40.00 at home depot..works great cheap and safe....Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...