Cleaning the exterior of the engine

[mangledmatt]

Hi everyone!

I want to clean the exterior of the engine of my GZ250 as it has some white oxidation on it. I thought that the engine was made of aluminum through my Googling but Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish didn't work at all.

Does anyone have experience cleaning their engine? How do you do it? Thanks in advance!

[Vegas Street Rider]

Use a degreaser on the engine first. I used an acidic wheel cleaner (with hydroflouric acid) in it and had at it. Takes a lot of elbow grease to get it off. I used 120 grit wet/dry sandpaper wrapped around a paint stirring stick to get in between the cooling fins with the cleaner sprayed on the sandpaper. Finish it off with a stainless steel brush. Afterward, put a light coating of WD-40 on it to prevent further oxidation. Just to be clear, it takes a lot of time and elbow grease. Hope this helps.

[Water Warrior 2]

A helpful hint from my dirt riding days. I used to spray PAM cooking spray on the engine. A good soaking at the car wash and the engine and case looked like new after hours of mud and stuff. Just don't hose down anything electrical.