I got this stuff at Autozone specifically for it. I am pretty sure it is called "Drive Off". I bought some after I had a big oil spill in my driveway. It's like $3 or $4 for a squirt/spray bottle. You spray it on and let it soak for a day, then hose it off. It has worked really well to get the oil faded, but I went through the whole bottle after only a few days (the oil spill ran quite a ways down the driveway), so I bought a big container of it (a half-gallon or so? $7 or $8) to re-fill the squirt bottle. Anyway, it seems not altogether different from Purple Power or other generic degreaser, which I've used in the past to spot-clean oil drips.
I got this stuff at Autozone specifically for it. I am pretty sure it is called "Drive Off". I bought some after I had a big oil spill in my driveway. It's like $3 or $4 for a squirt/spray bottle. You spray it on and let it soak for a day, then hose it off. It has worked really well to get the oil faded, but I went through the whole bottle after only a few days (the oil spill ran quite a ways down the driveway), so I bought a big container of it (a half-gallon or so? $7 or $8) to re-fill the squirt bottle. Anyway, it seems not altogether different from Purple Power or other generic degreaser, which I've used in the past to spot-clean oil drips.
IcePickFreak
Platinum Member
- Jul 12, 2007
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I use cat litter if its more than just a little spot. If its particularly bad after if clean the majority of the mess up with the litter I just fill up a bucket with warm water and Dawn.
it can and does if your blasting it into a running engine. Granted they're not all created equal, but it can cause the O2 readings to get throw out of whack and throw a CEL.
Throckmorton
Lifer
- Aug 23, 2007
- 16,829
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Brake cleaner breaks down into toxic chemicals when it burns... I think chlorine gas?
Edit: Phosgene gas aka mustard gas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmtkUxvACcY
Edit: Phosgene gas aka mustard gas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmtkUxvACcY
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That's not "damaging" and O2 sensor....unless you can't clear the light and have it be gone permanently.
I must have been lucky, then, because I've run many cases of Carb clean through EFI engines and never had any problems.
IcePickFreak
Platinum Member
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It chemically alters the ceramic probe of the sensor, it's not something you can just reset.
Like I said though they are not all created equal and their is carb & choke cleaners that are safe to use, but it will specifically say on the can that it's O2 sensor safe so I guess you were lucky.
You can blindly spray whatever you want in your motors if it'll save you 50 cents if you want, stuff like that keeps mechanics in business. That's the bonus of working in mechanical & autobody repair, both are largely fueled by idiots doing stupid shit to cars and there's always plenty of them no matter the state of the economy.
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No it doesn't, not unless you remove the sensor and dunk it in liquid carb cleaner.
Spraying it through the engine and having the engine burn the cleaner is unlikely to harm anything.
Fuel injection cleaners and carbon cleaners are much more potent than carb cleaner, and they only harm sensors if the sensors are already on their last legs.
Your main concern with old-fashioned carb cleaner in today's engines is that it'll remove teflon coating on the throttle body, and it could damage the MAF sensor if you spray it in before that.
As I mentioned before, I've run cases and cases of cleaners through engines, and never had any repeatable, consistent issues. You'll see an engine light come on occasionally, and that's usually just a fluke. Doesn't happen enough to be a real concern. Shops literally do thousands of cleanings each day, with very few comebacks.
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IcePickFreak
Platinum Member
- Jul 12, 2007
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Umm, yes, it does. Shops do cleanings each day with the proper cleaner. Just grabbing whatever you feel like without knowing what to use it all comes down to luck. Some carb cleaners can, will, and do, wreck O2 sensors. Grab a case of carb & choke cleaner that contains silcone or chlorinated solvents and see how well the O2 sensor holds up. It's not about how 'potent' the cleaner is per say, but what chemicals are in the cleaner. That is why some carb & choke cleaner states "O2 sensor safe", or even RTV will state the same as well since a lot are silicone based. At that point the "carb & choke" essentially the same as TB & Intake cleaner, marketing just calls it what they want. They aren't all created equal, much like TB's as not all use Teflon. That said, you still have to be careful to not saturate any sensor housing since that's a whole different situation.
Personally if something does or doesn't work, I like to know why it does or doesn't. Not just spread around "It worked for me, use it". At any rate, use what you want to use for whatever reason makes you feel good.
Brake cleaner will eat paint. Brake cleaner will eat gaskets if you use it as carb cleaner. Engine degreaser is just a detergent. Carb cleaner is a gentle solvent.
You got that backwards. Most brake cleaners will NOT hurt paint. Just about all carb cleaners will eat paint
I use brake cleaner every day to clean off the sealers I use. I get the sealer on paint all the time, and brake cleaner takes it right off and never harms paint. I did run across one particular brand of non-chlorinated brake cleaner that would hurt plastic and might have hurt paint, but that's the only one.
Otherwise, with most brake cleaners, you can even clean interior plastics...whereas, carb clean would melt them.
The fact is there are hundreds of different formulations for each of the three. Without a degree in chemistry and access to the MSDS for each it's very hard to make broad statements that are even half true.
They're all solvents and should, as a general rule, be kept away from paint, plastics and electronic components.
They're all solvents and should, as a general rule, be kept away from paint, plastics and electronic components.
Brake cleaner is designed to be slightly more gentle on rubber and plastic, so that it doesn't eat the piston seals or the brake hoses.
Carb cleaners tend to be more aggressive solvents.
A typical carb cleaner will contain roughly 1/3 aromatic hydrocarbons (usually toluene), 1/3 alcohol (methanol or isopropanol) and 1/3 ketones (acetone or methyl-ethyl-ketone).
Old fashioned brake cleaners were typically perchloroethylene (dry cleaning solvent) or dichloromethane - but these are now discouraged as they are serious carcinogens and wreck the ozone layer, among other things. Definitely don't use them on engines, as when burned, they create hydrochloric acid and that kills alloy heads and oxygen sensors swiftly, and phosgene gas, which kills you swiftly.
More modern brake cleaners tend to use a mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons with small amounts of alcohols and/or ketones. A fairly typical formula would be 90% light naphtha (heptane) and 10% methanol.
Engine degreasers tend to be a blend of the cheapest medium naphtha and some aromatic solvents (xylene preferred over toluene due to slower evaporation) with added detergents. A typical formulation might be 78% medium naphta, 20% xylene, 2% detergent.
Carb cleaners tend to be more aggressive solvents.
A typical carb cleaner will contain roughly 1/3 aromatic hydrocarbons (usually toluene), 1/3 alcohol (methanol or isopropanol) and 1/3 ketones (acetone or methyl-ethyl-ketone).
Old fashioned brake cleaners were typically perchloroethylene (dry cleaning solvent) or dichloromethane - but these are now discouraged as they are serious carcinogens and wreck the ozone layer, among other things. Definitely don't use them on engines, as when burned, they create hydrochloric acid and that kills alloy heads and oxygen sensors swiftly, and phosgene gas, which kills you swiftly.
More modern brake cleaners tend to use a mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons with small amounts of alcohols and/or ketones. A fairly typical formula would be 90% light naphtha (heptane) and 10% methanol.
Engine degreasers tend to be a blend of the cheapest medium naphtha and some aromatic solvents (xylene preferred over toluene due to slower evaporation) with added detergents. A typical formulation might be 78% medium naphta, 20% xylene, 2% detergent.
Only if it has some source of chlorine in it like tetrachloroethylene...none of the listed compounds above have chlorine so phosgene won't be an issue. Also, reading some of the stories online I think are overblown, I've worked around phosgene reaction mixtures before with any exceptional precautions...it smells like freshly cut grass.
Mr.IncrediblyBored
Lifer
- Jun 18, 2000
- 11,201
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None of WHAT listed compounds have chlorine? Most standard brake cleaners absolutely DO have tetrachloroethylene. Google an MSDS for your favorite brand. Try CRC Brake Cleaner. That's the difference between regular brake cleaner and "non-chlorinated" brake cleaner. That's why you are told not to spray it into a running motor.
I have seen that done, and it smells horrific. Will peel your nose hairs. Damn sure doesn't smell like any cut grass I've ever whiffed.
None of the ones posted in post 3 have chlorine, also chlorinated brake cleaner is banned in places like California
When I was in votech, the brake cleaner we had would turn the outer layer of your skin to white powder almost instantly. It was great stuff, can't remember the brand. CRC and everything else I try these days is weak sauce in comparison. The stuff in the parts washer could probly have disposed of a body given a few days.
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