Good solvent to clean chains
 

Besides the stuff available at a bike shop, whats a good all around cheap solvent (ie autoparts store, etc) that you can use to clean a chain.

Thanks -

alot of people seem to use simple green...i think just about anything from palmolive to kerosene will work though...its just a matter of how good it will be at removing gunk.

The reason I asked is that way back when I heard someone say that transmission fluid was a good gunk remover / cleaner. Don't know if its true or not.

Why not just use simple green? It is the best that i have found.

Cool. I'll give Simple Green a try ....
Thanks

I've been using some stuff called Greased Lightning. It seems to clean the chain pretty well. I spray a little on the chain, use an old toothbrush to work it in, and then hose it off with some water.

Simple Green. Another thing about it is that it is biodegradable - unlike transmission fluid.

I use "Greased Lightning". I've used Simple Green, but found that Greased Lightning gets the grime off a little quicker and easier.

I use gasoline ,then pour the gas out in the front yard, next to my Trans Am which is up on blocks right now.

(oh no, here he goes again)

"Good old WD40....." hee hee hee

It's cheap, you can buy it anywhere (even at the supermarket at 3 in the morning), and you can use the pressure from the can to blast the crap off :D

I hold a thick rag behind the chain whilst spraying the chain. Some cans have more pressure than others.

Simple Green, Orange Blast, and kerosene work well. Transmission fluid? No way. That will stick. Diesel fuel works good too.

WD40 does a nice job, but I usually use it after a harsh degreaser. I normally use Automotive Brake Cleaner, which will cut through ANY muck and dries almost instantly. $2.99, and the same EXACT thing as Cleanstreak ($8.99 at your LBS).

Use mineral spirits (paint thinner). Odorless is nice and costs all of $6/gallon at Lowe's or Home Depot. Leaves the chain nice and clean; ready to lube.

I use a Sachs master link and remove the chain before cleaning. Place chain inside a small plastic water bottle filled with solvent. Shake away to clean. Remove and let dry.

After cleaning, pour the solvent into a larger bottle for the next usage - 2 liter soda bottle works great. The sluge will settle to the bottom so you can reuse the clean stuff on top. Next time you need to clean the chain, pour off the clean stuff into a fresh shaker bottle and go to town. Repeat again and again.

Good luck.

Ed

Was going to suggest mineral spirit AKA white spirit, paint thinner etc (it is what I use) myself, but another Ed beat me to it. Still, two Eds are better than one :p

Cheers,

....Ed

I do the same thing, and I have run out of WD40, will be buying later in the day

I use Simple Green. A lot cheaper than the stuff sold at the LBS. I even used it yesterday to get some grease out of my pants that came from my headset.

There is a lot of debate on "Simple Green". The below quote is from an old post.

Posted by D*Alex on 06-02-02 09:01 PM:

OK, for those who still haven't heard me say this, I will
repeat it for the 1000th time: Simple Green contains
detergent! You do not want detergent residue in any
moving part, be it a chain link, bearing race, or whatever!
What you need is a decent solvent (like Pedros, mineral
spirits, kerosene, etc.) not a cleaner!

Lots of controversy on cleaning chains. It's almost religious.

Why is detergent bad for moving parts?

Found the answer in another thread. The person posting this was Ed Holland -

Yes indeed, that was me - I just did not want to go mad with details all over again this time and appear to be some kind of chain cleaning Nazi.....:).

I prefer not to clean with water based detergents and then go back to oil for the chain lube due to the basic incompatibility of the cleaner and lube. Others will be unwilling to use solvents for cleaning, which I completely understand. It is beneficial to clean the chain - choose your weapons ;)

Cheers,

Ed

Another bad thing about detergents is that any left on will act as a magnet for road grime (that's exactly what detergent in your car's oil is supposed to do, but you don't want that happening on your chain).

Hmmm, no mention yet of Citra-Solv? It's an awesome general household solvent. It's biodegradeable. My wife uses it extensively in her eco-cleaning business, so we buy it by the gallon; much cheaper than the little bottles. It can vary wildly in price, based on whether it's sold for specialty or general purpose use (it's the same stuff, tho'). Be careful, though. It may be gentle environmentally, but it's potent stuff. I dripped some on a tile floor in our previous apartment, and it slightly dissolved the surface of the tile!

I use Simple Green for chain cleaning. I soak one chain and use a chain cleaning machine on the other. I use full strength Simple Green. I rinse by either dunking in a bucket of water or repeated runs through water in the chain machine. I have over 3000 miles on each of two bikes with original chains. I measured the chain wear the other day with a dial caliper and they each had zero measureable wear.

Despite the dire predictions, Simple Green works just fine for cleaning a bike chain.

Simple Green is "OK", but paint thinner is much better for cleaning chains and all-round gunk. You use a lot less paint thinner than you will Simple Green as well.

Put some pain thinner in a spray bottle and spray on the chain or take the chain off and soak in pain thinner.

When it comes to degreasing or unlocking stuck bits on engines, I swear by PB Blaster (walmart, napa, etc should have it). I used it to clean up an old bike chain, and it worked like a charm. Just be certain to rinse the chain thoroughly afterwards...the PB Blaster can have a residual effect of removing lubricant you apply later.

This is what I use too! I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it. The discount brand brake cleaner at Autozone is 1.99$ a can, works great, and is a true solvent, nothing is left behind once it evaporates. Plus, the pressure from the can blows the grime out of even the tightest spaces with little brushing. Leaves your chain pure as a virgin.

peace,
sam