Cleaing oil off an engine

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David W

David W

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Jun 1, 2004
412
Catalina 22 Victoria BC
Well I'm embarrassed to say that after topping off the oil in my antique 2QM15 I forgot to replace the filler cap. No big deal except the next day I ran the engine at cruising rpm for over an hour and then discovered my mistake.

So about 1/2 litre was spewed out the filler hole and all over my engine compartment and bilge. An oil absorbing cloth took care of the oil that drained into the bilge. But I'm left with an engine compartment and and engine covered in a film of oil.

On the plus side, between the 1/2 litre added on the initial top off and the additional 1/2 litre sprayed out, I've changed almost half of the 2.5 litres of the oil in the engine...

To clean up the mess, my first inclination is to spray a can of Gunk engine degreaser all over the engine but that may not be the best idea.

Any suggestions for the wise folks on the board?
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,047
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
I've considered automotive cleaners, but you have to read the directions very carefully. Most of them require a TON of water to clean up. Not such a good idea for a boat. :) There was a thread recently about this, try a search on engine cleanup or something similar. IIRC, it was more like brain surgery to just take a small area at a time instead of a massive dose and overall rinse. Time consuming, but heck, at least you got an oil change out of it. Good approach, there. :)
 
David W

David W

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Jun 1, 2004
412
Catalina 22 Victoria BC
Thanks Stu, great link.i was thinking of Gunk and the garden sprayer we use for cockpit showers would be the ticket.
 
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Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
David: I would try simple green. You can start with a diluted mixture and if that does not do the job, you can try it straight. I am sort of amazed how well it cleans up all sorts of surfaces. We keep a spray bottle on the boat all the time.
 
Paul Mermelstein

Paul Mermelstein

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Oct 3, 2008
325
Beneteau 393 Chesapeake Bay
I have also used Simple Green on engine oil spills. It is amazingly good. It is also NOT petroleum-based like Gunk or automotive cleaners, so it doesn't smell up the boat (it actually smells good). I would try it straight from the spray bottle and let it drip into absorbent rags. Even if you decide to hose it off (use water sparingly) and it gets into the billge, it is not too bad for the environment.

BTW, I will be chartering out of Bellingham next week and sailing over to the Sidney/Victoria area. Looking forward to it. I do most of my sailing in the Chesapeake Bay and East Coast U.S.
 
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Eddie7045

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Aug 16, 2006
281
Ericson 32 Oregon coast
At a machine shop that I worked at we used

"Grease Lightning". The stuff cuts oil and grease like magic but is gentle to skin. I always keep a bottle in my garage.
 
David W

David W

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Jun 1, 2004
412
Catalina 22 Victoria BC
Thanks everyone, I'm heading to the boat today. I'm going to try the Simple Green approach first and report back with pics.
 
David W

David W

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Jun 1, 2004
412
Catalina 22 Victoria BC
Went and cleaned the engine and engine compartment today. I used Simple Green applied with a spray bottle and rinsed off with water from our garden sprayer we use for cockpit showers. Worked like a charm. I am really impressed with Simple Green as a cleaning product. I expect it will be a staple in my cleaning supplies.
 

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David W

David W

.
Jun 1, 2004
412
Catalina 22 Victoria BC
Paul Mermelstein said:
I have also used Simple Green on engine oil spills. It is amazingly good. It is also NOT petroleum-based like Gunk or automotive cleaners, so it doesn't smell up the boat (it actually smells good). I would try it straight from the spray bottle and let it drip into absorbent rags. Even if you decide to hose it off (use water sparingly) and it gets into the billge, it is not too bad for the environment.

BTW, I will be chartering out of Bellingham next week and sailing over to the Sidney/Victoria area. Looking forward to it. I do most of my sailing in the Chesapeake Bay and East Coast U.S.
Click to expand
It's great cruising ground up here. Keep. Close eye on your charts and depth sounder. Last week we had a 12 ft tide :)
 
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Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,174
CC 30 South Florida
A good film of oil on the engine will prevent rust but if you want to remove it use a biodegradable detergent and flush with fresh water.
 
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