Second guessing myself... Home crank cleanup
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,909
Likes: 1,158
From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Second guessing myself... Home crank cleanup I started assembling my 5.3 yesterday and when I took my crank out of the bag, it had some very minor rust on it. It had been polished previously, but it's been sitting for a year and I'm sure there was a bit of humidity in the bag at some point. Either way, I first attempted to polish the journals with microfiber cloth and WD-40, but it wouldn't touch it. So I took a piece of 2000 grit paper, drenched it in WD-40 and made a string out of some microfiber cloth and very gently polished the journals. I mic'd them before and after and didn't remove any material. After that, I used the same microfiber cloth with metal polish and that brought the journals back into shape. Fully cleaned the crank with brushes and solvent afterwards.
I'd never had to do this before, so it has me feeling uneasy. I did some research and this method seems to be common, and that's for cranks needing WAY more polishing than mine did. The rust was little specks so tiny they could hardly be seen. I didn't want to screw up my clearances, so I was extra gentle when I did it.
So, what's the verdict? Should I be good to go or did I screw something up? The journals had a mirror finish when I was done - not absolutely perfect, but basically the same as when I got the crank back from the machine shop.
I'd never had to do this before, so it has me feeling uneasy. I did some research and this method seems to be common, and that's for cranks needing WAY more polishing than mine did. The rust was little specks so tiny they could hardly be seen. I didn't want to screw up my clearances, so I was extra gentle when I did it.
So, what's the verdict? Should I be good to go or did I screw something up? The journals had a mirror finish when I was done - not absolutely perfect, but basically the same as when I got the crank back from the machine shop.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,909
Likes: 1,158
From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Yeah, that's what I did. Used a brush in the oil passages while spraying brake clean into them and doused the whole crank with it, then blew everything off with compressed air. It was spotless when I installed it in the block.
TECH Addict
Joined: Dec 2017
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I've done that before too; more usually, deliberately. I always used an old fan belt and transmission fluid, and bolted the crank to something to hold it still, and cleaned it afterwards with spray can carb cleaner and lacquer thinner. Never a problem related to any of that.
As long as the machining on it was good in the first place, you'll be fine.
As long as the machining on it was good in the first place, you'll be fine.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,909
Likes: 1,158
From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
It's the factory machining - It was just polished initially to remove some minor scratches. Good to know that I didn't do anything out of the ordinary.
