Race cars are finely tuned machines. In order for them to stay at top performance all of those parts need to be working at 100% efficiency. If there are clogged, dirty, or corroded parts inside your engine it can lead to degraded performance.
Cleaning certain parts can be easy. You grab a bucket, some soapy water and off you go. But what about the smaller parts inside of the engine like the carburetor metering blocks? They all have small channels that can be hard to clean. This is where ultrasonic cleaners come in!
The Old Cleaning Method
The old way to clean small parts that you cannot properly reach by hand was pretty low tech. Soak the part in some type of cleaning solvent, then use compressed air to blow out all of the debris that the solvent managed to loosen up.
While this was a great way to get the big stuff loose, it did nothing to prevent nasty buildup that can occur. Not to mention that sometimes large chunks could get caught in the tight spaces inside and cause more problems than the cleaning solved. The good news is, that is the old way.
The Ultrasonic Cleaning Method
What if instead of using solvents and compressed air you could use the liquid itself to do the cleaning for you? This is where ultrasonic cleaners come in. The ultrasonic cleaner method gets into the small intricate spots inside of the metering blocks, and gets them almost as clean as they were when they were new.
Ultrasonic cleaners use a process called cavitation. This is the creation of tiny bubbles in a cleaning solution that uses pressure to attack grime at the molecular level. The dirt, debris and corrosion break free from the surface. They are then smashed into small particles that will float at the top of the cleaning solution. This carries any unwanted material away from your parts and leaves them clean.
The Solution and the Cleaner
This is how an ultrasonic cleaning machine works. You fill the tank with cleaning solution; more on the types of solutions in a second. Then you submerge your part into the cleaning solution, set the timer and walk away. That’s it. The ultrasonic cleaner does all the work for you.
The type of solution is up to you. Many different types exist from industrial strength cleaners to something as simple as distilled water. When cleaning parts like this, a solution of water and distilled vinegar might work best to keep your parts free of any chemicals. Some experimentation might be needed on your end to see what works best for you.
Omegasonics has a wide variety of ultrasonic cleaners with tanks that come in all sizes. Pick one that suits your needs, and then take a look at the different types of cleaning solutions available for you. This will keep your racing car parts clean and operating at peak performance levels!
