etpm
Veteran Member
I replied to a post about using brake cleaner to clean an engine and it occurred to me that I could pass on some knowledge I have acquired about chlorinated brake cleaners.
First of all, chlorinated brake cleaners have been proven to damage the ozone layer and to damage our health*. So they should be used sparingly. But they do have their uses and as far as I'm concerned should not be used for cleaning brake rotors.
What the chlorinated cleaners are good for is when you need something made from most metals to be really oil and solvent residue free. The chlorinated cleaners really excel at removing oils while at the same time leaving none of the cleaner behind. They should not be used to clean any type of aluminum alloy because they attack aluminum and its alloys.
Where the chlorinated brake cleaners are the most useful, in my opinion, is when thread lockers, line Loctite, are being used. I don't know why they work so well but when cleaning parts before before using anaerobic thread or cylindrical fit adhesives the use of chlorinated solvents really helps to guarantee that the thread locker or cylindrical fit adhesive work the best.
I started using Loctite thread lockers nearly 50 years ago. Back then Loctite recommended, for the best results, the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents to clean parts before applying the Loctite anaerobic adhesive thread and shaft lockers. Though they no longer recommend this their advice from the past is still good advice from my experience. So even though the chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent brake cleaner is bad for the environment and people I still use it just for cleaning parts before applying Loctite.
*Some folks will argue that it is all B.S. that chlorinated hydrocarbons are bad for the ozone layer etc. That's not what this post is about and I won't argue about it. And it doesn't change what I said about using these solvents to clean parts before using anaerobic adhesive thread lockers.
Eric
First of all, chlorinated brake cleaners have been proven to damage the ozone layer and to damage our health*. So they should be used sparingly. But they do have their uses and as far as I'm concerned should not be used for cleaning brake rotors.
What the chlorinated cleaners are good for is when you need something made from most metals to be really oil and solvent residue free. The chlorinated cleaners really excel at removing oils while at the same time leaving none of the cleaner behind. They should not be used to clean any type of aluminum alloy because they attack aluminum and its alloys.
Where the chlorinated brake cleaners are the most useful, in my opinion, is when thread lockers, line Loctite, are being used. I don't know why they work so well but when cleaning parts before before using anaerobic thread or cylindrical fit adhesives the use of chlorinated solvents really helps to guarantee that the thread locker or cylindrical fit adhesive work the best.
I started using Loctite thread lockers nearly 50 years ago. Back then Loctite recommended, for the best results, the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents to clean parts before applying the Loctite anaerobic adhesive thread and shaft lockers. Though they no longer recommend this their advice from the past is still good advice from my experience. So even though the chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent brake cleaner is bad for the environment and people I still use it just for cleaning parts before applying Loctite.
*Some folks will argue that it is all B.S. that chlorinated hydrocarbons are bad for the ozone layer etc. That's not what this post is about and I won't argue about it. And it doesn't change what I said about using these solvents to clean parts before using anaerobic adhesive thread lockers.
Eric
