Oil on Clutch Disc

[Bob S.]

Wondering what others would recommend (or have used successfully) to remove oil from a clutch disc prior to installation.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Regards,
Bob S.

[John H.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Bob -

I'd use it as a wall hanging and get a new disc - you don't want to do that job twice.

[Jack H.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Generally agree with John.

But I guess depending on the actual circumstances and assuming it's very minor, the thing I would use is a brake cleaner product...I'm partial to Brakleen in the red can.

[Dick W.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Bob -

I'd use it as a wall hanging and get a new disc - you don't want to do that job twice.

Agree with John. The only thing worse than the labor of replacing the clutch is having to do it again

[Chuck S.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Bob -

I'd use it as a wall hanging and get a new disc - you don't want to do that job twice.

Definitely agree with John.

If the oil was on the surface very long at all, you will NEVER get it out. When I was young and inexperienced, I tried removing brake fluid spilled on brand new brake linings (another lesson...always do the wheel cylinders on Fords. ). The linings looked clean, but didn't brake for ****.

[Bob S.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc?

Here's a little more info that I failed to mention......

The disc is brand new and part of a LUK clutch, pressure plate and throw-out bearing kit. As it arrived in the packaging, there was a sheet of paper separating the disc and the throw-out bearing. The paper appears to be stained with something......I'm thinking maybe oil, but am not sure. Neither am I sure there's any/much contamination of the disc surface, but would feel better cleaning it before using it. Of the choices of things I keep around the garage (rubbbing alcohol, BrakeKleen, Acetone, Berrymans) I'm considering using either alcohol or the BrakeKleen.

Like others have stated, I'd rather not have to go back in to replace the disc......

Bob

P.S. Months have elapsed since I received the kit, so returning it isn't really an option. I'll have to "eat it" if the disc isn't useable.....my fault for not opening it and giving it a good looking over when I got it.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc?

Here's a little more info that I failed to mention......

The disc is brand new and part of a LUK clutch, pressure plate and throw-out bearing kit. As it arrived in the packaging, there was a sheet of paper separating the disc and the throw-out bearing. The paper appears to be stained with something......I'm thinking maybe oil, but am not sure. Neither am I sure there's any/much contamination of the disc surface, but would feel better cleaning it before using it. Of the choices of things I keep around the garage (rubbbing alcohol, BrakeKleen, Acetone, Berrymans) I'm considering using either alcohol or the BrakeKleen...

Oh...that's a little different; why didn't you say so.

The paper is factory packing intended to reduce oil contamination from the pressure plate soaking into the disc. If you don't have any darkening of the clutch disc material from oil saturation, I would probably take a chance, clean the disc, and install it.

For cleaning the disc material, I would use brakekleen, or lacquer thinner liberally on the side that was near the pressure plate. I like alcohol for cleaning DVDs, but not for heavy degreasing work.

[Duke W.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Lacquer thinner is a lowsy solvent for typical automotive petroleum products. Brake cleaner or just plain old, cheap paint thinner is best.

Duke

[Chuck S.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Lacquer thinner is a lowsy solvent for typical automotive petroleum products. Brake cleaner or just plain old, cheap paint thinner is best...

In my opinion, it depends on the situation and what you're trying to accomplish.

Most petroleum based materials are highly soluble in lacquer thinner, but it flashes quickly. Brake cleaner also flashes quickly if I remember correctly. Lacquer thinner's solvent properties are therefore quickly dissipated due to flashing unless you apply it liberally.

If you're cleaning heavy, caked grease and dirt off the bottom of your chassis, lacquer thinner is a poor choice...paint thinner is the superior solvent for this task. Paint thinner is much less volatile than lacquer thinner, and remains on the surface longer. That means it remains working as a solvent without constant reapplication, and is highly effective where there is heavy grease accumulation.

Paint thinner, however, is also "oilier", dries slowly, and can leave a slight residue. It may possibly leave dissolved dirt on the parts (depends on how far you push your solvent) unless the parts are wiped dry. I prefer paint thinner for simply washing diassembled mechanical parts for reassembly; it's half the price of lacquer thinner, and only slightly easier on your hands and/or gloves. In some cases, I may start cleaning with paint thinner, and finish the part cleaning with a LT wipe down. Paint thinner does eventually dry completely...the initial "oily film" can not be considered to have ANY inhibiting effect on corrosion; in fact the clean steel will rust even faster after it dries. As a petroleum fraction, my opinion is paint thinner is lighter than kerosene and but heavier than gasoline.

My experience has shown that the composition (determined by odor, color, and solvent properties) of both lacquer thinner and paint thinner vary depending on the brand and when/where the product was purchased. Sometimes, I think the final product is more dependent on what the supplier can purchase for blend stocks than a strict standard. If there are "industry standards" for the composition of either product, they must be broad enough that you can see considerable variation in the shelf product.

If you're cleaning something that must be absolutely free of oil and grease, and be clean of any remaining residue (several wipes may be necessary when prepping for paint), lacquer thinner is the solvent of choice. Brakekleen will probably also work for this case; it's definitely a light solvent...my concern would be getting enough volume out of a spray can fast enough.

[Larry M.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

Bob:

If I were to use any chemical, it would be chloronated brake/electrical cleaner (ie carbon tetrachloride or trichloroethylene). I use this as a final wipe down on brake rotors/drums prior to installing the calipers and pads.

Recommend you first use some 150 grit sandpaper with a sanding block and rough up the friction surface. If after this it looks clean and light with no staining, than I would do nothing else. Save the brake cleaner for final wipedown of the flywheel and pressure plate.

If you have ANY doubts, get a new disc as other have said. They are cheap compared to doing the job over.......believe me.

If you do install and have some disc sticking, a few 4000 RPM burnouts/launches should cure the problem and break-in the disc friction material. This is how we did it in earlier times. Always seemed to work.....unless we missed second gear.

Larry

[Steven B.]

Re: Oil on Clutch Disc

I don't know how much contamination you have, or if it is petroleum. If it is petro. I can tell you when I worked in a plant manufacturing clutch facings and brake pads and linings if we got a drop of oil on any piece it was scrapped. I don't remember the numbers but contaminated faces did not usually pass Engineering Dept. burst testing. When we tested in Engineering Dept. we would not accept a lining with any contamination and in production/QC they got tagged.