So, I got really tired of cleaning greasy motor parts by hand. You know the deal, scrubbing away with brushes and rags, solvent getting everywhere. Took forever and still wasn't perfect. I figured, there has to be a better way, right? I saw some fancy parts washers online, but man, they cost a fortune. So, I thought, why not try building my own simple motor cleaning machine?

Getting the Bits Together

First thing, I needed a plan. Nothing complicated, just a tub to hold the cleaning stuff, a pump to circulate it, and some kind of nozzle or hose to spray the parts. I started digging around my garage and shed.

• Found an old, sturdy plastic storage tub. Had to make sure it wouldn't melt with the solvent.
• Grabbed a small submersible pump I once used for a little garden fountain thing. Hoped it had enough power.
• Some clear vinyl tubing that fit the pump outlet.
• Had to actually buy some degreaser solvent. Went for something less nasty smelling this time.

That was the basic setup in my head. Didn't cost much to get these initial pieces, mostly just stuff I already had lying around, which was the whole point.

Putting it Together and First Tries

Alright, assembly time. Drilled a hole near the top edge of the tub for the tubing to pass through. Put the pump inside, ran the power cord out (carefully!). Connected the tubing to the pump outlet and fed the other end through the hole I drilled. I didn't bother with fancy nozzles at first, just the open end of the tube.

Filled the tub with a few inches of the degreaser. Enough to cover the pump. Dropped in a really grimy carburetor body I had sitting around. Plugged in the pump and... well, it worked. Sort of. The solvent dribbled out the tube, not exactly a powerful spray. It was pretty underwhelming.

Also, the solvent got dirty real fast. All the gunk washing off the part just mixed right back in. I realized I needed some kind of filter. And maybe a stronger pump.

Making it Actually Work

Back to the drawing board, kind of. The fountain pump just wasn't cutting it. I ended up buying a slightly beefier submersible utility pump. Nothing crazy expensive, but definitely had more push. That made a huge difference. Now I actually got a decent stream of solvent hitting the parts.

For the filter issue, I got creative. I took a small plastic basket, lined it with some filter fabric I had (like heavy-duty shop towel material), and placed the pump inside this basket. The idea was the solvent gets sucked through the fabric before going into the pump. It wasn't perfect, clogged up after a while, but it was way better than nothing. I just had to rinse or replace the fabric often.

I also added a simple wire mesh tray to suspend the parts above the bottom of the tub, so the heavy grit could settle underneath instead of constantly being stirred up.

The Result? It Cleans!

So, after a bit of messing around, I got my homemade motor cleaning machine working. Dropped in some filthy engine parts from an old minibike I was fixing up. Turned on the pump, directed the flow with the tubing, and let it run. The solvent stream blasted away a lot of the grime. For stubborn spots, I still used a brush, but the machine did most of the heavy lifting.

It's definitely not professional grade. The filter needs frequent cleaning, and the solvent still gets dirty eventually. But for my little garage projects? It's fantastic. Saves me so much time and hassle compared to the old bucket-and-brush method. I just unplug it, put the lid on the tub, and store it away until next time. Pretty happy with how this little project turned out, honestly. Learned a bit, saved some cash, and got cleaner parts. Can't complain about that.