Alright, so the other day at the shop, this crusty old engine block was staring at me, covered in who-knows-what kind of gunk. Seriously, looked like it took a bath in oil and grease and just let it dry for years. Time to fire up the cleaning machine – let’s see how this beast actually works.

The Mess Before I Started

This block? Nasty. Oil sludge caked in every little corner, especially down inside those water jacket holes. Felt like scraping concrete. Had chunks of old gasket material stuck on like superglue. Knew my little parts washer wouldn't cut it, needed the big gun.

Dragging Out the Beast

I wheeled that block cleaning machine over. Thing looks kinda like a big metal box on wheels. Got doors on the front, heavy ones. Inside there’s spray nozzles pointing everywhere, and big hose hooks up out the back. Plugged it into power (heavy-duty outlet only!), hooked up the drain hose to the big nasty collection tank underneath, and fired up the chemical pump. Sounds angry when it starts.

Gettin' It Ready:

• Loaded Up: Wrestled that filthy block onto the trolley rack thing inside the chamber. Took two of us, it’s heavy.
• Shut the Door: Slammed the big doors shut and cranked the latches down tight. No leaks wanted.
• Picked the Poison: Filled the tank with hot alkaline cleaner. Smells sharp, gotta have gloves on.
• Set the Timer: Flipped the dial to about 45 minutes. Hoped it was long enough.

Hit Go and Let 'Er Rip

Pressed the big green button. Whoosh! Heard the pump kick in hard. That hot chemical mix started screaming outta those nozzles inside, spraying full blast from all different angles.

Stood back and watched through the little window. Couldn't see much at first, just blasting water everywhere. Smelled like hot chemicals even outside. Machine shook a little, vibrating from the pump hammering away.

After maybe 20 minutes? Peeked again. Saw chunks of black sludge starting to melt off the block, falling down into the drain grates. Bigger bits of gasket loosened up and got washed away. The dirty water kept draining down to the tank underneath, getting recycled and pumped back up for another blast.

Time's Up & The Big Reveal

Heard the pump wind down. Timer beeped. Flipped the switch to drain the chamber. Brownish, nasty water gushed out the drain hose into the collection tank.

Undid the latches, careful 'cause steam poured out. Opened the doors... Holy smokes. Night and day difference.

• The heavy grease? Gone.
• Water jackets? Could see right through 'em.
• Gasket surfaces? Clean metal, no more chunks.
• Sludge? Dumped in the tank below.

Sprayed the whole block down good with a rinse wand hooked up to the machine, washed off the leftover chemical film. Felt smooth, cool, bare aluminum. Actually looked rebuildable now.

Final Thoughts on These Machines

Look, it’s noisy, needs big power, and handling the chemicals is no joke. But man, it saves insane amounts of time and effort. Watching it absolutely annihilate crud I’d struggle for hours with manually? Worth every penny. No clogged wash bottles, no aching arms. Just slam it in, shut the door, and wait. Magic box for filthy blocks. If you do more than a few engines a year? Seriously, get one.