Need to remove gunked up oil/road grime from underneath car (rear main seal) & tranny

[5spd GT]

Just like the subject says...I need the best way to remove this oil that has been leaking on the bottom of my car. What is some "killer" stuff that will get this thick gunk off. Elbow grease will only help but not solve the problem. It is pretty grimy and thick under the car and on the tranny

It doesn't smell good when I get fresh oil on the exhaust either

Thanks for any deep cleansing stuff. It is real thick so normal degreaser doesn't have that much effect on some of it.

Any ideas?

 

[garystocker]

You need to scrape with a screwdriver, putty knife/ etc. till most of the hard stuff is off. Then the orange spray stuff from pep boys works like magic cleaning it up.

 

[89white50]

brake cleaner does a wonderful job...just dont get it in your eyes. ive done that before and it burns like a mofo.

 

[5spd GT]

Well it isn't hard. It is like a thick goop in a thin layer (make sense?). It seems like the goop on the underbody will come off easier...but the gunk on the tranny/bellhousing is going to be hard and thick

Thanks for the suggestions so far

 

[89white50]

i had the same garbage, when i my car was up on a lift i went under there and sprayed it down with a can of brake cleaner. it makes it look shiny for a little while, obviously it will not stay like that if you have leaks. i just stay away from electrical wiring with it.

 

[87'GTstang]

Yeah I have some pretty nasty stuff on my undercarriage that is about as built-up as I want to say an undercoating - but now I don't even know if it is or isn't considering how hard mine is to get off amnit:

 

[89lxsport50]

I took mine to a car wash. I soaked the tranny down with simple green and let it sit a few minutes. Then I just sprayed it off with the high pressure water. It worked pretty good, but I wish I could have jacked it up because it was pretty hard to get everything.

 

[5spd GT]

I took my tranny to a carwash and it got most of it but it wouldn't get off the thick stuff and elbow grease didn't work. What is some strong stuff

 

[srothfuss]

I took my tranny to a carwash and it got most of it but it wouldn't get off the thick stuff and elbow grease didn't work. What is some strong stuff

Go to an Oil Change shop and ask for a cup full of their floor cleaner. It's concentrated so it's pretty strong. That should get the rest of your greasy under-bottom cleaned up nicely.

 

[Kerpal]

When it's that bad usually high pressure is the only thing that will get most of it off. Scrape off as much of it as possible, then go to a car wash... blast it with the hose, spray it down with engine cleaner or castrol super clean, let it sit a few minutes, and then hit it with the high pressure hose again. Might need to repeat the process a few times if it's really bad.

And of course if the gunk is all on the bottom of the car, it would be a good idea to bring a jack and stands and raise the front end up to gain acess... I'd find a self-service carwash that isn't too busy so you won't get anyone yelling at you...

 

[Mustang5L5]

Then the orange spray stuff from pep boys works like magic cleaning it up.

Gunk Enginer Degreaser is awesome. I always buy a can when i do oil changes. WHen i'm done, i spray the entire underside, let it soak and then hose it off and any oil gets washed away and it stays clean

 

[Jah1mon]

I used a combination of castrol super clean degreaser and mineral spirits. (dont mix them together, just one after the other) but I did the entire scrubbing process when I was changing the rear main seal.