This may be a stupid question, but I've recently discovered dishwasher parts cleaning, and was wondering if I could throw a whole starter or alternator in there... I mean, my starter is immersed when I drive through a creek, and has withstood road salt and slush through many winters - do you think Cascade will kill it? SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!!! ~Jason
Please tell me you do not own a restaurant. As far as the dish washing thing goes only one way to find out.My 2 cents
It would probably be fine to do if you disassemble it first and put the pieces in the dishwasher. I'd leave the bits in the sun for an afternoon to dry out before re-assembly. Better still put the parts on a cookie sheet and bake them at lowest heat setting for a couple of hours. You want to make sure all water is removed from the coils. I've restored radios and broadcast equipment that has been sunken or flooded this way. FWIW the dishwasher is THE place to clean seat belts.
You kind of expected these types of answers, didn't you? The only thing that I would be concerned about would be that the soap is somewhat caustic and that it might etch the armature surface and that the grease from the bearings/bushings would most likely be washed away or at least compromised. Other than that, I don't see much difference between that and soaking the thing with Super Clean and hosing it down. But then again, maybe I'm wrong.
About 15 years ago I cleaned an oil pan and two valve covers in the dishwasher. The parts came out pretty clean, but there were ugly streaks of brown grease all over the white interior of the dishwasher, and the dishwasher smelled oily for a few months after that. My wife wasn't too happy about it.
It should work, go for it. I have a high pressure jet wash cabinet and it uses concentrated "dish washing" powder. Works great, get permission first baahaha
This very thing was one of my ex-wife's pet peeves. She told me, "It's either me or hotrods." I never called to thank her. . .
Yeah... <sigh> I expected 'em. But the etching of the armature surface is EXACTLY the VERY THING that was cause for my concern, which is why I asked. Even in pieces, this was my concern. That pic is totally a mockup, by the way. ~Jason
I did on that bellhousing - it's clean enough to eat off of! There's virtually NO grease on it, period! ~Jason
Back in the 70s I worked for Bendix in their starter drive sales area and visited more than one low class rebuilders that used old cafetera/commercial style dishwashers to "rebuild the starter cores They would take the old starter core and run it through the dishwasher to clean it, blow the water out it with an air hose and hit with 12 volts. If the starter spun they would spray some paint on it and put it in a box and sell it And you woner why rebilt parts have a bad reputation.
Hmm, well I drug home a free dishwasher today and was thinking about using it as a parts washer, this was the only thread I found. Guess it's not a popular idea.
About 30 years ago, some friends and I rented a house with a dishwasher. I had purchased a 650 Triumph basket case about that time, and put the crankcase halves in the dishwasher. It cleaned 'em real good, and didn't seem to hurt the unit. After seeing some of the pots and pans I've seen put through them over the years, I think I might consider a "freeby" for installation in my shop (if I had a source for hot water and a drain).
A dishwasher is nothing more that a poor man's hot tank. I don't see any problem with using one to clean parts. Just don't use the one in the kitchen. I'm sure you could find half a dozen of them, for next to nothing, in a few hours on CL
i dont know about starters but other parts that i need really clean i take to the transmission shop. they have this "dishwasher" that heats up water and some other chemical to clean stuff. its actually made for it. that way i dont break the one i got...or piss of the one in charge.
Thanks. When I picked it up today (along with a washer, drier and stove from a house remodel) my first thought was to put it on CL, but they are floating around for $20 there.
It will work great and won't hurt the starter at all , this is whar a jet wash cabnet is just a large heavy duty dish washer. I always take an air nozzle and dry it out thoroughly after cleaning.