NJFZ1
Moderator
So I had been thinking of a way to clean parts now that I am restoring the RZ350 and decided to give this a try after reading online about it. I don't have a parts washer and didn't really want to be dealing with harsh, smelly chemicals.
This Chicago Electric branded ultrasonic cleaner got good reviews and it's very affordable. Regular price was $99.99, but it was on sale and then I used one of the famous Harbor Freight 20% off coupon so I got it for $62.39. I did decide to add the 1 yr warranty for an extra $11.99 since I got it for a good price.
I have to perfect a cleaning solution, but so far I have tried a shot of laundry detergent to degrease parts. Didn't work that well. Then I tried a shot of some citrus cleaner and that seems to have worked a little better, but then I discovered that I should really run it with hot water (it heats the water by itself, but it's not the default setting).
The front master cylinder was a mess so I stripped in the hopes that it could be salvaged with a rebuilding kit since a new one is $$$. Wish I had taken a before pic, but after 3-4 cycles it's nice and clean
One thing to keep in mind is that this is meant for smaller parts as you see that the front master cylinder barely gets covered by the solution. For cleaning bolts and other small parts it works fine. Some people have suggested buying some sort of basket to keep the smaller parts off the bottom. Seems to clean them better that way. There is a plastic try inside of it, but that sits on the bottom of the unit. So far I'm happy with the results.
This Chicago Electric branded ultrasonic cleaner got good reviews and it's very affordable. Regular price was $99.99, but it was on sale and then I used one of the famous Harbor Freight 20% off coupon so I got it for $62.39. I did decide to add the 1 yr warranty for an extra $11.99 since I got it for a good price.
I have to perfect a cleaning solution, but so far I have tried a shot of laundry detergent to degrease parts. Didn't work that well. Then I tried a shot of some citrus cleaner and that seems to have worked a little better, but then I discovered that I should really run it with hot water (it heats the water by itself, but it's not the default setting).
The front master cylinder was a mess so I stripped in the hopes that it could be salvaged with a rebuilding kit since a new one is $$$. Wish I had taken a before pic, but after 3-4 cycles it's nice and clean
One thing to keep in mind is that this is meant for smaller parts as you see that the front master cylinder barely gets covered by the solution. For cleaning bolts and other small parts it works fine. Some people have suggested buying some sort of basket to keep the smaller parts off the bottom. Seems to clean them better that way. There is a plastic try inside of it, but that sits on the bottom of the unit. So far I'm happy with the results.