Clean an engine without taking apart?

[Raptor720]

Hi! Well i was cleaning my savage today and i was trying to take the backplate off of my f4.6. Screws were stuck! Like it wasnt even meant to be screwed out. My stupidity got the most of me and i stripped them screws. So is there anyway i can do some kind of cleaning in the engine without taking it apart?

 

[olds97_lss]

Sort of... but not very effectively. If you can't get in there to scrub the varnish out, then there isn't much to do.

 

[Jam Racing 1]

To get the backplate screws out you can use a small pair of vicegrips or similar locking pliers to loosen them up, most hardware stores stock some small hardware so replacements are easy to find.... just take a screw with ya for length reference, the threads should be 3mm fine and get socket heads they are much better than phillips heads
Pay close attention to taking apart your engine as inside there may be small parts that can fall into it such as the starter pin and spring....
to clean it well you have to strip it completely so mark your carb locations or take pics, remove the sleeve very carefully and do not damage the edges then remove the piston and rod...
I use deantured alcohol for most all the parts and scrub with some stiff bristled brushes to remove gum and varnish, when reassembling use light oil on all moving parts and inside the sleeve, probably best to use a dab of blue locktite on the backplate screws and do not overtighten them...

 

[olds97_lss]

Not sure how you use vicegrips or pliers on screwheads that are sunk down into a recess. Or do yours stick up? Can't say I've ever had a backplate screw that wasn't countersunk/lower than flush.

You could always try and slot them with a dremel. It will mar your backplate, but you shouldn't have to go so deep as to cut through the backplate. Just enough to put a cut through the head of the screw so you can use a standard screwdriver.

Or, worst case, drill the heads of the screws off, remove the backplate, then use vicegrips to get the stump out.

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Well for sure this only works on non countersunk screws, the dremel with a smaller cutting wheel works well for countersunk ones....

 

[Raptor720]

Thanks for replies, I'm going to try using pliers to back them out and if doesnt work ill try using a dremel. I'm also gonna order a screw set off ebay. By the way it was the factory that installed them and i have removed them yet.

 

[X]

Could try an easy out (screw extractor).

 

[Raptor720]

Screws are pretty small, ill stop by the hardware store today to get a screw extractor. The plier method didn't work and i don't want to risk using the dremel near the engine.