What to use to clean head mating surface on block?

[TheSubaruJunkie]

So I got the heads at the machine shop. And I should get them back today. When I removed them, there is a whole mess of left over residue from whatever sealant was used on the previous gaskets. Its all over the block where the heads mount.

What do you guys suggest I use to clean it up so my new gaskets will adhere properly?

-Brian

[evolutionmovement]

Razor blades and brake cleaner.

[Hocrest]

I used a air grinder with a little disk with a bunch of yellow nylon(?) bristles. Like a brass wire brush, but the bristles are some kind of plastic??

The guy at Napa called it a yellow finger cookie???

Worked great and left no scratches or gauges.

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Thanks Hocrest, I will look into that. Thats what Im worried about, leaving groves or low spots. My angle grinder is like 12,000rpm IIRC and I know if I try to use a pad of any sort at that RPM im likely to create a low spot in my block somewhere.

[skid542]

I used a very sharp pocket knife with a gentle curving blade and brake cleaner to work the large debris off. You have to be careful as you can cut into the block and heads with the knife. But I found a pocket knife gave me much better control and comfort than the razor blade.

Then after removing as much as I comfortably could with the knife, I used a brass wire brush and went at it by hand. Seemed to work pretty well. It had a nice shine to everything and a machinist's straight edge showed it flat.

Patience is key though .

[evolutionmovement]

You definitely have to be careful with the blade and mostly use it to scrape after getting the heavy debris. The thing that sucks about alloy is that you can't use the more aggressive scrapers or at least I wouldn't. There are foam abrasive pads along the lines of a dish scrubber that come in different strengths that are pretty nice for final cleaning as well.

[Murphy]

a knife and scotch-brite pads is what i like to use

[AWD_addict]

If the sealant is a pain you could try Permatex gasket remover. It comes in a spray can and melts things like gaskets and rubber gloves.

[IronMonkeyL255]

Razor blade and scotch-brites here.