hi,

so i have decided to clean the inside of my valve cover and judging by the caked oil on it the previous owner never did this.

my question is what should i clean it with? i am worried that if i clean it with some chemical that some of it will remain in the valve cover (in some nook or cranny) and get in the engine when i put it back on and ruin something in the engine.

does anyone have any suggestions that wouldn't harm the engine?

would flushing the valve cover with water after i clean it prevent the chemicals from damaging the engine?

 

some gasoline and a brush, then air dry or blow dry if you have a compressor.

 

I have always just used degreaser and/or brake clean and wiped it all clean. Afterwards, I run the VC under water to make sure everything is out and let it sit outside in the sun to dry prior to reinstalling.

 

Maybe seafoam it?

 

+1 for seafoam, seeing how you can put it in your oil to remove some engine sludge, so theres no harm if theres a bit left

 

Yeah I would just use a degreaser. You might not use 1/2 a can even..but you may want to degrease a certain part of your engine with the remaining degreaser later.
With the underside of the Valve cover..just scrub with a brush & see that black/brown turn into a nice silvery shine again...Then spray with water.

Repeat if you missed any spots(the corners get tricky).