How to Restore Engine Cases

Engine cases pick up just about everything from the environment they run in. On a motorcycle, ATV or UTV that means grease, road grime, mud, and anything else that can make it from the surface up onto the case. 

With that in mind, watch the video above and follow the tips below for tips on how to restore powersports vehicle engine cases and covers.

Tools and Supplies- Engine Case Restoration

• Dremel tool (or something similar)
• Bench top grinder with buffing wheel
• Scrubbing pad

• Rags
• Brass or nylon brush
• Respirator mask
• Contact cleaner

How to Clean Engine Cases

A parts washer is great for this job, but if you don’t have one, some contact cleaner is usually powerful enough to loosen up most dirt and grease. Use a brass- or nylon-type brush to scrub if needed. 

Inspect the Engine Cases

Removing the screws, bearings, and brackets inside the case halves give you a better look at their condition. 

A small metal shard inside the case can cause serious damage, and a die grinder can smooth off any rough edges that may break free. Follow it up with something that has grit to it to smooth out where you’ve used the grinder, then clean it up again to remove any dust or shavings.

Polishing a Stator Cover

When a stator cover is damaged, it’s possibly due to the shifter being too close. Use a scrubbing pad on the end of a die grinder to blend it a bit. 

Don’t dig into the surface of the metal, but instead gradually blend the scuff mark to mask the damage. If the cover is painted, stripping off the paint may reveal more hidden imperfections in the metal and may require a little more work.

NOTE: Some covers aren’t made of aluminum. They may be made of magnesium, and their dust is flammable, so use caution. 

Always use a respirator for all of this type of work, since the dust is fine and it’s metal, so it will not degrade in your lungs if you inhale it. 

Polishing the Engine Case

Use a rag to polish everything, and a nylon brush to really smooth things out and add a little shine. Nylon brushes come in different shapes to get to hard-to-reach areas. 

These same cleaning processes for the engine cases can also be done for other metal covers such as the clutch cover, the flywheel cover and so on. 

Keeping your vehicle’s engine cover clean helps protect it from serious problems such as rust buildup. If the cover does get rusted, there are products such as Simichrome polish and methods to clean and restore rusted metal. Watch the video below to see how to remove rust off metal using Simichrome polish.