¿Se puede limpiar la cadena de una moto con limpiador de frenos? ¿Es seguro o no?

Never use brake cleaner to wash your oil seal chain. Whether it is a chlorine-containing or non-chlorine-containing formula, the violent solvents inside will directly destroy the plasticizer in the O-ring and X-ring made of nitrile rubber. The consequence is that the rubber expands and cracks, and finally all the grease sealed in the original factory leaks. Once the internal grease is gone, your chain will be completely scrapped from the inside after running a few hundred kilometers. If someone asks, “Can I wash a motorcycle chain with brake cleaner?”, the answer for any modern street car is absolutely no.
In order to see how damaged the chain is, I recently soaked a standard motorcycle O-ring in chemicals commonly used in various workshops for 24 hours to record the critical point of its scrapping. The following bench measured data is expected to change your habit of maintaining the transmission system.

Chemical Principle: Why Does Brake Cleaner Destroy O-Rings?

The brake cleaner mainly relies on tetrachloroethylene, acetone or heptane, which are powerful chemicals to instantly dissolve stubborn brake dust and scorched oil stains. But the problem is that these components and oil seal chain commonly used nitrile rubber (Buna-N) completely misfit.
Brake cleaning agents cause “lipid extraction” of rubber compounds “. The solvent will pump all the essential oil components out of the O-ring. When the chemicals are volatilized, what is left is rubber that is shriveled, brittle and structurally damaged. Many car friends feel a sense of accomplishment when they see the chain washed shiny and shiny. They have no idea that they have just dissolved the only barrier that prevents sediment from entering the chain pin.

What is the difference between chlorine-containing and chlorine-free formulations?

No matter what kind of formula, it is not safe for your oil seal, even if it has been rumored in the car repair circle that the “chlorine-free” cleaning agent is relatively mild. Chlorine-containing brake cleaner uses toxic organic chlorides, which will make the rubber expand instantly (the volume can be increased by 30%). Formulations that do not contain chlorine usually contain high concentrations of acetone or aliphatic hydrocarbons. Acetone is the bane of the synthetic polymer in the X-ring, which can make the rubber stiff within a few hours of spraying.

24-hour solvent immersion test

Workshop rumors are not as good as measured data. I took several identical brand-new 520 chain O-rings and threw them into glass jars filled with brake cleaner, gasoline, WD-40 and kerosene for 24 hours to observe their size and structural changes.

Oil-free chains and “flash rust” traps

Some off-road players use chains without oil seals, and feel that since there is no rubber ring to fear melting, is it always okay to use brake cleaner? Technically, it is okay, but it is easy to fall into the “flash rust” trap.
The brake cleaner will strip all the grease from the bare metal surface, leaving the metal in an unprotected state. And because the solvent volatilizes in a few seconds, the temperature on the surface of the chain will drop sharply, directly condensing the moisture in the air into tiny droplets. Perfectly exposed steel meets condensate and immediately produces a lightning oxidation reaction. When you slowly pick up the chain oil and prepare to spray it, tiny rust invisible to the naked eye has actually grown inside the pin.

S.A.F.E. Chain Maintenance Rules

Stop guessing which workshop medicine can be sprayed on the car. Professional racing technicians have a set of fixed standard procedures, which can clean the transmission without hurting the parts. I call it the S.A.F.E. Rule:
Safe solvent starting (Solvent-safe selection): You must use chemicals that are harmless to nitrile rubber. Kerosene (paraffin oil) has always been the gold standard recommended by engineers in DID, RK and EK. It can easily handle heavy road dirt without biting the oil seal.
Gentle agitation and scrubbing (Agitation without destruction): Solvents alone can only loosen the sediment, you have to do it. Use a special soft nylon brush. Never use a wire brush or a hard metal brush, which will cut the fragile X-ring directly and even poke the frosted soil into the depths of the roller.
Flush out the debris: Before adding new oil, the dissolved mud must be cleaned. Dry the chain thoroughly with a clean microfiber cloth. If you spray new chain oil directly on the dirty cleaning agent residue, it is equivalent to making 1 bottles of “liquid grinding paste”, which can gnaw your dental discs horribly.
Wrap while hot (Encapsulate while warm): the chain has temperature, and the new oil can completely seep into the roller. First ride for 10 minutes to let the chain reach the working temperature, and then hit the high-quality chain wax or synthetic chain oil directly on the inside of the chain (that is, the side that touches the tooth plate) to completely seal the clean O-ring and keep the water out.

3 Best Alternatives to Brake Cleaner

If you want to clean the motorcycle drive, you don’t need those crude car solvents. In the future, who will ask if you can wash the chain with brake cleaning agent, directly recommend the following 3 a safe replacement plan:
Kerosene (paraffin oil): the absolute trump card of cost performance and effect. Cheap, dissolve the old chain wax very fast, and from the chemical level can not corrode the nitrile rubber oil seal.
Special motorcycle chain cleaner: Motul (Motel), Maxima or Muc-Off cleaner, all use a special surfactant formula. They can get rid of dirt without the use of potent volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Basic WD-40 (Multi-purpose Anti-rust Lubricant): Despite the online noise every day, a large number of long-term tests have proved that ordinary WD-40 can neither wear intact O-rings nor destroy rubber. It’s the 1 excellent and easy-to-buy cleaner-provided you’re done with real chain oil.

Preguntas frecuentes

carburetor cleaning agent (clear) can be used to wash the chain?
Absolutely not. Huqing contains methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and toluene, which are more powerful than brake cleaner. Huqing will instantly dissolve the O-ring and directly scrap your oil seal chain.
What should I do if I accidentally spray the brake cleaning agent on the chain?
If your hand is slipping and spraying a little droplet, wipe it off with a dry rag and spray a thick layer of chain oil immediately. The real problem is soaking for a long time. As long as it is handled quickly, a short spray will at most dry the outer skin.
Can I use the engine external cleaning agent (degreaser) to wash the chain?
Most of the heavy engine degreasing agents on the market contain strong alkali, which will degrade rubber and corrode aluminum alloy dental discs over time. Old and practical chain cleaning agent or kerosene bar.
How long does the oil seal chain wash?
Streetcars usually run 800 to 1000 kilometers (about 500-600 miles) and it’s time to wash and oil. If it rains or is heavily dusty, or if it is sprinkled with snow and salt in winter, you must wash it immediately after riding.
Can it be washed with soap?
Yes. Mild detergent is fine with the mud on the surface of the water, but it does not have the destructive power of the solvent and cannot handle those sticky old chain wax. And as long as you touch the water, you must blow dry the chain thoroughly with a high-pressure air gun before applying new oil, otherwise it will rust inside.
Will brake cleaner damage paint or plastic parts?
Yes. Brake cleaner can instantly bite off varnish, melt ABS plastic parts, and discolor the anodized aluminum parts on your rear rocker arm. Do keep this thing away from the exterior of your body.