Hello all.

I'll be embarking on upgrading and converting some older M Locomotives to digital. While I have the train apart I figured good time to give the wheels, gears etc a good cleaning. I'm looking for a recommendation on what solvent you may use to do this?

Thanks in advance!
Norbert

https://www.amazon.com.au/Septon...c61752c&gad_source=1

This is the product I use in Australia & is readily available at any of our automotive stores. Does not damage the armature when washed. I wash the stripped chassis with this & a soft paint brush & the rinse under hot water & dry with a hair dryer & oil axles with one drop thereafter & reassemble. Been doing it for years.

I just use an aerosol of car clutch and brake cleaner.
It gives a nice jet that blasts all the muck out of the nooks and crannies of the chassis and gears. It evaporates off with no residue and leaves everything clean and dry ready for oiling.
Quick, easy and effective. I've been using it for ages.

Best to do it outside though as the muck coming out of the chassis is a bit messy.

Yes, I use this "Reinigungsdestillat" by modellbahnprofi.com, and it is very convincing. They guarantee it doesn't harm paint nor printings nor decals nor armature / coils.

Thank you everyone for the input. Plenty of options to try. I’m sure I’ll have the cleanest locs in town. LOL. THANKS AGAIN!

Correction, I just noticed that the decoder was removed before the bath, so just the interface board was soaked. Still amazed though.

Well, "plastic" doesn't equal "plastic". I tested that stuff on PE, PP, PS, Macrolon (CD material), and on two of my Märklin locos' housings. I did not find any harm to the surface, to my satisfaction. Though I did not expose the surfaces for longer periods, just minutes.

On top I contacted the producer novadur.de who told me they had it certified by experts ("gutachterlich" in German) for cleaning delicate parts, but only the "Reinigungsdestillat", not the "Dampfdestillat" (steam fluid), and they discouraged using the latter for cleaning, even though same formulation plus some perfume, but not certified.

Of course, I cannot tell which material is used for housings between MRR manufacturers, or even between a manufacturer's product lines. I'd advise to test a droplet on interior surfaces to see if e.g. some matting occurs.

What I usually do is take off the housing so I can see the cog wheels and moving mechanics, immerse the loco into the Destillat, and run it for a few minutes, forward and reverse. As shown in the original Märklin video (and others). So I can be sure all dirt and gunk are rinsed out.