Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner 6L Heated for Valve Bodies

A 6-liter heated ultrasonic tank sized for transmission bench work. The basket holds a full 4L60E or 4L80E valve body, a separator plate, a pump half, or a tray of solenoids and check balls, and the 40 kHz cavitation gets into the bore cross-drillings and accumulator passages that a parts washer wand cannot reach. That matters because most valve body complaints are varnish and clutch material sitting in a bore or behind a checkball seat, not a bad valve.

Three knobs run it: a 1-30 minute timer, a heater that holds 68-176 F, and a power dial from 0 to 100 percent. Heat is what actually breaks ATF varnish loose, so a typical bench cycle is water plus a water-based degreaser brought up to roughly 140-160 F, then 10-15 minutes at full power for a casting. Drop the power for soft aluminum spool valves and anodized parts so you are not eroding the finish. Run the cycle, pull the basket, blow every bore out with air, and re-check that the valves stroke freely by hand before reassembly.

The tank is 1 mm SUS304 stainless, 300 x 155 x 153 mm inside (about 11.8 x 6.1 x 6.0 in), with a 272 x 135 x 87 mm basket that keeps parts off the transducer plate. Three 60 W transducers give 180 W of ultrasonic power and there is a separate 300 W heater, so it comes up to temperature instead of relying on cavitation heating like the small jewelry units do. Also useful for carburetors, injector bodies, throttle bodies, lifters and small engine parts.

Use a water-based ultrasonic cleaning solution, not solvent or brake cleaner. Never put a solenoid with an exposed connector fully under for long soaks, and always dry parts with compressed air and re-oil steel before they go back in the case.