Hello everyone,
I have a new (to me) '87 TL Targa, and want to degrease and detail the engine. I performed a search on the board and found that Simple Green is a popular cleaner. I will use this "nontoxic" cleaner on my engine, but after reading some older posts on the board, I want to share the following comments (I am a chemist, so that is the basis for my comments):
The active ingredient in simple green is 2-butoxyethanol (percentage unknown and all of the other ingredients are secret).
2-butoxyethanol may be slightly acidic in water, but if it is applied to aluminum or magnesium wet, scrubbed and then rinsed with copius amounts of water while still wet, it should be fine (no etching or corrosive damage).
In almost all cases, acidic or basic corrosion can be halted by scrubbing with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution, then rinsing well.
Simple green is stated to be "nontoxic" by the manufacturer, however 2-butoxyethanol in undiluted form is toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption. It is diluted in Simple Green, and the product can, in my opinion, be used quite safely with the following precautions: Wear nitrile (not latex) gloves, and wear a respirator if spraying the material under high pressure, causing it to aerosolize in the work area.
Additional information for the hypochondriacs:
Simple Green: The active ingredient for these products is 2-butoxyethanol, an industrial solvent for grease and oil, that is a chronic and severe acute health hazard, according to the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1977). "Butyl cellosolve" or 2-butoxyethanol causes eye, ear, throat, and respiratory tract irritation; coughing; runny nose; central nervous system effects such as headache, dizziness, and nausea; blood disorders such as *hemolytic anemia; and kidney damage (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 1998). * hemolytic anemia in this case would be premature destruction of red blood cells caused by chemical poisoning.
The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) link is below. Worry about this if you are taking regular baths in Simple Green.
http://www.valdezlink.com/inipol/pages/2-butoxy_msds.htm
I hope this information is useful. Chemicals are just tools to be used with appropriate precautions.
Cheers.