Detailing the engine bay

[cnd_beancounter]

Alright... I had to put the car away with a dirty engine bay last year... moved and its been in storage. Its also been grinding at me on a daily basis.

I need a fairly quick way to get it to say 80% show level... (clean to the average person) and something i can work into my wash schedule or once a month that will not harm anything.

Just so much dust, etc under there that I don't know where to start. I know people use a soap type of deal then turn the engine on and let it heat up/burn/drip then wait 30 min for the engine block to cool then rinse? Is that advisable if you watch what your doing?

Any suggestions? Its a supercharged 04 z06.

 

[Riley P]

I would ask Manny but what I did was I did pressure wash my engine off and then rinsed it really well. I drove it home and used Aerospace 303 on everything I could. My engine is stock with nothing fancy/polished to worry about.

On your engine, I would probably just try to do as much as possible with a rag and the corresponding cleaning agent for each surface from Mothers or Zaino. My engine turned out fine at the car wash but I hate advising people to do that. If you do go to the car wash, stay away from the alternator and don't do near your battery.

Did that help? Kind of a crappy reply....

 

[Mad*Max]

Very easy if it is only dust/dirt - you can use a garden hose (I don't like pressure washers for the engine bay) and depending on how dirty it is you can use a bit of Gunk engine degreaser (it has simple instructions).

Once washed I let the engine run for 15 minutes or so to dry it off. Once dry, apply Stoners Trim Shine from Crappy Tire on everything including the hoses and it will look pristine (110% to the avg person).

 

[Manny@Dasilva]

:agree:

Pretty much any light engine cleaner ie Simple Green and no prerssure washer, you could do some damage .

 

[cnd_beancounter]

Picked up some citrix stuff.

Have you guys ever used motomaster engine finish? Looks like a high temp finish/wax/gloss.

Going to try it on the civic then the 300c then the baby if it looks good. Doing this today.

 

[Manny@Dasilva]

Picked up some citrix stuff.

Have you guys ever used motomaster engine finish? Looks like a high temp finish/wax/gloss.

Going to try it on the civic then the 300c then the baby if it looks good. Doing this today.

Don't use it , it will leave a film that won't come off and dull the plastics under the hood .

 

[not2melo]

Pressure washer and the engine can cause problems, did that once before on a old
5L Mustang and will never do again.
I hate the plastic under the hood its hard to get clean and not all streaky.

 

[cmyc6go]

Use a light cleaner and hose off. I use compressed air to help the drying process. Its finished off with Adams VRT and Adams In and Out Spray.

Amazing , Long lasting

 

[Dave91TM]

Don't use it , it will leave a film that won't come off and dull the plastics under the hood .

I agree with Manny. When it comes to cleaning products or just about anything else, stay away from Crappy Tube. Stick to the better brand, Meguires, Mothers
etc. They cost a bit more but they work.

 

[OBSESHON Mark]

I just use a damp cloth every time I clean the car.
That way it never really gets dirty, just a little dusty, so it wipes off with very little effort.

 

[BAD-C5]

I just use a damp cloth every time I clean the car.
That way it never really gets dirty, just a little dusty, so it wipes off with very little effort.

:agree:.......

 

[wantboost]

is simple green and "the green stuff" the same if not is the green stuff ok and how about spray nine?

 

[Spiked]

For simple dust and dirt,you can use a quality spray cleaner such as Simple
Green or Spray 9 followed by a garden hose. A warm water rince would be nice.If you have compressed air that will be a big help and also blows out leaves and debri.A can of compressed air will also work.If you have a lot grease and other stubborn grime then you can try a good degreacer.I don't like Gunk or any of the degreasers that really smell.The smell will get inside the car and takes a while to clear out.I heard the best one you can buy is sold at motorcycle shops.I can't remember the name but it was something like Bike Off or something.I also like the one Red Stallion sells.I've never had any problems with the quarter wash as long as the car does not have a distributer.
If you want to go further you can start by picking out plant and leaf debri out of the cowl grills with tweezers.Next you can do small areas with a tooth brush and WD40 or the engine degreaser followed right away before it dries.Doing the underside of the hood and the border of where the hood sits makes a big difference.I'm talking about the area where the weather stripping is.A bunch or odd shaped brushs from the hardware store are worth the money.Once everything is as clean as you can get it you can use Semi Gloss black paint for any chipped or scratched areas.It looks fairly stock compared to gloss or flat black.If the whole job is too time consuming then there is no reason you can't work on it for a couple of weeks when ever you get some spare time.WD40 is actually a mix of solvent and oil.It works great on plug wires and rubber hoses.Let everything dry off for a day or 2 and then spray all the plastics with a plastic detailer mentioned in previous posts.Spray a fairly wet coat and let it sit for 5 minutes or so in the shade.Next dampen a clean rag with the detailer and go over everything.It never hurts to replace cracked and broken items if they are still available including old hoses and wire loom.Buying new clamps and brackets that are rusted also helps the whole picture.I know this is a very time consuming job but it's actually fun and leaves you with a good feeeling.Now go to a cruise and have a beer. :coolgleam:

 

[427Carl]

I leave the hood down and the car runs fine.... next guy can wash it off