Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 3441 Location: Melbourne Australia
Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 12:48 pm Post subject: Cleaning the Engine Bay
I hope Warefare doesn't mind me quoting him here. I received this via PM and I though it may assist and inspire others.
I am no car detailer, but it is easy if you have a little time and give it a go!
As far as products go, I use Maguires stuff. Yes, expensive, but if you follow the instructions, you don't have to clean as often coz you get it right the first time. The speed detailer is my favourite as I have washed my car in the driveway dozens of times without wasting water and simply use a couple of bucket fulls of water.
Warfare wrote:
Hi Chris,
I was just wondering about your engine cleaning routine and any particular products you use, seeming as you have the cleanest engine bay here Mine is getting a little grubby and to be honest I've never really bothered to clean the engine on any of my previous cars, and I'm a little hesitant about initially just spraying around with degreaser or a hose in there to get 6 months worth of crap off.
Oh also, with your white parkers in the headlights, do you know if they pull those out in compliance? Mine don't seem to work
Thanks!
Firstly, thanks for your comments.
Do not go gunhoe and spray degeaser over your engine bay! You are lible to damage all the painted surfaces in the bay!
I would basically recommend pulling all the plastic parts out. That includes all the large plastic piping and and intercooler piping etc. This does 2 things. It allows you to clean all these parts seperately and gives you access to the engine bay and some of the bits that are not seen.
I usually pop these plastic and rubber bits in my laundry trough and wash them with a strong dishwashing detergent. ant oild or grease is removed with a bit of scrubbing, just like washing the dishes. I then wipe them over with a clean rag and let them dry a bit. Once you have done this, then use something like armourall or a rubber/plastic cleaner to get them shiny and black again.
On the inside painted part of engine bay use a bucket and a small amount of detergent and wash it like washing the outside of your car. Be carefull of degreaser as the paintwoprk is not that great in here and you don't want to strip the paint off!
on the bottom of the engine etc where oil cakes up I use highly dilluted heavy duty degeaser and make sure I wash it all off quick smart. also be carefull or the serpantine belt, alternator etc. Stay away form these as much as possible. If there is oil on the alternator, use some degreaser on a rag and wipe it off.
Paint and polish the strut brace.
Paint the front with black paint. Give it a wash and rough sand first. makes the engine bay look a gasillion percent.
get some metal polish and polish the power steering container.
Last tip is to pay attention to the plastic engine cover. I usually remove this and wash and polish it seperately.
Cheers,
Chris
PS I took advantage of cleaning while my engine was in pieces, so I cheated a bit. It is really just a matter of taking your time and you can do it bit by bit.
Last freaked with by christodav on Fri May 22, 2009 9:02 pm; freaked 4 times in total
Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 2211 Location: Southside, Adelaide
Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 7:11 pm Post subject:
Thanks for the tips Chris! Hopefully I'll do mine next weekend - gotta paint my cooler pipes black and get some black silicone joiners too. No more goddamn blue engine bay accessories!!
Oh yeah, please ignore the comments about my parkers - turns out I'm just an idiot and they work fine
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Mine is getting a little grubby and to be honest I've never really bothered to clean the engine on any of my previous cars, and I'm a little hesitant about initially just spraying around with degreaser or a hose in there to get 6 months worth of crap off.
