anyone have any tips on how to clean up ur engine bay? anything to watch out for? what to use? how long it takes? etc...
First make sure the engine is cool. Next, spray down the engine bay to remove the loose dirt. Next, get a bottle of Simple Green, from any grocery store and spray it all over the engine. The Simple Green is highly diluted and will not harm your car or engine as long as it is cool to the touch and you don't let it dry. DO NOT APPLY TO A HOT ENGINE!! Let it sit for a few minutes. Now rinse off all the Simple Green. This next step is bling, spray the entire engine down with armor all or Son of a Gun. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Come back and wipe off the excess and teh engine will be show ready. I've been doing this since 1995 and everyone asks if my car is a daily driver because it's always so clean.
how long does the process usually take? also do i need to cover any parts like the alternator or anything? also im assuming u need to dry the engine before spraying the armor all
damn dude, that really is clean. just a side note-armorall supposedly deteriorates rubber after often/extended use (a detailer told me that, so i dunno. i use mcguires anyways) also, like milo mentioned, should you cover/mask anything?
(threadJ4cK) alex i should have some *rough drafts* of labels by tonight. just a heads up.(3N6 7h3AdJ4Ck)
I personally use Son of a Gun, I like it better. I spray it all over the wet engine and hoses. After 10-15 minutes, just wipe off the excess and blend in all the dressing. Total time is like 15-20 minutes maybe faster. I would only cover the air filter if it's exposed.
If you guys want a real easy way to clean your engine bay this is what I have done before: -Buy a can or two of Gunk Foaming Engine degreaser -Spray entire can throughout the engine bay -Let sit for 5-10 mins. -Spray down with a low power pressure washer I usually do this at the self serve car washes and just use their washer hoses and facility. This is a lot faster, but will not give you the "bling" like Trey's method will. This is something I do a few times a year just to get the excess dirt and grease off. I will be trying Trey's method for Nopi this year.
trey told me to do this YEARS ago at a car show together, and it totally works! being doing the same way as him since '96-ish
lol, thanks Donny. I know most people back in the day thought I was nust because the dressing "attracted" more dirt as they would say. My answer, clean it again, it's really too easy not to do it when you wash the car.
Oh yea, don't skimp on the dressing when you are spraying it directly on the engine. No need for a pad for this step. Just spray the hell outta everything. Let it sit, then come back with a pad and wipe off the excess dressing/ water and blend. To be honest, when I'm washing the car, I do the engine first as the overspray from the dressing gets on the fenders. I then close the hood and wash the car, then dry the car and door jams and then go back to the motor to tidy up the excess. It's purty after all that work.
do NOT use simple green! it has long term effects on rubber and on aluminum which made the military ban its use! Only use specific degreasers, and preferable citrus based. Much safer cleaners
just to be sure, it's seriously OKAY to hose off --> Spray water directly onto the engine?? so alternator and other electrics will be safe?? Just want another confirmation again.hnoes:
Water will not hurt anything under the hood. Car dealerships use high pressure hoses to detail under the hood. A puny little garden hose will not hurt anything. The only precaution I would suggest, again, is to cover up an exposed air filter so it doesn't get soaked. I've been detailing cars for 15+ years. It was my line of work for a long time. Do what I say to the letter. Oh and the last time I checked, My car wasn't an airplane so that military example is moot and has NO BEARING on any automobile. That thread is quack! Like I said before, I've been using it FOR YEARS with no ill effect on any car I've owned or detailed as have millions of other car and motorcycle owners. Don't be scared to clean your car.
1: you'll note it says all aircraft AND components, composites AND solids, not just exteriors. 2: it specifically says HIGHLY CORROSIVE in the Department of Defense evaluation. This was also independantly decided on by the airforce, army, and the navy. They all knew it by 1989, too. 3:There are alternatives which are more specifically designed for the use and ultimately better at it. 4:this was taken from their own website: if it inflicts permanent oxidation if you don't dry it off quickly or apply it to a warm engine as opposed to a cold one, then does it sound like you'd want to use it on any aluminum (ac lines, polished aluminum with no sealant, certain hose fittings) and trust that you'll get it ALL out every time on the rinse? let alone when you have stuff out there thats known to be safer and just as good or better? He's right about the water. I've never had any problems on the scoob getting a hosedown. As long as you dont make it a point to submerged the alt with a water stream or aim directly at a plug or something, its fine. -- Quack.
Sounds like the simple green website is backing up what Trey said about not letting it dry on the engine, and rinsing thoroughly afterwards. Also, wouldn't the Son of a Gun be the protectant they mentioned? I dont see a problem using simple green if you do it right. if you do it half a$$ then, yeah, it could cause some problems. Besides, in the military, do the people cleaning with simple green have as much love for their cleaning assignments as we do for our cars engines? Somehow I dont see them rinsing thoroughly or following up with a protectant each and every time - and even if one person does, one slacker ruins the whole thing. So instead of training each and every person on how to use simple green, its just easier to forbid it. Warnings are always for the lowest common denominator. :rofl: :rofl: Common sense would dictate that you dont leave a solvent on metal indefinitely...
Hey, i'm just putting it out there. Do with the information what you will. here's a detailing community that has doubts about Simple Green. www.autopia.org I just don't see myself using something known to cause problem vs something that isnt, costs the same, and usually works better...
You mentioned alternatives before, but didn't mention what they were. What do you recommend instead of simple green?
I did mentioned in my first post, "DO NOT APPLY TO A HOT ENGINE" Also note, when I say use Simple Green, it's highly diluted. I NEVER use the concentrated stuff, which I'm sure the military gets in bulk and uses. I bet some slacker uses it 100% and that will cause staining and deteriation of the aluminum metal. The spray bottles, sold in the store, are also diluted and mostly water so no worries there when using them on any car surface. They dumb it down for the average consumer. As for the Military, it sounds like user error to me as I've been using it forever and never had any issues with the product. MANY detailers swear by the stuff. I used the stuff for five years on my Honda motor, pictured in my first post, and it is all aluminum including the intake manifold. It never showed staining or metal deteriation because it was applied correctly per the instructions and used on bi-weekly rotation.
Soap and water. Mine were mint until I used some aggressive track pads and the rotor shavings rusted to the front wheels. Fronts look like crap now. Rears are mint. Also, take them off from time to time and clean the inside and outside. It makes a difference. These wheels were two years old in this pic and I only used soap and water. Notice the shock and caliper: Others with the same car (GTI 337) complained of pitted wheels and their calipers fading. I never had any problems with mine.
Only one guy there seems to have doubts. http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40169&highlight=simple+green Here is a quote direct from Simple Green and using it in Aluminum surfaces...... (seems like common sense to me) edit: DOH, you already posted that. I just added the part you left out. A good rinsing will cure that issue.
Windex works really well for removing caked on brake dust. I've done it as long as I've been doing cars (nowhere near as long as some of you:bowdown but my grandpa recommended it to me.
BAH-HUMBUG to you ALL, i use GUINESS and my 5 'oclock shadow to scrub MY engine clean like a MAN you pussies!!! brillo pad ain't got SHIT...GRRRR!!!! FLOSS MY TEETH with the GROUNDING WIRE, ARRRRH!!! oh, btw bobby, i hear using rainX helps keep the dust from caking in the first place (wheels only), so far it's worked for me pretty well.
If you buy it in a clear spray bottle, it's already diluted. If it's a big jug and says it's concetrated, I do 1 part SG to 20 parts water.
to answer the question on alternatives: http://www.autopia.org/reviews/cens...1e14d299e9eed16f2cc&cmd=browse&category_id=12 some people also use 'GUNK citrus engine brite.' Trey: you gotta add 'engine' or 'aluminum' to the search & make it relevant. ;p http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42177&highlight="simple+green"+aluminum http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=36519&highlight="simple+green"+aluminum http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25363&highlight="simple+green"+aluminum http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6367&highlight="simple+green"+aluminum and I didn't mean it like don't use it ever for anything, just aluminum & most rubber. Most pros on that detailing board use dilution on fabrics among other things.
well, before the site went down for a renovation(#@%$#^%), they had some shops and vendors set up in their programming making for easy shopping, but most of those places had their own online shopping anyways.
i got my beater/DD this weekend, it definitely needs a cleaning inside. Now I need to take the time and go to a car wash and do this as I don't have access to a spray hose around the apartment. But I'll see how this goes.
any kind of degreaser and a brush. I usually do it with the car running. Don't directly spray the filter if u have an intake
this is how my engine cleaning went this is what i did: Foiled and Plastic'd the electornics/altenator also pulled the battery to clean under. Foamy Engine Brighted away. Let sit for minutes. Scrubed that bish! Spray down with the hose. No pressure washers. Let dry. (someone told me u could also shut the hood and run the car to dry off) (*Steam is good if u run the car to dry.) Then armor all the plastics. wipe clean. Repeat if needed. Thats pretty much what i did. Taking your time is always the best thing to do, rushing will get u nowhere.
Trey's method does work well if you dont have a heated pressure washer at your disposal. I have been doing the same since 1995 as well thanks to Trey