Had a lot of work done to my motor and now it looks filthy like its 100 years old...i want it to look new...what are the best products and should this be done...thanks fellas

 

There are numerous threads about cleaning the engine bay in this forum. Scroll through a few pages and I'm sure you'll find some good info.

The only thing to really stay away from is a high pressure hose like in the self service car washes. A garden hose at light pressure after using a degreaser is a popular choice, followed by hand cleaning with rags and then some metal polish and protectant for the hoses. A really clean engine bay takes a lot of time and maintainence. Here's mine....

 

That's how I do it.
Clean everything by hand with cotton towels and degreaser like Simple Green or 303 Aerospace Cleaner. Wipe down again with a wet towel as a rinse step, and wipe down a final time with a dry towel. Then use Mothers mag/alum polish on any metal areas.

 

water hose method -

hmmm, i do this all the time ? i guess if these guys say look out dont do it then you should not, i use tin foil and rubber bands and seal up everything electrical. use walmart bag over intake filter and rubber band that. put a floor mat upside down over your intake manifold area, and dont spray water directly on the alternator. you just want to wet the engine down, then spray simple green (100%) or castrol super clean (50/50 mix with water) onto the engine. get to scrubbing like a dog, then spray off. then take some armor all and spray all over the place, and then rub down ( armor all is mainly for plastic and rubber hoses to get them looking like new).

check for water and dry it up in certain areas but this way you shouldnt have anything to worry about, you can do all the IM area after removing the mat, like these guys said, and this is if you are just wanting to do it.

you will need lint free towels, a good scrub brush (a few different size ones makes it better), and much will power !

 

Bluesbrekr--->wow!, NEAT MACHINE!

 

Thanks, mang. It takes a good amount of time to get it into that condition. Now after winter, I'll have to start over again. All the polished parts need to be re-polished, but I'll get it done.

 

Tom - We should get together with Eric sometime soon. We can all polish our engine bays.

 

has anyone had any experience with steam cleaning. I'm looking to have my engine bay cleaned, but im not crazy about simple greening every little part!

 

I'd stay away from a steam cleaning, mainly because of the high pressure involved. Using a degreaser/cleaner on all those little parts and then gently rinsing will remove a lot of stuff...even from the little parts.

 

Good point. O well, guess i'll just have to put aside a weekend for this.

 

Setting the bar really high.

 

Thanks, bro. It seems that every time I look under the hood, I find another thing to polish.

Winter has taken it's toll, though. I've started to re-polish everything. I'll have it back in shape in time for Maxus, though!

 

I do mine @ the DIY carwash. A quick spray to wet everything, then I spray on some industrial strength concentrated degreaser, let it set while I wash the rest of my car, then rinse away. Easy as that. My 96' SE has 137K & this is my engine bay. Not as imaculate as bluesbrkrs, but damn clean for 100K+ on the odometer! how many hours do you spend polishing bluesbrekr?

 

I never actually counted.....but it's a lot. Usually in 1 or 2 hour sessions, concentrating on one area at a time.

 

Almost like meditating... ^^^^ Engine is amazing right down to knuts.... Good stuff, I'm gonna try what you did...

-Thak-

 

when detailing engine wat do i need to cover when i pour water on top, alternator etc?? battery wat else i dont want to have my car mess up in the car wash?

 

Heh also helps that your car is about 3 years old compared with say a 1995 which is 10 years old

 

You'll want to cover up air filter, alternator, and battery. Everything else should be protected from water and shouldn't be a problem. I still would let your products and brushes do the action and not water pressure.

 

True this.