I finally got some time to do this, and rather turned out pretty ok. Got 70% of dirt and oil that was building up under my hood.

One thing though, guy who was washing his car right next to me suggested I shoot water at my engine(and etc) while running my engine, so that all the valves are closed. I didn't think so so I ignored him and sprayed water all over w/o the engine on. No prob right?

 

My engine was off when I did mine. I need to do it again, and give it a good scrubbing this time...

 

You guys are absolutely crazy spraying water on your engines when thier running or not. Cold water on a hot engine, especially one made primarily made of alumninum, is a big no-no. Also, the high velocity of the water can easily work it's way into a so-called "all weather" electrical connector.

You guys need to use some elbow grease and manually clean off the engine. I don't care how much Simple Green you use, nothing is cleans up an engine better than doing it with a damp rag. BTW, Simple Green can make alumninum look pretty nasty.


Dave

 

What causes that?

 

Simple green eats the protective finnish off aluminum (anodization...sp?) and you will have oxidation in a matter of hours.....well it may take a coule of days but you WILL get it. I tried simple green on a V8 Camaro I owned and regretted it, all aluminum under the hood was F@#cked.....little white blotches...you can wire brush them off but they come back...

 

Dave, glad I found your post, becuase that the only way I've been cleaning my engine...


But some of my buddies where telling me I should just wash my engine down. I didn't know about ruining the alumninum, but I was worried about all the electrical connectors and stuff like that. So I'm glad I didn't take their advice.

I have a question? My valve cover is really dingy looking though, but it was like that when I brought the car. What can I buy to restore the finish back to a factory look any suggestion on a products?

 

You will not harm your engine or electrical connectors by hosing down the engine. Just make sure to cover the intake, alternator, and the battery and you will be fine.

I've used that foamy bright engine cleaner and hosed off my engine many times and not a single problem yet. Just make sure you get the environmentally friendly cleaner so it is safe for the sewage system.

 

Why in the world risk it? An old friend hosed down his engine on his 3rd gen and half his windows stopped working because because water got in a connector and shorted everything out. Have you taken a close look under the hood and seen at the electrical connectors tucked in hidden places? Why not just clean the engine by hand? The results are far better. My 7 year-old engine looks practically new.

Ghost Face Max:
I ended up polishing my valve cover and timing cover with high grits of sand paper. It took about 2 hours, but it was worth it. Here's a pic:

http://home.earthlink.net/~thunderlt...s/DCP_0002.JPG



Dave

 

The previous owner of my beloved Max loved to wash his car and that included hosing the engine down...

Guess what, after 70K, my engine looks like a skin disease...white blotched everywhere and even my true aluminum turned grayish/dark.

Also it happened to my bro's 95 Accord. So he doesn't do it anymore on his beloved 300ZX.

Now I have to buy HI TEMP Aluminum paint and paint my engine...sad sad sad.

Why don't I go blue??? too ricey u think???

 

There are worst things for an engine bay than simple green. Have anyone of you ever checked out a high mileage engine bay of someone that livse in Canada or North East part of the US? Take a look at their radiator support brackets or the two brass color water hard lines running infront of the valve cover. Most likely all rusted. Nothing is worst for an engine bay than road salt. I dilute my simple green (important) and I use it sparingly. I only use enough water to wash off the simple green. People that have problems with shorted electrical connections used way too much water. Start your car immediatly so the water will evaporate away (very important). My car has 67K miles and I hose down my engine bay once a month. Since we are showing off our engine, here is one of my pic

http://www.c2cimportlifestyle.com/im...xed_out/12.jpg

 

since were posting pics of motors:



Ant

 

I've been using Simple Green for years on all my cars. I use it on the engine, wheels & tires. Simple Green is environmentally safe and does not cause corrosion. It does not hurt aluminum, paint, rubber or plastic. It does remove wax.

There's nothing in my engine bay thats corroded, all my aluminum looks like the day I baught it new. I clean my engine bay monthly with Simple Green and a garden hose. I just mist the Simple Green and hose it down. I've never had a problem with my electrical systems on any car I've ever owned.

Been using Simple Green on my Motorcycle as well. 13 years later and there is no corrosion on the motor or any other Aluminum parts.

 

how do you get the intake runners clean. I'm not talking about the polished ones, but the ordinary runners that are OEM. I've tried brushes and I've tried chemicals.


CLICK FOR LARGER PICTURE. but you can see a stain on the 5th runner from the left or the second to last one on the right.