DIY Engine detailing

Any good engine detailing prod. you guys reccomend?

Water.

And there was another spray i used, it was called Purple something and its industrial strength. Cleaned up my old ass 240s engine bay to brand new.

Simple Green, in a spray bottle, and water.

[QUOTE=Caoboy;92334]Simple Green, in a spray bottle, and water.[/QUOTE]

seconded.. spray that shit on there heavily, let it soak for a sec and use a garden hose to spray it off :).

make sure you don't use a pressure washer. spray the stuff heavy let it sit for a good few minutes then rinse off. after that use a vinyl dressing like 303 aero space to dress the hoses and plastic parts.

[QUOTE=eightsixgts;92350]seconded.. spray that shit on there heavily, let it soak for a sec and use a garden hose to spray it off :).[/QUOTE]

I 3rd that simple green, the way to go

OMFG!!!!!!!  WTF!!!  


nooooooo!  NEVER EVER use simple green.  TRUUUST me, i know my shit.  simple green oxidizes aluminum within seconds and will leave you with a dull pitted dark layer of oxidation that can only be removed by painstaking hours of sanding or sand blasting.  i thought this was common knowledge?  we need a damn concours detailing section of this forum so i can school you guys.  hahaha..  if no one knew not to use simple green, then do you guys also know not to use armour all or any dressing with petroleum distillates?  uhgg..  :pat: 

for removing grease, use any citrus based degreaser such as greased lightning.  it's also safe to use the gunk degreaser products in aerosol cans aswell.  the 'gel' variant is by far the most effective.  it's perfectly safe to pressure wash as long as you aren't mentally handicapped.  you know not to pressure wash electronics such as the dizzy or any major wiring looms so don't do it.  pressure washing can make a 5 hour job a 10 min job if you know what your doing.  and as mtbr64 mentioned, use 303 aerospace for dressing.  it has no petroleum distillates and will not harm rubber, vinyl, or plastics.

I agree, I usually use something similar to Fast Orange but its in a liquid form. I mix w/ water spray the engine bay down, rinse, and its krispy clean in a few seconds...

shit, i might do a detailed write-up with a grip of pics or something.  i thought this was all common knowledge.  the last thing i wanna see is people popping thier hood and seeing a nasty ass mess.  a clean motor is not only great to look at, but also makes diagnosing leaks easier, more pleasant to work on, and keeps it running cooler.  and if you do everything right, it should stay very clean for a long time aside from a little dust.

[QUOTE=BOSOZOKU;92453]
nooooooo!  NEVER EVER use simple green.  TRUUUST me, i know my shit.  simple green oxidizes aluminum within seconds and will leave you with a dull pitted dark layer of oxidation that can only be removed by painstaking hours of sanding or sand blasting. [/QUOTE]


I've never had any problems and I've done it atleast 50+ times.. I, at the very least, keep it away from the paint though.

you drive an 86 i assume by your username.  the valvecovers, head, and intake manifold are all aluminum.  if i had the disc with all the engine pics of all my old 86s i bet your 4AGs look dull and dark compared to all of mine.  i assure you, most EVERYONE who knows anything about detailing a higher end car (especially all members of benzworld.org which i frequent) knows never to use simple green, castrol super clean, or the generic purple power on anything aluminum or steel.  i can't believe no one here knows this.  i have now warned everyone about this, but if you disregard my advice, then live with the consequences.  i wouldn't have responded as i did if i didn't know what i was talking about.

From the Simple Green Website: 

[B][U]Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum? [/U][/B]
[QUOTE][I]Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All-Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation. [/I][/QUOTE]

this is just one little example which is straight from the company and it's not often a company tells you not to use thier product in any case.  search "hydrogen embrittlement" on google or something.  i assure you almost every link that pops up will have some relavance to simple green.  it attacks aluminum and steel and even causes cracks over time once exposed unless the alloy is heated enough to disipate the hydrogen in the metal.  i'm just here to help people where i can and hopefully learn something new everyday.  

now that i've gone over why you don't use simple green, i'll tell you what you should use...  head to wal-mart and buy a few liters of Greased Lightning Orange Blast.  mix it in a squirt bottle with distilled water (also from wal-mart @ $0.60/gal).  also buy a bottle of Gunk Gel degreaser in the white, blue, and orange aersol can.  with the engine cool or only slightly warm, use the whole bottle of Gunk on heavily greasey areas such as the block, trans, or any other area coated in a layer of crud.  hit it with a pressure washer whilst taking care not to wet the dizzy or, spark plug holes, air filter, or any other electronics.  if you have a portable air tank, it's best to dry everything with compressed air.  if you are getting a misfire after starting, remove the dizzy cap and blow it out with compressed air to remove moisture.  now, with a brass wire brush or stiff bristled plastic brush, you can get the crevaces that the pressurewasher didn't clean.  use dilluted Greased Lightning with the brush and that should take care of it all.  for cleaning upper areas such as the valve covers/heads, use the Greased Lightning with 000 grade steel wool.  it will clean and leave a satin shine.  for fenderwells, i typically remove any and all wiring harnesses/sensors or move them out of the way.  i use a soft tipped wheel cleaning brush with simple car wash and a gallon of distilled water.  if your wondering why i use distilled water, it will never leave water spots or streaks.  i then use a cleaner wax on the paint over the fenderwells to bring the shine back to match the exterior paint.  all plastics or rubbers are coated with 303 aerospace and wiped clean with a lint free microfiber towel.  leaving the dressing on will collect dust but wiping the excess off will inhibit dust from collecting.  and that's a basic engine detail.  i've done it all and i'd be happy to help anyone who's looking to get thier motor looking better than new.

^^^^^^thanks for the warning
 
i need to detail my engine VERY BAD. hope you can do a write up with pics.

I use wax & grease remover, the kind you'd find in a body shop. The name itself is self explanatory. Some lighter stuff like PPG DX330 works fine for cleaning up a not-too-badly dirty engine, but something stronger (wear gloves and a mask!!) is good for set-in oil and grime. The best part is that it actually lifts the crap off, so spray on, wipe off, and it's good, unlike water where you have to spray (or wipe with wet cloth), then wipe after right away and try to catch all the dust/grime.
For really, really tough stuff, like when I cleaned off my valve cover before painting it, I used gunwash, because, well, it's freaking strong.

[QUOTE=BOSOZOKU;92507]you drive an 86 i assume by your username.  the valvecovers, head, and intake manifold are all aluminum.  if i had the disc with all the engine pics of all my old 86s i bet your 4AGs look dull and dark compared to all of mine.  i assure you, most EVERYONE who knows anything about detailing a higher end car (especially all members of benzworld.org which i frequent) knows never to use simple green, castrol super clean, or the generic purple power on anything aluminum or steel.  i can't believe no one here knows this.  i have now warned everyone about this, but if you disregard my advice, then live with the consequences.  i wouldn't have responded as i did if i didn't know what i was talking about.

From the Simple Green Website: 

[B][U]Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum? [/U][/B]


this is just one little example which is straight from the company and it's not often a company tells you not to use thier product in any case.  search "hydrogen embrittlement" on google or something.  i assure you almost every link that pops up will have some relavance to simple green.  it attacks aluminum and steel and even causes cracks over time once exposed unless the alloy is heated enough to disipate the hydrogen in the metal.  i'm just here to help people where i can and hopefully learn something new everyday.  

now that i've gone over why you don't use simple green, i'll tell you what you should use...  head to wal-mart and buy a few liters of Greased Lightning Orange Blast.  mix it in a squirt bottle with distilled water (also from wal-mart @ $0.60/gal).  also buy a bottle of Gunk Gel degreaser in the white, blue, and orange aersol can.  with the engine cool or only slightly warm, use the whole bottle of Gunk on heavily greasey areas such as the block, trans, or any other area coated in a layer of crud.  hit it with a pressure washer whilst taking care not to wet the dizzy or, spark plug holes, air filter, or any other electronics.  if you have a portable air tank, it's best to dry everything with compressed air.  if you are getting a misfire after starting, remove the dizzy cap and blow it out with compressed air to remove moisture.  now, with a brass wire brush or stiff bristled plastic brush, you can get the crevaces that the pressurewasher didn't clean.  use dilluted Greased Lightning with the brush and that should take care of it all.  for cleaning upper areas such as the valve covers/heads, use the Greased Lightning with 000 grade steel wool.  it will clean and leave a satin shine.  for fenderwells, i typically remove any and all wiring harnesses/sensors or move them out of the way.  i use a soft tipped wheel cleaning brush with simple car wash and a gallon of distilled water.  if your wondering why i use distilled water, it will never leave water spots or streaks.  i then use a cleaner wax on the paint over the fenderwells to bring the shine back to match the exterior paint.  all plastics or rubbers are coated with 303 aerospace and wiped clean with a lint free microfiber towel.  leaving the dressing on will collect dust but wiping the excess off will inhibit dust from collecting.  and that's a basic engine detail.  i've done it all and i'd be happy to help anyone who's looking to get thier motor looking better than new.[/QUOTE]

Very cool info boso. I will have to spend my next free sunday doing up my engine bay, since the weather is cooling off now would be a good time to do i think.:biggthumpup:

shoot, im stinking lucky to have that big monster of a plastic piece of engine cover to gobble up the whole engine bay. thats down and dirty right there.

with all my other cars, i use what i can thats not abrasive or corrosive. read the label first of course. pressure wash if you really need to, but like boso mentioned earlier, cover all delicate area, ei. maf, electricals, fuses, coil packs.

you can really detail/dress up under the hood using electrical looms, wire covers, braids, bolt covers, polish valve cover, painted plastic engine cover, colored hoses, and so on. sometimes its easier just to cover it up, than to detail for hours. i know, i know . . . .


[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/hotxb990/55gmc5.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/hotxb990/cfengine1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/hotxb990/enghosr.jpg[/IMG]

I 4th simple green. It doesn't leave any residue.

[QUOTE=BOSOZOKU;92507]you drive an 86 i assume by your username.  the valvecovers, head, and intake manifold are all aluminum.  if i had the disc with all the engine pics of all my old 86s i bet your 4AGs look dull and dark compared to all of mine. [/QUOTE]

[img]http://www.portal.conceptual-x.com/andy/engine.jpg[/img]
The valvecovers are painted but otherwise, I haven't had any problems using simple green, on any of my cars. I sold this car last year but I picked up a TE72, and a Q45t that I have used simple green on both with great results. I don't doubt what you're saying at all, but I have never had any problems to give me a reason not to use Simple Green or even Fantastic.

Seems like some good info in here already so i have made this a sticky


Can anyone tell me if the products/techniques mentioned so far can help get the brown stains from rusty radiator fluid off engine bay parts? I tried some orange degreaser but that didnt do anything. Its been over a year since the stains happened but i cant figure out how to get them off. 

Its literally all over the engine bay thanks to a dimwitted mechanic and dodgy cooling system (since fixed, but the memories are there)

if you have pics, that will help immensely.  what kind of surfaces are you trying to get it off of?  the degreaser isn't going to remove rust stains, but it all depends on what kind of surface you need to remove it from.  paint? plastic? aluminum? steel?  i will say that if it's all over the fenderwells on the paint, TR3 resin is a light abrasive polish that should remove it with a little hand buffing.  on metal surfaces such as aluminum, make friends with 000 grade steel wool and an hour or two of light pressure buffing.  plastic surfaces will need to be handled a bit more delicately, but let me know what your dealing with specifically and i'll be glad to help.  :smiley:

[quote=BOSOZOKU;93076]paint? plastic? aluminum? steel?[/quote]

e) all of the above.
I am embarrassed to show the engine bay to my friends, let alone the world wide web lol...

It was literally a fountain from the radiator filler that was high enough to stain the heatshielding of the hood. Stupid mechanic... I told him not to open it when it was hot!

Its on everything from plastic pieces, painted areas, plenum, cam covers, metal, plastic cable conduits, even the firewall...The engine bay just looks really dusty/dirty, yet its not actually greasy


When you say 000 steel wool and buffing, do you mean without any cleaning products?

idk where you live, but if you lived in AZ, i'd detail your motor for free.  haha..  and yes, 000 grade steel wool is used without any product if your removing stains from aluminum or steel.  000 grade will not leave any directional marks or scratches from buffing out oxidation.  i usually clean off any dust from buffing with carb cleaner or non-chlorinated brake cleaner.  but best results are to use the super cheap carb cleaner from walmart ($1.14/bottle) because it has a low petroleum level which won't leave any residue.  it also helps to act as a lubricant with the 000 grade steel wool.  spray on a small amount and buff out the stains/oxidation before the carb cleaner dries.  if you have any chrome or high polished aluminum pieces in your engine bay, and your affraid of using the steel wool, then i have another solution.  use a small piece of aluminum foil.  keep it flat and do not wrinkle it up.  put a very small amount of the TR-3 resin onto the stain/corrosion and buff in small circles with the flat piece of aluminum foil.  it will remove the corrosion without a single scratch!  wipe the excess away with a microfiber towel.  now, as for the plastic bits, you'll get best results from using PB Blaster.  your thinking, isn't that sh1t for getting off stuck nuts and bolts?  yes.  but the reason why it will aid in removing stuck or rusted out bolts is because it's an oxidation catylist.  it breaks apart rust to free a stuck bolt.  it will also loosen up the rust from your old coolant to clean the plastics without damaging them.  an old toothbrush and some PB Blaster will have all the plastic bits fresh and clean.  and again, TR-3 resin will remove all that crud from the painted areas in the engine bay such as the firewall and inner wheel wells.  you'll be impressed after all is said and done.

[QUOTE=BOSOZOKU;92453]OMFG!!!!!!!  WTF!!!  


nooooooo!  NEVER EVER use simple green.  TRUUUST me, i know my shit.  simple green oxidizes aluminum within seconds and will leave you with a dull pitted dark layer of oxidation that can only be removed by painstaking hours of sanding or sand blasting.  i thought this was common knowledge?  we need a damn concours detailing section of this forum so i can school you guys.  hahaha..  if no one knew not to use simple green, then do you guys also know not to use armour all or any dressing with petroleum distillates?  uhgg..  :pat: 

for removing grease, use any citrus based degreaser such as greased lightning.  it's also safe to use the gunk degreaser products in aerosol cans aswell.  the 'gel' variant is by far the most effective.  it's perfectly safe to pressure wash as long as you aren't mentally handicapped.  you know not to pressure wash electronics such as the dizzy or any major wiring looms so don't do it.  pressure washing can make a 5 hour job a 10 min job if you know what your doing.  and as mtbr64 mentioned, use 303 aerospace for dressing.  it has no petroleum distillates and will not harm rubber, vinyl, or plastics.[/QUOTE]

i remember hearing this from other forums about simple green and other similiar products. hopefully you can do a write-up for all of us so we know what to use and not to use. oh and i also heard about armor all interior shine protector actually makes it worse and causes cracking and fading easily with vinyl and leather, is this true? :dunno:

great info regards to the chemical compounds and its usage. 
btw, i feel clean already!


[QUOTE=BOSOZOKU;93147]idk where you live, but if you lived in AZ, i'd detail your motor for free.  haha..  and yes, 000 grade steel wool is used without any product if your removing stains from aluminum or steel.  000 grade will not leave any directional marks or scratches from buffing out oxidation.  i usually clean off any dust from buffing with carb cleaner or non-chlorinated brake cleaner.  but best results are to use the super cheap carb cleaner from walmart ($1.14/bottle) because it has a low petroleum level which won't leave any residue.  it also helps to act as a lubricant with the 000 grade steel wool.  spray on a small amount and buff out the stains/oxidation before the carb cleaner dries.  if you have any chrome or high polished aluminum pieces in your engine bay, and your affraid of using the steel wool, then i have another solution.  use a small piece of aluminum foil.  keep it flat and do not wrinkle it up.  put a very small amount of the TR-3 resin onto the stain/corrosion and buff in small circles with the flat piece of aluminum foil.  it will remove the corrosion without a single scratch!  wipe the excess away with a microfiber towel.  now, as for the plastic bits, you'll get best results from using PB Blaster.  your thinking, isn't that sh1t for getting off stuck nuts and bolts?  yes.  but the reason why it will aid in removing stuck or rusted out bolts is because it's an oxidation catylist.  it breaks apart rust to free a stuck bolt.  it will also loosen up the rust from your old coolant to clean the plastics without damaging them.  an old toothbrush and some PB Blaster will have all the plastic bits fresh and clean.  and again, TR-3 resin will remove all that crud from the painted areas in the engine bay such as the firewall and inner wheel wells.  you'll be impressed after all is said and done.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=DaygoVIP619;93160]i remember hearing this from other forums about simple green and other similiar products. hopefully you can do a write-up for all of us so we know what to use and not to use. oh and i also heard about armor all interior shine protector actually makes it worse and causes cracking and fading easily with vinyl and leather, is this true? :dunno:[/QUOTE]

the culprit is petroleum distillates.  these are used in products such as armor all to extend the shelf life of the product.  when used on vinyl, plastics, and rubber the petroleum distillates will deteriorate these materials by making them brittle.  with regular use, you will enevidably end up with cracks all over the place and black plastic will fade and practically turn to powder when exposed to sunlight.  so no, never use armor all products if you plan on owning your car for an extended period of time.  besides...  armor all only lasts for a few days until it starts attracting dust and looks like shit.  and having a glossy interior is not my idea of pimp shit..  nor is having a greasey dusty ass engine bay..  i keep my interior clean with Meguiar's quik interior spray and a microfiber towel.  but then again, a plus of driving a german built imported mercedes benz S klasse means you really don't have any plastic or vinyl in the interior.  :smiley:   as for dressing anything under the hood, i use 303 aerospace.  you can find it at alot of marine (boat) shops.  if you can't find it, then read labels and find an alternative without petroleum distillates.  dressing tires, i use the Meguiar's NXT shine.  it lasts a long time without attracting dust.  and besides, you should be swapping tires often enough for them to never even develope cracks, so i don't see anything wrong with using armor all on tires..  but the engine bay is crucial to keep up.  just imagine a few years down the road if your fuel lines, power steering lines, radiator/heater hoses, vacuum hoses all start developing cracks.  a fvckin nightmare wether you want to keep or sell the car..

Thanks for the info, and the offer... I am in Australia though... LoL, i better just start looking for those products you mentioned (might need to find some Australian equivelants)
 
I cant wait to try out the techniques you mentioned! Might start doing a bit of engine bling while i am at it!

an aussie, eh?  where abouts are you?  i know quite a few, so i'll ask around to see if they know the equivalents.  but i know you can find the TR-3 resin and PB Blaster at local auto parts stores.

[QUOTE=aristo93;92438]I 3rd that simple green, the way to go[/QUOTE]

i 5th the simple green. :biggthumpup: 

recommend to never powerspray it off, only rinse with very hot water and let dry. detail with that aerospace coat (forget what its called).

Bosozoku, i am in Sydney, so i guess i have a good chance that there will be a store near me where i can get the stuff :)
 
But if you can find out some of the local equivelants that would be great...

[quote=firelizard;92569]I use wax & grease remover, the kind you'd find in a body shop. The name itself is self explanatory. Some lighter stuff like PPG DX330 works fine for cleaning up a not-too-badly dirty engine, but something stronger (wear gloves and a mask!!) is good for set-in oil and grime. The best part is that it actually lifts the crap off, so spray on, wipe off, and it's good, unlike water where you have to spray (or wipe with wet cloth), then wipe after right away and try to catch all the dust/grime.
For really, really tough stuff, like when I cleaned off my valve cover before painting it, I used gunwash, because, well, it's freaking strong.[/quote]
 
 
 
    The last time i did this to my 240sx engine bay, dat shit killed it. My engine doesn;t start up, and it had to sit there for 3 weeks. What a trouble.

Yeah, grease lighting is great!.....here is another tip...water down the engine bay before spraying the grease lightning...and ALWAYS clean a cool motor...not a super hot engine bay...after you water down the engine bay, spray lots of the grease lighting all over(except the fenders) then immediately spray off with water (if you have a huge build up of dirt or grease I recommend using a pressure washer...But don't point is super close...about 3 to 5 inches away will do!  Let dry then dress hoses with an arousal tire dressing....be sure to wipe excess off...Car show judges don't like it when you smother the stuff on...make it look like new...Oh I wax my painted parts too! just an added bonus for the peeps!
later and good luck!

Waterless car wash dust resistor is awesome to keep the dust away. USe a baby diaper to wipe it, baby diapers dont create static like microfiber does.

Yes last time i also buy 240sx but i never like it.its engine not working perfect,but now a days i am buy new model its amazing.

Copied everything will be doing it soon. Thanks sir