damn dirty engine bay
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,813
Likes: 3
From: Orlando Florida
damn dirty engine bay My engine bay needs a a good cleaning and I am wondering if there is any cleaning wipes for engine bays thta have products that wont effect the components under the hood (stain or rust) or be dangerous with the intense heat the engine makes.
I go to my local chevy dealer that i deal with, and have the prep guy give me some of thier engine cleaner/degreaser. I spray it on, and carefully spray it off, and hit it with the air compressor. Not only leaves the bay sparkling and looking sweet, but gives it a nice sweet smell.
for a good cleaning use this sticky https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearance-detailing/159036-proper-cleaning-lsx-engine-bay.html
as for shining up the plastics, i use Dupont tire shine. i use to use armorall, but dirt and dust seemed to cling to it more then the tire shine.
as for shining up the plastics, i use Dupont tire shine. i use to use armorall, but dirt and dust seemed to cling to it more then the tire shine.
mist the bay down (mist not hose) and get a wheel brush. then use some soapy water and get it damp on the brush and scrub it down. another mist (by this time its looking wet) they quickly dry it off and use an air compressor to get the resting water out of crevises. after that just keep up on it and use whatever product u like to give it a little shine. but be easy on it otherwise it will get dirty again really quick. i dont use anything myself just wipe it down every few days with my chamois.
My approach is really simple.
1/Use Simple Green to soak the whole engine bay. It does not seem to harm paint or aluminum. (cold engine) I typically use from 1/2 - 1/3rd of a bottle on mist getting into all the nooks.
Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then hose off with normal cold water pressure. I then blot dry what I can, and then apply Turtle Wet n Black. I then wipe down all exposed areas. Hoses, paint, intake, wires, and exposed aluminum.
Typically I soak the motor first, then wash the rest of the car. Then rinse the motor. Back into the garage and shammy the car. When I am done I blot the engine and detail it. The total time out of my wash and detail is really only 15-20 minutes tops. Typically the whole car including under the hood takes me 45-60 minutes.
Once a year I wax under the hood. Adding 30 minutes to the job. Just the fenders and the bottom of the hood.
Waxing is a whole different kettle of fish.
1/Use Simple Green to soak the whole engine bay. It does not seem to harm paint or aluminum. (cold engine) I typically use from 1/2 - 1/3rd of a bottle on mist getting into all the nooks.
Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then hose off with normal cold water pressure. I then blot dry what I can, and then apply Turtle Wet n Black. I then wipe down all exposed areas. Hoses, paint, intake, wires, and exposed aluminum.
Typically I soak the motor first, then wash the rest of the car. Then rinse the motor. Back into the garage and shammy the car. When I am done I blot the engine and detail it. The total time out of my wash and detail is really only 15-20 minutes tops. Typically the whole car including under the hood takes me 45-60 minutes.
Once a year I wax under the hood. Adding 30 minutes to the job. Just the fenders and the bottom of the hood.
Waxing is a whole different kettle of fish.
Last edited by RAMPANT; Mar 24, 2008 at 10:47 PM.
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It is supposedly an old english saying, maybe more of a Canadian thing due to our common wealth heritage.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ket1.htm
Yes a Kettle of fish under the hood is bad.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 616
Likes: 0
From: Wausau, WI
I use simple green wipes or some some out of a canister that has an orange top the name is something with orange in it I can't think of the name right now, and then for the plastic armor all. Works pretty decent.
+1 they work very well but my engine bay is barely dirty and very quickly after starting on a new wipe i find myself smearing dirt around then i have to wipe it up with a paper towel and use a new one already
