Morning all I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a post or article in regards to cleaning the engine and bay. I have searched the forum and I can't find anything. I'm reluctant to get the high pressure steamer out and go nuts as I'm worried I will damage components. Would rather do it by hand. Does anyone have any good tips, tricks, products to assist me? Thanks in advance. Ads
Put the steam cleaner away Many bad things will, and have, happened to members who use those sorts of devices in a Z engine bay. I'd go doing it by hand myself as well. As for tips, tricks and products, hopefully another member will be able to provide input Actually, degreaser might be a handy tool to have in your arsenal Cheers, Tom :zlove:
As Tom said, no pressure cleaner! A degrease and rinse keeping water spray away from electrical connectors and the crank angle sensor you should not have any worries. Just make sure you take it for a run to get some temperature in there to evaporate any residue.
there is an article somewhere in the tech section ... i think that the author is k-zed" ....... note for BARON: ... could you get some larger pics, Vic ... ?????
OOps! On Imageshack which option do you pick for "normal" size pics?? Thats all I get, enormous or thumbnail
Baron...extremely hot engine, but unfortunately, not a possibility for me. It looks like Chuck Norris swallowed that engine whole and crapped it out! Mine isn't too bad (Maybe): Being a yellow car I wanted to clean up the throttle cover and paint the strip yellow. Thoughts?
Wow Jaz, now I don't feel so bad about my engine bay! j/k I'm no detailer, but I'm sure you could fix most of that with a damp rag...maybe degreaser if you need it. Then if you want to freshen it up, you could paint some of the removable parts and put coloured hoses/vac lines, etc on it. Depends how important you see it, I guess..
ive been talking to some detailers recently and they always spray the engine down with high pressure water.. they say.. all the connectors have rubber seals in them. water SHOULD not be able to pass them. leave the car on while you spray it down. but that being said i would never do it to my car still... just passing on words form a detailer.
Having done this recently (with Jedi's help!).......a cloth, soapy water & some degreaser (or parts cleaner) is the way to go! Get the degreaser onto the plenum & give it a good scrub with a steel dish scourer! - then wipe off the residue! As far as everything else goes just get a damp (not soaked) soapy cloth onto it! It will mostly be dust so it comes off quite easily! - you'll just need to keep changing the soapy water frequently! Pick a side to work on & off you go! - small hands help to get into all the hard to reach places! - & an old tooth brush will come in handy too! Apart from that it's just patience! Definitely don't go the quick fix with any pressure jet! A little polish on the exposed paintwork will be a nice finishing touch too! You'll be surprised how much better it will look with only a couple of hours work!
im a detailer and window tinter best to get in there with ur hands and do it manually, product wise here in adelaide i would use a product by AUTOSMART its called 'truck wash degreaser' its the best and gets rid of grease and grime almost instant just have an air blower tool connects to air compresser. a pressure washer on the lowest setting so water isnt coming out fast. 1] spray the degreaser on the dirty bits wait 2minutes and spray off lighty with the gurney turn the car on and get the air blower blow all terminals connectors with air and the its klean no dramas
Another helpful tip, use a jug of boiling water to rinse off the degreaser... helps break up all the crap that builds up Once you've done all the hard work cleaning, it's just a matter of maintaining it. I went over mine again just this weekend
Serious ay CRC every few days and a light wash with the hose, it brings all your plastics up like new and looks a million dollars. just crc first all around plugs and connectors.
Degreaser, toothbrush and elbow grease for this result. Square off a section about 10cm x 10cm. Finish that, then move on. PS: NONONONONONO to steam cleaners. The wiring plugs are supposed to have rubber boots but most are cracked. Corrosion is the #1 cause of most engine problems from misfires to non-starting. Don't do it...
true, detailers do spray them down, and so do most workshops , however even if there are rubber seals those seals have been in a toasty hot zed engine bay for 20 odd years so maybe not sealing so flash anymore..........
Thanks for the reply's guys! I shall post the results of my efforts once I have busted my ass cleaning. I would really like the center strip of the throttle cable cover to be yellow with the writing on it. How would I do that? What is it made of? BTW, all those who posted pics of sexy engine bays...I hate you! Watch this space! Ads
I think it is plastic yes. It seems to be a red plastic cover (with the letters etched) covering brushed metal on a bit of foam stuff. Can anyone confirm? Basically I want both of these yellow to match the car colour with the writing unchanged: The left (TwinTurbo) panel seems to be metal so I have no idea how I would do that. Was going to check with a signwriter. Would any one have any idea? Cheers Ads
