Engine Detailing

Lone_Star

Lone_Star

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Well, I have searched yet could not find anything specific. I just viewed Justin's detail of the Toyota Sequia and what a job he did on that engine. Is there a write up on engine detailing.
 
On the same note, when you spray down the engine, what are the parts besides the Air Filter do you need to cover up? Also, what should use to cover them up?
 
coils .... distributors .... air intakes. DP makes a nice new engine cleaner, but I only use the wet towel and wipe down method. You pay for an Opti-spark unit once,and you learn a valuable lesson.
 
Only part I cover is my custom intake on my truck and don't want water to be sucked in. Otherwise, APC/Degreaser and I use a hose on medium mist, never have any troubles. Hard on my truck to do alot with just a towel as Ford has that V8 crammed in the bay lol. But I do the same for all our other vehicles.

Just does something similar to me I believe, after a good cleaning, I just use Armor All Tire Foam, let sit, and hose down, cleans and protects and leaves a nice black finish. I doa lot of driving and especially if I'm going to the lake or anything, the engine bay will get dirty.
 
Lone_Star said:
Well, I have searched yet could not find anything specific. I just viewed Justin's detail of the Toyota Sequia and what a job he did on that engine. Is there a write up on engine detailing.
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Here you go..
Engine Detailing
 
Let me tell you, I have never covered a single item in any engine bay to date. I have not had on check engine light either. The reason: a pressure washer is 75% air. This keeps the engine from being drenched and causing standing water in vital areas. Of course, like driving with a perfect record, an accident can occur at any time.......even with precautions.
 
Surfer said:
Only part I cover is my custom intake on my truck and don't want water to be sucked in. Otherwise, APC/Degreaser and I use a hose on medium mist, never have any troubles. Hard on my truck to do alot with just a towel as Ford has that V8 crammed in the bay lol. But I do the same for all our other vehicles.

Just does something similar to me I believe, after a good cleaning, I just use Armor All Tire Foam, let sit, and hose down, cleans and protects and leaves a nice black finish. I doa lot of driving and especially if I'm going to the lake or anything, the engine bay will get dirty.
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What do you use to cover the filter???
 
Thanks Al, and Justin you really never cover anything?
 
Lone_Star said:
Thanks Al, and Justin you really never cover anything?
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I don't either. Instead of using a hose, I fill a 2.5 gallon bucket of water and use that.
 
Im a little scared to do it on my civic but man does it need one
 
Nuke, think about it. All the stuff in your engine gets wet in the rain, snow, etc. As long as you arn't soaking the engine you should be ok. Follow the AG link the above post, cover the air intake, distributer/coil packs, and some of the elctrical conections that are not covered by the weather packing if you are uncomfertable with doing it. As long as you don't soak it and let it sit there for more than a couple of min., you won't have an issue. That stuff can take abuse.
 
I guess it all depends on the vehicle, because my SUV has protection every where. So much plastic covers that it's hard to get any water near any sensative parts.

But then a gain, I got the Volvo (older) which has everything exposed and I would hate to get water in sensative areas so I just wipe...kinda like when washing the car...exept with a regular towel not a ShMITT.
 
Whitethunder46 said:
What do you use to cover the filter???
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I just grab a plastic bag and wrap/tie it around the box area, stays dry. I have it setup to party block heat from the engine and draw cooler directly from the front and side, so I just wrrap it around that to block the openings. Works well.

Most newer cars are sealed well, especially Ford trucks. My whole engine bay is protected, you could use a pressure washer over and over and nothing will happen. At one point before I really got into detailing, I'm always driving or back in forth to the lake house etc, so enigne bay was filthy, soaked it in degreaser/apc, hosed the heck out of it, started right now no issues, was worried at first, but I saw videos of guys like from Adams pressure washing a s/c'd F-150 engine etc with no issues. But becare on older makes/models as some of them aren't protected as well.
 
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I haven't done a proper detail on my engine compartment yet but am going to in the next couple weeks.
A couple questions.
The paint in the engine bay isn't polished at all. Do I need to try and hand polish and buff to get it looking really good? Or will something like the Poorboys EX sealant and Spray QW do it? And will the PBoys stand up to the heat? (I'm in Vegas and we do get HOT for months at a time).
Also, I'm waiting for delivery of a cold water pressure washer (should be here Monday!) that's variable from 400 to 1600 psi. I'm planning on starting at lower pressure and only working up as needed.
Should the pressure washer work well? I'm going to have to put the car on ramps to remove the protective panel under the engine bay to have drainage. Otherwise all the dirt will just gather and dry there, so I'm going to be doing the front suspension at the same time.
Is it a good idea to apply protectant to all the front suspension parts at the same time? Not sure what product to use on those parts just yet, and suggestions?

Thanks Everybody, Tam
 
It depends on the vehicle. For the most part, just don't go blasting water in the engine bay, and you should be fine.

I only cover up the alternator in my tC, and only use a pretty gentle free flow of water to rinse. No problems yet!

I suppose I should also mention that immediately after I rinse, I blow off as much water as I can with a leafblower (I have it plugged in, my earbuds ready, so everything should be standing by). Then, I'll go start the car as quickly as possible. Close the hood, let it be for about 15 minutes.
 
Since the 60's I have gone to the car wash and used the pressure wand. I would put a plastic bag over the distributor and take care not to hose down the generator (back then). Now I cover the short ram cone filter (my car) and don't flood the alternator. Never once has a car failed to start when using reasonable sense and not trying to flood every component.
 
IMO, never use a pressure washer. Ive heard and seen too many bad stories after using one. Use as little and slowest stream as possible, never wet a hot engine, cover things with aluminum foil.

Every engine bay is different. My mustang has a hell of a lot more open wires and such compared to my dads Audi. Be careful of spark plugs, coil's, open air filters, and other sensors around the engine. After washing it dry immediately with a leaf blower or something. Then turn the engine on and let it idle.

Here are some comparison shots of the two engines. You can see how much more attention Audi give to engine bays compared to Ford. The Audi engine is almost water proof.

Audi...
101917.jpg


101920.jpg


101923.jpg


Mustang... (yes I know its a mess)
150528.jpg
 
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03gtmustang said:
101917.jpg

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Did you use any dressing to top that off? I think that looks great. I've been looking for a spray that will restore that deep black color to my engine bay. All i have is Adams VRT which is ok on big parts.
 
Yes, thats dressed. The dressing is part of a 2 step kit that I got awhile ago. Im not sure if they still sell it. But Im going to start using armor all foam. Armor All® - Product Detail
 
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