How to clean an engine compartment

[Azure]

Thanks Mike! That's pretty much what I've done to this point. Just haven't used any type of dressing. Where I need to get clean is down along the block sides and in front.

I agree with Mike...if i had that engine i wouldn't really feel the need to deep clean it! If you must, i like the Amazing Roll Off product Mike used on his truck to start this thread.

I think I may is what you suggest here and what Mike used - Amazing Roll Off. There is basically road crudd rather than grease from what it looks like. I think the assortment of brushes list in this thread might just do the trick. Thanks guys. I'll post up a before and after when I'm done.



IG: @azurebluemach

 

[sshazam]

Can I just spray APC on the plastic bits of the engine bay, wipe with a damp rag then apply a protectant ? is it worth using a protectant ? whats a good cheap one ?

 

[PGBCruiser]

Last week I did a somewhat cosmetic detailing of my wife's 2013 Toyota Highlander. While it was mostly plastic and hoses, I did want to wash and apply cleaner wax to painted surfaces.
As per Mike's great write up in the "Detailing Classes" section, I used DP Cleanse- All Exterior Cleaner (rather than a dedicated engine degreaser) as it wasn't that grimey and I wanted a product I could use on other areas (I'm a driveway newbie).
I also used 303 Aerospace Protectant as preserving the rubber and plastic was more important than a "show car gloss."
I don't have before and after pics as, although I worked with the engine bay in the shade of the garage entrance, the Florida sun washed out the photos.
I was thrilled with the results!
The big payoff was bringing my wife out to show her. She gazed into her transformed engine bay, paused then said... "Okay, what am I looking at?" :laughing: I just said - see all the black stuff; it used to be gray.

One question: am I nuts or should I be concerned about wrapping tin foil around engine parts with all the electrical connections in there? I cut out plastic painter's floor covering and taped off with 3M tape instead.

 

[BillE]

...One question: am I nuts or should I be concerned about wrapping tin foil around engine parts with all the electrical connections in there? I cut out plastic painter's floor covering and taped off with 3M tape instead.

I avoid using foil at all costs.

It's just like waving a red towel in front of a bull...don't temp fate. One never knows if there may be just that on little spot that is open to arcing and sparking.

Yes to the plastic and taping, even some plastic food wrap works well also.

Bill

 

[GSKR]

Been detailing for 23 years I've seen it all and done it all.

Mike has tremendous knowledge about detailing he is a good friend of mine we've done several project together.I would just add that always cover the mass air flow sensor if you get that wet just pick up and leave .

I never do engines for cars over 60 k mi . in fact I encourage the owner not to do it cause if u do and the cars is fine when you leave,expect the owner calling you 3 days later and asking you why his check engine light is on .

This always happens with imports .

Cadillac's are the worst .

FYI the the measly 50 dollars u get don't do it ,it's a crap shoot,now on carburetor cars is a difference u have yore standard spark plugs and distributor a lot of the cars from early 2000 have what is called coil packs so in essence beware of engine washing if the owner says to you that oh nothing will happen and insists that u do,better to tell him or in writing you're not responsible.

And those of you that wash engines all the time you're day will come and u will get burned especially if you are not insured.

 

[PGBCruiser]

I'm just the opposite... probably the world's oldest rookie!
I have the utmost respect for Mike's technique, tips and experience; it's just that tin foil seemed a bit risky for a newbie with less experience under the hood.
Other than using plastic sheets only, I followed Mike's "How To" to the letter and I'm really happy with the results. No one will see it; but it felt great to step back and have a look for myself... and it was fun waiting for the PBMG box to be delivered!
Now that the wife's car is looking new we'll see if I can get some time to clean my own car! (Florida heat is my biggest obstacle).

 

[Danny9447537]

Very helpful, thank you!

 

[KB in MD]

Definitely give it a try... one of the advantages of foam is it clings and dwells to surfaces better than a liquid which tends to just run off and onto the ground.

wondering out loud if the foam you produced with the Tornador Air Foam gun is thicker than would be produced with a regular hose end foam gun?

 

[7.3powerstroke]

wondering out loud if the foam you produced with the Tornador Air Foam gun is thicker than would be produced with a regular hose end foam gun?

The tonador foam is much thicker. The foam guns tend to water it down to much IME. the tornador foam clings better

 

[KB in MD]

The tonador foam is much thicker. The foam guns tend to water it down to much IME. the tornador foam clings better

I though so but wanted someone the clarify in case anyone may have thought they produced the same amount of foam :xyxthumbs:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

One question: am I nuts or should I be concerned about wrapping tin foil around engine parts with all the electrical connections in there?

I cut out plastic painter's floor covering and taped off with 3M tape instead.

What I practice and what I teach is to START with plastic. You don't have to use Saran Wrap in fact, often times I use whatever plastic is closest to my hand. Could be plastic drop cloth that I keep here at Autogeek's Show Car Garage for other tasks like taping off convertible tops.

How to cover and protect a convertible top before machine buffing

Or the plastic bags they use at grocery stores or mini-marts. And when I use Saran Wrap I pull out a big enough sheet to have at least two layers over the component I'm water-proofing.


THEN use the tin foil to form a cover around the plastic to hold it in place and THEN cover this whole mess with tape for even stouter protection.

The tin foil trick is an option you can use if you want or not. It's up to you.

I've used tin foil for a number of things in my life. While a TUBE SOCK works great to quickly cover wiper arms, one time I didn't have extra tube socks laying around so I used tin foil because it was,

Quick
Fast
Easy
Cheap
And I had some next to my hand.

Check out these wipers before a wetsanded, cut and buffed this old BMW

RIDS and Feathersanding - A Highly Specialized Technique by Mike Phillips

Look behind the buffer up by the windshiels, that's tin foil.

When the BMW came back from the 2002 Bimmerfest it looks like I used newspaper when I did the other half. Point was I used what I had to cover and protect because I new after a hard day of sanding and buffing I didn't want to try to remove SPLATTER DOTS off of two old BMW wiper arms and blads.

Here's a number's matching 1965 Corvette Stingray where I've used tin foil to cover and protect the rear tail lights and cover and protect the licence plate.

Finished...
1965 numbers matching Corvette, original owner.

Wheels, Tires, Sidepipes, Windshield and Interior
Again, here's a 1963 Corvette Stingray I buffed out for the 2004 Plastic Fantastic Corvette Show in San Diego in which instead of putting the top up and then taping off the top I used a soft flannel bed sheet to cover both the windshield, seats and interior.

Afterwards on display in full sun, this car also took first place in it's class at the Plastic Fantastic Show the following weekend.

Sometimes you just have to think outside the box....

I avoid using foil at all costs.

It's just like waving a red towel in front of a bull...don't temp fate. One never knows if there may be just that on little spot that is open to arcing and sparking.

Yes to the plastic and taping, even some plastic food wrap works well also.

Bill

You know I've seen people make the above comment for years and I've never had a single problem. I use a little common sense and that always goes a long ways.

I'm just the opposite... probably the world's oldest rookie!
I have the utmost respect for Mike's technique, tips and experience; it's just that tin foil seemed a bit risky for a newbie with less experience under the hood.

It's all good. Find something you like and use it often or find a technique that works for you and go with it.

Other than using plastic sheets only, I followed Mike's "How To" to the letter and I'm really happy with the results.

No one will see it; but it felt great to step back and have a look for myself...

And that's what it's all about.

 

[Jomax]

I'll be the funny guy I guess. I,had the foil spark once on my old truck... didn't think and covered the alternator, hit the hot wire.. nice little spark show LOL.

I agree on everything you said Mike.

But anyone who uses aluminum foil around the Alternator, just look for that hot wire.

 

[PGBCruiser]

Thanks again for the detailed response Mike (pun sort of intended).
The more I learn here and try, the more comfortable I get with each task. I did my wife's engine bay and mine in the past two weekends, lots of paint projects planned for the cooler weather - and the other night I pulled off the back interior panel to replace my rear window wiper grommet.
Trust me, I would not have thought about trying any of this before I started following the Forum.
You and the AG community have been a huge help.
Thanks, Peter

 

[PalmAuto]

I am trying to make an effort of being more active on the forums. So here goes:

I do a lot of engine bay detailing for my customers. I like the write up Mike did here. I use slightly different methods currently but will incorporate some of the methods taught here.

My thoughts:

I do not cover everything, I use WD-40 on all the electrical connectors which keeps water from getting down into them. I also use a plastic bag to cover the alternator. I do use a pressure washer but with a very low pressure tip. I really like the idea of foaming up the engine bay as this will help in seeing what has not been touched yet. So far with my method I have not had any issues other then bumping a already weak windshield washer nozzle (from the backside). I feel if you are carful and understand what is going on under the hood you can safely detail and engine bay with water. I finish by using a non silicone dressing. Below are a few of the many engine bay cleanings that I've done. Because I am mobile the lighting often changes between pictures (I apologize for this).

 

[gobygred]

I've found Sonus Motor Kote to be a great dressing after a serious under the hood detail job. It does out let off an odor when the engine gets hot for a few operating cycles.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I've found Sonus Motor Kote to be a great dressing after a serious under the hood detail job.

It does out let off an odor when the engine gets hot for a few operating cycles.

I don't believe we carry that yet on the AG store.

I used Plastic Care and it works great. Here's just one example,


Pictures: Colorado Roadshow Class- Denver Auto Shield



Wet Wash Engine Detailing


This will be a text book example for how to SAFELY take a really dirty and neglected engine compartment and do what I call a,

Wet Wash Engine Detail

A wet wash engine detail is when you use RUNNING WATER to wash the engine compartment. It also means you're going to use a dedicate ENGINE DEGREASER with a variety of brushes to SCRUB the engine and then FLUSH the engine compartment with water without causing any electrical or sensor problems.

And for those that might not know, the other type of engine detailing is called,

Kosmetic Engine Detailing

And this is where you DON'T use any source of running water, i.e. a garden hose or pressure washer. You clean using a spray-on cleaner and the cleaning comes for the cleaner, some towels and elbow-grease.


Now this is neglected and about as dirty as they come...

See the bucket-o-brushes in the lower right hand corner of the below picture? You NEED a variety of great brushes to be effective with your time and energy.

One reason I feel comfortable teaching complete strangers how to do a Wet Wash Engine Detailer is because the SONAX Engine Degreaser not only works great but it's safe on any surface. Thus no worries about it STAINING any surface under the hood of any car. Like polished aluminum.

ALWAYS clean the underside of the hood first.

Here's the Mike Phillips SECRET to never having electrical or sensor problems - use a sprayer with a SHOWER setting.

DON'T BLAST WATER INTO PLACES IT SHOULDN'T BE!

And this is done using a shower setting on your spray nozzle.

After you wash and rinse the inside of the hood, now clean and scrub the engine compartment.

My favorite engine scrubbing brush is also my favorite interior scrubbing brush and my favorite wheel face brush.

Wheel Woolies Boar’s Hair Wheel Brush



Low pressure - not high pressure

And this my friends is how you work smarter, not harder. You use the cleaner, great brushes and elbow grease to do the cleaning work and the sprayer is ONLY for rinsing. People that use Pressure Washers are using the POWER of pressurized water to both clean and rinse and this is when you can create an electrical or sensor problem.

I care not how YOU do your wet wash engine detailing but when I'm TEACHING complete strangers the art of engine detailing - I teach them the SAFE way. Later in their lives they can do it however they want to.


Here's working smarter - not harder and most important - NO FEAR of causing a problem in some other persons' car. $$$$$$$$$$$$

Next - blow out any standing water from any electrical connection.

Non-sticky Engine Dressing

Next PLASTER the entire engine compartment with SONAX Plastic Care.

Yep - just spray this stuff EVERYWHERE!

When done, close the hood and run the motor for about a half hour. It's the engine heat AND the moving air from the engine cooling fan that acts to quick dry the Plastic Care.

Results are DRY to the touch.

The above was done in about 25 minutes as that's what I teach in the class. How to do it safely and do it fast.


Nice work everyone at the Colorado Roadshow Class in 2019

Pictures: Colorado Roadshow Class- Denver Auto Shield



Just one of the things I teach in my car detailing classes.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Been detailing for 23 years I've seen it all and done it all.

Mike has tremendous knowledge about detailing he is a good friend of mine we've done several project together.I would just add that always cover the mass air flow sensor if you get that wet just pick up and leave .

I never do engines for cars over 60 k mi . in fact I encourage the owner not to do it cause if u do and the cars is fine when you leave,expect the owner calling you 3 days later and asking you why his check engine light is on .

This always happens with imports .

Cadillac's are the worst .

FYI the the measly 50 dollars u get don't do it ,it's a crap shoot,now on carburetor cars is a difference u have yore standard spark plugs and distributor a lot of the cars from early 2000 have what is called coil packs so in essence beware of engine washing if the owner says to you that oh nothing will happen and insists that u do,better to tell him or in writing you're not responsible.

And those of you that wash engines all the time you're day will come and u will get burned especially if you are not insured.

Thanks for sharing Jeff.

Myself and others miss you. Hope you're going good.

 

[ZRX61]

Some engines & engine bays are easier than others