Ok detailing gods, I joined just to seek your wisdom on this - ENGINE BAY FILM

B

BlueBavarian

New member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Alright guys, here's the situation. I'm restoring an 89 E30 M3. I cleaned the engine bay with Detailer's Pro Engine Degreaser. It worked well, but revealed (do not think it caused) a strange film that is all over the plastic pieces of the engine bay.

I can make this film flake off with my fingernails, but i have not found anything that will take it off. I have tried DP Engine Degreaser, Simple Green, Einzett Plastic Deep Cleaner, Brake Cleaner, PB Blaster, Tuff Stuff, even tried wire brushes and 2000 grit sandpaper in combination with these, but stopped when these left scratches). My test piece is the distributor cap cover. If I ruin it I'll just get another.

Filmy
2102E3B7-0C42-4263-B753-9B4F6C946BCA_zpstpw563hz.jpg


See where i scratched it off with my fingernail on the left
ADADD3DC-6407-47F7-BF18-6DBF29F7FE67_zpsbymyqebx.jpg


Here's the rest of the engine bay. Its on the intake and valve cover, both of which will be repainted, but i would like to clean it off the other pieces rather than replacing every bit of trim in the engine bay.

85ACDA51-B600-451F-9765-9DD0F7637396_zpsckzg02uu.jpg


I believe the car was owned by someone in the past that thought they understood cars but didn't (given the amount of zip ties and electrical tape I've removed in the restoration). I wouldn't be surprised if they used Armor All or some other low grade cleaning product to try to "shine up" the engine bay, creating this film.

So, what say you? Guide me in the paths of engine detailing. :xyxthumbs:
 
It can be 1 of 2 things. Either its a protective layer BMW put on the plastic way back when or the fool who owned it before sprayed clear coat on all the plastic pieces to prolong the clean look. Either way it looks like old clear coat. For me i wouldnt mess with trying to remove all that as it would take forever. If you spray it with something like megs hyper dressing it will most likely blend in the spots without clear coat. Hope that helps.

If you are really anal about things and want it off no matter what it takes i imagine something like "Jasco" will remove it. However, ive never used it on plastic so that might require some research as its some pretty strong paint remover.
 
that looks like it would be the coating thats on your parts. a lot of cars from that era have that kind of coating.

the trick to getting rid of it is to use a soft scotch brite pad and goof off, put plenty of goof off on it and start working it. removing it may mean you need to re-coat it if the plastic is damage underneath, or find a good dressing that can hide the defects. try it out.


if it really is clear coat, your best bet may be to buy a soda blaster, clean it off, and re-coat
 
I agree with brondondolon, looks like paint of some sort, possibly a clear coat.

HUMP
 
That doesn't look good. Looks like the chemical might have eaten away the plastic. :dunno:

I find it strange that you are having these problems with a product like Detailers Pro. Since a lot of the stuff is top notch.

I would imagine this would have been the case if you used something harsh like a chemical from Home Depot..., but not a DP product.

Well I'm not a God :laughing: so I'll just subscribe.

Good luck and hope you can get the help your seeking.
 
There has been in the past, products for dressing engines and engine compartments that basically left a clear film over everything.

I know Meguiar's sold a product like this that has since been discontinued. It restored a like new finish, (usually dark and clear appearance), and dried to the touch with a non-sticky finish.

I don't think it left a coating like your pictures shows but it could be there are or were other products like it that did leave an actual clear film all over the place?


Here's the deal, if an engine degreaser isn't remove it you're going to have to try something else.

Safe options would be citrus based options or possibly products intended to remove graffiti?

Maybe try some Mineral Spirits or Lacquer Thinner?

p.s.

I buffed out an M3 for the 2002 Bimmerfest that you can see on the label of SwirlX. The BMW badge and grill were photoshoped out to make the car look more generic but that is the Beemer I buffed out.


SwirlX1.jpg




:)
 
Wow thanks for the quick responses guys! Quite an active group here. Thanks for your thoughts Mike, I've watched your videos an they are very helpful. And thats a great M3! I may be heading to full respray town on mine though. Clearcoat failure on red cars sucks

I think you guys are right. Just found this on Pelican Parts' DIY on painting the intake manifold...

"Now we have to clean and prep the intake manifold. Chances are, there is a yellowish film all over the manifold. This is called Cosmoline. BMW used to ship the cars from Munich with a protective coating all over the cars. This is what the Cosmoline is for. Most dealers used a special solvent to remove all the Cosmoline. Usually they neglected to clean the engine off, leaving the yellowish film. In order to paint the manifold, we will need to clean it off. I’ve found that acetone works best to get all the Cosmoline off. Try to find an acetone that contains xylene, as this is an industrial cleaning agent and will work well to clean off the Cosmoline. Clean every inch of the manifold. We need to create a clean surface so the paint will adhere. Once clean, use some painter’s tape to cover the mating surfaces for the intake runners and also for the throttle body."

Anything you would recommend for cosmoline? Acetone will probably melt the plastic parts.
 
brondondolon said:
or the fool who owned it before sprayed clear coat on all the plastic pieces to prolong the clean look.

For me i wouldnt mess with trying to remove all that as it would take forever.

If you spray it with something like megs hyper dressing it will most likely blend in the spots without clear coat. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...


I'd agree with the above....


Ugh... that's a project I wouldn't want to tackle....


:D
 
I'm sittinig in my car thinking about this and one thing that just popped up into my head is the previous owner could have used turtle wax black forever black tire spray on it which is pretty much a can of clear coat if you ask me.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AG Online
 
I just got finished working and restoring under the hood of my 1995 e36 M3. My airbox had that same film on it!

I originally though someone spilled coke or a beer while working under the hood, and never cleaned up the residue. Same thing as you, I could scrape it off with my fingernail. Well anyway, I scraped it all off, and lightly sanded what was left.

After seeing your post, I'd have to agree it is some kind of BMW coating or clear coat.


I'd advise using some of Mike's advise, do a test spot! Before scraping away and sanding the entire thing, just do a small area so you can be sure it finishes out like you want. My airbox didn't come out perfectly, in hindsight I'd repaint it, but some fine grit sandpaper got rid of the worst of it and the scratches left behind aren't really noticeable.
 
BlueBavarian said:
Wow thanks for the quick responses guys! Quite an active group here. Thanks for your thoughts Mike, I've watched your videos an they are very helpful. And thats a great M3! I may be heading to full respray town on mine though. Clearcoat failure on red cars sucks

I think you guys are right. Just found this on Pelican Parts' DIY on painting the intake manifold...

"Now we have to clean and prep the intake manifold. Chances are, there is a yellowish film all over the manifold. This is called Cosmoline. BMW used to ship the cars from Munich with a protective coating all over the cars. This is what the Cosmoline is for. Most dealers used a special solvent to remove all the Cosmoline. Usually they neglected to clean the engine off, leaving the yellowish film. In order to paint the manifold, we will need to clean it off. I’ve found that acetone works best to get all the Cosmoline off. Try to find an acetone that contains xylene, as this is an industrial cleaning agent and will work well to clean off the Cosmoline. Clean every inch of the manifold. We need to create a clean surface so the paint will adhere. Once clean, use some painter’s tape to cover the mating surfaces for the intake runners and also for the throttle body."

Anything you would recommend for cosmoline? Acetone will probably melt the plastic parts.
Click to expand...


any solvent should take care of cosmoline, that is the same substance used to ship bearings , etc. i have installed new bearings in pipe casting machines, these bearings were over 36" ID, and were wrapped in paper soaked in cosmoline. we used mineral spirits to get rid of it and clean it up, but i would guess any good solvent would take care of it.
 
I would try some clean brake fluid (not brake parts cleaner) in an inconspicuous spot. This stuff eats through paint, so be very careful not to get it anywhere you dont want to see substrate.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I just skimmed over this...but Cosmoline is oily stuff and wouldn't leave a flaky film like that. How many owners has this car had? At one time (and maybe still) it was common practice for used car dealers and used car departments at new car dealers to steam clean engines and spray a clear coating on the hoses and plastic to make them look shiny and new. This is sort of like the Sonus Trim and Motor Kote and the old Meguiar's Engine Kote that Mike Phillips was referring to.

That would be my bet, that at one time it was prepped for used car sale and had that stuff sprayed all over. How to get it off I don't know, I would try mineral spirits (just to throw some more fuel on the fire, so to speak).
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I got some GoofOff and man that stuff is serious. Should have worn gloves, feels crazy on your hands.

I used brillo pads and GoofOff on the spark plug cover, it came out a little rough with some spots (probably from all the chemicals and abrasives I've assaulted it with)

u5y7a4eg.jpg


I put some aerospace protectant on it and it looks ok now but not good enough

ygugupu8.jpg


Also tried it on a small plug cover

evabe5a7.jpg


Had the best results on the fan shroud

8e7u4a8a.jpg


Some success on the intake box test area, this is going to have to be painted or powder coated. As I mentioned earlier, a prev owner (I'm the third) like zip ties.

uzazuhe5.jpg


And a little improvement on the right half of the injector cover

uteja4az.jpg


Check out that valve cover. No sealant in the world is going to blend that. To the powder coat or paint? That is the question


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I just skimmed over this...but Cosmoline is oily stuff and wouldn't leave a flaky film like that. How many owners has this car had? At one time (and maybe still) it was common practice for used car dealers and used car departments at new car dealers to steam clean engines and spray a clear coating on the hoses and plastic to make them look shiny and new. This is sort of like the Sonus Trim and Motor Kote and the old Meguiar's Engine Kote that Mike Phillips was referring to.

That would be my bet, that at one time it was prepped for used car sale and had that stuff sprayed all over. How to get it off I don't know, I would try mineral spirits (just to throw some more fuel on the fire, so to speak).
Click to expand...

I agree. Cosmoline used to (may still) come on new cars on various engine/exhaust parts and still comes on replacement parts like rotors. It's to prevent rust or corrosion. It's not cosmoline in those pictures.

It didn't come on any plastics - because they don't corrode or rust. Plus, cosmoline doesn't leave a film like that.

It could be some shiny engine dressing gone horribly wrong...but to me it looks like the "rust proofing" spray we used to sell years ago as part of a rust proofing service. This stuff was the color of snot but like undercoating. It came in a pressure tank and people would spray it in the doors channels where the rain is designed to come out and in various other locations. People sprayed it on engines as well out of stupidity.

I believe places like Ziebart still sell this "rust protection" in the aftermarket. It's also popular in the UK because of the climate. Here is a pic I found of what it looks like. You can see it on the right side of the left square:

edesevap.jpg


Something probably rusted on the car at one point and someone decided to slather the whole under hood with rust protection and over time it baked on.
 
Well, I dunno what that stuff is, but I'd stop rubbing those plastic parts with abrasive stuff like that Scotchbrite (or previously mentioned wire brush and sandpaper) or your going to scuff everything up (as you're doing). Likely you just need to find the right solvent that's going to dissolve that stuff without dissolving the plastic. That's why I recommended mineral spirits as it's pretty benign. Might try the 3M adhesive remover, also. Since you've written off the dist. cover already, that might make a pretty good solvent check piece, although there is no guarantee that's the same plastic as all the other stuff. Good luck.

PS The brake cleaner you used, was that acetone or perchlor-based?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'd stop rubbing those plastic parts with abrasive stuff like that Scotchbrite (or previously mentioned wire brush and sandpaper) or your going to scuff everything up (as you're doing).
Click to expand...

I only used the abrasives on the test piece (the distributor cap cover). The fan shroud, small cover, and intake box were only GoofOff on a shop towel.


Setec Astronomy said:
That's why I recommended mineral spirits as it's pretty benign.
Click to expand...

I would like to try this, maybe on the test piece as you suggested. If you look in front of the fan shroud at the plastic on top of the radiator the film is much thicker there. The GoofOff made some headway on it but not much. The section that looks clean on top of the radiator was that way before i started (maybe it chipped off).


Setec Astronomy said:
PS The brake cleaner you used, was that acetone or perchlor-based?
Click to expand...

It's this stuff. Think it is acetone based.

7040598_wes_w7340_pri_larg.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top