Safe Compressed Air?

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Fredrick2003

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In the engine detailing guide on the site (which was very informative and helpful) it recommends that you use compressed air to get the water out of spaces that you cannot reach, such as small cracks and the like.

I went to the store today to buy some compressed air for this reason (and to clean out my Playstation 2) and upon reading the back it says "do not spray into enclosed areas or near an ignition source".

Now, seing as how an engine is both a) enclosed and b) an ignition source, this might be a bad product to use.

So what compressed air would you recommend? I would have bought the E-Z Gust from the site but it is still out of stock and I am looking for an alternative. I do not do enough engine work to warrant buying one of those big machines.

Thanks for any advice :)
 
When they say enclosed, they mean non-ventilated and an ignition source is an open flame of some type. Your engine is neither of these.
 
im pretty sure the guide is talking about compressed air from an air compressor and a blower gun. Using those cans could get pricey I would think. I use my air compressor all the time to blow water out of the crevices and stuff like that.

If the engine is off and the hood is open, I wouldnt hesitate to use the spray can <--- dont come and find me if it goes boom though lol

seriously there is no iginition source in an engine bay if the engine isnt running, accept maybe a spark from some bad wiring, but thats 1 in 1,000,000
 
Well they said "enclosed" and then as an example they used "such as the inside of a paper shredder"... That wouldn't be horribly enclosed I wouldn't think... At least the two paper shredders I have owned weren't...
 
I occasionally use a can of compressed air with little red straw like tip to blow out areas under hood. No issues. Just dont turn can upside down or spray to long as it freezes up.
 
Fredrick2003 said:
Well they said "enclosed" and then as an example they used "such as the inside of a paper shredder"... That wouldn't be horribly enclosed I wouldn't think... At least the two paper shredders I have owned weren't...
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I think they're talking about the fully self contained paper shredders, with the bin under the shredder, the shredder fits over the bin fairly snugly. I agree that the idea is to have adequate ventilation so the product isn't allow to build up and be trapped. I've used these cans of air often working on the inside of a computer - a space that is much more enclosed than an engine compartment and has plenty of heat sources once the machine is running.

I'm sure that working on something the size of an engine compartment this could prove to be an expensive method and an air compressor is probably a more economical choice in the long run.

I have seen a thread before (can't remember if it was here or on another site) where it was discussed the possibility of introducing contaniments onto paint with an air compressor as many air compressors will spit oil and condensation (containing rust particles in some cases). Probably not a big problem working in the engine compartment but something to think about before using one to blow out crevices on the paint.
 
makdaddy626 said:
I have seen a thread before (can't remember if it was here or on another site) where it was discussed the possibility of introducing contaniments onto paint with an air compressor as many air compressors will spit oil and condensation (containing rust particles in some cases). Probably not a big problem working in the engine compartment but something to think about before using one to blow out crevices on the paint.
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:iagree:

right now I am using an oil-less compressor and I use an inline filter on my blowgun. Even then im not too into using it directly at exterior paint, but its a wonderful tool for blowing out crevices where water hides, wheels, and engine bay stuff of course.
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
I occasionally use a can of compressed air with little red straw like tip to blow out areas under hood. No issues. Just dont turn can upside down or spray to long as it freezes up.
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hheheh it looks cool when you turn it upside down

also if u want to spy on someones mail jus turn ur compressed air upside down and u can see through the envelop (freon)

haha but ya...no problems over here with using that stuff on the lil cracks...works well

better than driving 100 mph and getting rock chips and dirt all over your freshly washed car
 
THENIZZZEIL said:
...better than driving 100 mph and getting rock chips and dirt all over your freshly washed car
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I'm confused... how can a guy with a Ferrarri avatar say there is something BETTER than driving his car at 100+ mph? :rolleyes:;)
 
Well thanks, I have talked to other people and they thought I was overreacting as well...

Guess I will see what happens tomorrow.

Oh, one more thing... How would I go about cleaning off a car battery? Since mine looks horrid and we are not supposed to get that wet?
 
Fredrick2003 said:
Oh, one more thing... How would I go about cleaning off a car battery? Since mine looks horrid and we are not supposed to get that wet?
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Water and baking soda mixed up in a cup, and brushed over the battery, or even just poured over it work great to clean corosion on batterys, you can clean terminals with it too, it nuetralizes the acid and cleans them up real well. You can get the battery wet it wont hurt it.

You can "dress" the battery terminals with standard grease, or white spray grease to prevent corrosion in the future.

good luck with your detail
 
Yeah I though the whole "don't wet the battery" was a little bizzare, but alot of sites seemed to agree on that one, so I figured all of those "experts" must know better than me...

Thanks for your help, I never heard about the baking soda thing.
 
happy to help

I should have added that it might be a good idea to remove the battery to clean it if its bad. It will be easier to clean, and you wont have to worry about any of the acid you clean off collecting on the battery tray or somewhere in the engine bay and corroding things or messing up the paint. You can also clean out the battery tray and that area well if you remove the battery.

If you do decide to leave it in the car, I would rinse the area well after cleaning to make sure all the battery stuff is gone and not left somewhere on the paint.

This is how I cleaned up batterys all the time when I was working at different shops.
 
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Fredrick2003 said:
Well thanks, I have talked to other people and they thought I was overreacting as well...

Guess I will see what happens tomorrow.

Oh, one more thing... How would I go about cleaning off a car battery? Since mine looks horrid and we are not supposed to get that wet?
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Wurth battery cleaner is tops for cleaning a battery....sold here on AG's....stuff is magik on cleaning batteries....and safe....I have seen posts on some truck forums where they used baking soda and water..and some sealed batteries have vents on the cap ends..if and any leaks in it can react with the acid and lower the specific gravity of a battery....I have used the baking soda mix for years and never a problem...but find the Wurth battery cleaner much easier....a can will last you ages...I clean my posts every year before winter...clean contacts prevent a non start on a real cold day like -10 ...lol....

AL
 
Al-53 said:
I have seen posts on some truck forums where they used baking soda and water..and some sealed batteries have vents on the cap ends..if and any leaks in it can react with the acid and lower the specific gravity of a battery.
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Learn something new every day... I will look out for this thanks AL
 
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