engine dressing
- Thread starter frankie
- Start date
Phil
New member
I use Griots undercarriage spray. ( Griotsgarage.com )
Before you do it, spray wd40 on all wires and electrical parts. It repels water. Then I spray the entire engine with the undercarriage spray. (make sure the engine is cool!) Let it sit about 10 minutes, then wipe the access off.
Before you do it, spray wd40 on all wires and electrical parts. It repels water. Then I spray the entire engine with the undercarriage spray. (make sure the engine is cool!) Let it sit about 10 minutes, then wipe the access off.
1. Spray compartment with a good APC mixture
2. Let sit for 2-4 minutes
3. High pressure rinse
4. Respray difficult areas again
5. Agitiate with brass brush
6. High pressure rine
7. Use wheel brush with double concetration car shampoo to clean all parts
8. High pressure rinse
9. Wipe big areas dry with terry towel
10. Wait 30-45 minutes
11. Spray with Stoner's Trim Shine to give a glossy look
Hope my methods are good!
2. Let sit for 2-4 minutes
3. High pressure rinse
4. Respray difficult areas again
5. Agitiate with brass brush
6. High pressure rine
7. Use wheel brush with double concetration car shampoo to clean all parts
8. High pressure rinse
9. Wipe big areas dry with terry towel
10. Wait 30-45 minutes
11. Spray with Stoner's Trim Shine to give a glossy look
Hope my methods are good!
ardetailing
New member
It is always a good idea to protect the electronics. (plugs, distributor) Never count on these things to be water tight. It only takes a little water in the wrong place to keep the engine from running correctly, and guess who the customer will be upset with. A small plastic bag and some masking tape works well.
Thats always a good safe guard, but you really on need be this concerned in a very shabby car. Most cars have safeguards and what not to prevent any type of problems. And you could always disconnect the negative on the battery if needbe.
Oh and also, if you let the car air dry for several hours before starting it up, there should very little if any water still sitting around, so problem solved.
Oh and also, if you let the car air dry for several hours before starting it up, there should very little if any water still sitting around, so problem solved.
Actually, you do need to be VERY concerned, especially on newer cars. Many manufacturers have TSB's stating that only Non-corrosive cleaner be used to clean the engines as they are having problems with electrical failures. Ever price an ECM for a BMW? Several thousand dollars! A product like Pro Wax C-55 is a good choice.
Moreover, solvent based dressings should not be used on the engine do to flash off. It is generally recommended that water based dressings be used. Meguiar's Engine Kote comes to mind as a good choice.
Modern electronics use capacitors that are still charged for quite sometime AFTER the battery is disconnected. If water gets into them, they are had it along with several other electronic parts. There are no safe guards that prevent water entry. All the electronics should be covered: alt., dist., power distr. box, ECM, water in and around the plug holes( really bad on mini vans using the Nissan 3.0L engine!!) etc, etc.... .
No offense, but it is a lot more dangerous than you think. Most Pro detailers I know, stay away from the engine compartments unless it is a hand wipe down for a car show. I will not touch one as I really do not want to have to pay $1000's on electrical damage.
Again, this is not a flame. Just some info that I thought you should be aware of.
Moreover, solvent based dressings should not be used on the engine do to flash off. It is generally recommended that water based dressings be used. Meguiar's Engine Kote comes to mind as a good choice.
Modern electronics use capacitors that are still charged for quite sometime AFTER the battery is disconnected. If water gets into them, they are had it along with several other electronic parts. There are no safe guards that prevent water entry. All the electronics should be covered: alt., dist., power distr. box, ECM, water in and around the plug holes( really bad on mini vans using the Nissan 3.0L engine!!) etc, etc.... .
No offense, but it is a lot more dangerous than you think. Most Pro detailers I know, stay away from the engine compartments unless it is a hand wipe down for a car show. I will not touch one as I really do not want to have to pay $1000's on electrical damage.
Again, this is not a flame. Just some info that I thought you should be aware of.
NattyBumppo
Strange name, ain't it?
2hotford said:
Very good info! I agree totally.
Griots Undercarriage Spray is not something I would use in the engine compartment.....it 's a solvent based product. Like 2hot said...only water based dressings in the engine area. I differ on the merits of Meg's Engine Kote. If you want to use a Meg's product try their W-Dressing from the Detailer Line. Very versatile and inexpensive.
When I do detail an engine bay I use aluminum foil to cover things I don't want to get wet. It scrunches down easily over whatever you need to cover and stays in place.
Natty
Poorboy
Founder Poorboy's World
Yes I also agree with 2hotford....as someone who detailed many top end vehicles and street rods, I never put a hose to an engine...it may take a lot more time to hand clean hard to reach areas, but the consequences are not worth using a stream of water....today's electronics and sensors are just too sensitive and even covering them is not always foolproof....
I use Spray and Wipe to clean most everything and then some degreaser where needed...after I use either Bold N Bright for a higher gloss or Natural Look for a lower satin gloss over all the rubber and plastics...blotting any extra after a few minutes...
this is what detailing is all about ..the details...
As a side note....sometimes putting the vehicle on a lift for underneath cleaning and removal of front wheels for extra angles is needed....anyone who would want their engine compartment that clean will never agrue about the time or cost involved...
I use Spray and Wipe to clean most everything and then some degreaser where needed...after I use either Bold N Bright for a higher gloss or Natural Look for a lower satin gloss over all the rubber and plastics...blotting any extra after a few minutes...
this is what detailing is all about ..the details...
As a side note....sometimes putting the vehicle on a lift for underneath cleaning and removal of front wheels for extra angles is needed....anyone who would want their engine compartment that clean will never agrue about the time or cost involved...
rtbrick
Hoping for a sunny day
I just cleaned my engine compartment today. I followed most recommendations given up by Natty and a few others, such as aluminum foil to cover, and it worked great. Used Orange Blast for the cleaning, but I did not scrub very much (I shoulda). First time I have used any dressing under the hood and I kinda got a little crazy with my new bottle of BoldnBrite (now my half full new bottle). Had to clean up some pooling, but it looks good though.
Poorboy
Founder Poorboy's World
2hotford is not saying Bold N Bright which is a water-based product as Natty stated, but Trimshine is not and can cause long term damage...did I get your interpretation correct ? 2hotford...
If a product used in an engine compartment is not water-based it will dry rot rubber bushings, hoses, belts, etc...it may give a great shine but...as Clint would say..do you feel lucky? ..that's Eastwood...
If a product used in an engine compartment is not water-based it will dry rot rubber bushings, hoses, belts, etc...it may give a great shine but...as Clint would say..do you feel lucky? ..that's Eastwood...
How are you spraying it? Are you applying it to a cloth so that you can control where and how much might be drawn into the electrical connectors? What about the brushes in the Alt.? What if they get saturated by accident? Is the dressing water based???
My point is simple, there are many products that people use in a lot of places. However, that does not make it the right choice. It is like a comparison a friend of mine said to me the other day. It is like using a cresent wrench on a 5/16 nut. Sure it might work OK, but a box end 5/16 wrench is the right tool to use. I literally have many many products each designed for a specific purpose. Moreover, when working around engines you also need to be cognitive of flash off etc... . I have 5 gallon containers of non-corrosive cleaner for even wheel wells. Why, because many cars have sensors in them. Take a MAS sensor in today's modern cars. When people put in a high performance oil coated air filter, if they clean and oil the filter with too much oil, the oil can accidently coat the little thin wire of the MAS. Guess what, the car barely runs. The computer will sense a lean condition when it should be rich and vice versa. Look at tail pipes on modified cars, the tips will be black from this very reason.
I am not saying that Stoner's is a bad product. Quite the contrary, it is an excellent product. But the impretion I get is that you are just spraying it every where and that is what I am concerned about. Moreover, it must me water based and I believe Trim and Shine is not.
My point is simple, there are many products that people use in a lot of places. However, that does not make it the right choice. It is like a comparison a friend of mine said to me the other day. It is like using a cresent wrench on a 5/16 nut. Sure it might work OK, but a box end 5/16 wrench is the right tool to use. I literally have many many products each designed for a specific purpose. Moreover, when working around engines you also need to be cognitive of flash off etc... . I have 5 gallon containers of non-corrosive cleaner for even wheel wells. Why, because many cars have sensors in them. Take a MAS sensor in today's modern cars. When people put in a high performance oil coated air filter, if they clean and oil the filter with too much oil, the oil can accidently coat the little thin wire of the MAS. Guess what, the car barely runs. The computer will sense a lean condition when it should be rich and vice versa. Look at tail pipes on modified cars, the tips will be black from this very reason.
I am not saying that Stoner's is a bad product. Quite the contrary, it is an excellent product. But the impretion I get is that you are just spraying it every where and that is what I am concerned about. Moreover, it must me water based and I believe Trim and Shine is not.