Some of my engine details

Here are some engine details I've done in the past.

I spray down engines with 4 parts water and 1 part SimpleGreen. Then pressure wash the carpartment from both sides and the front. Then mist with Auto Magic's SuperDressIt, close the hood and I'm done. The average time to detail an engine is about 5 minutes.















These engines are hand dressed

 

How long to you let the Simple Green sit before pressure washing it? Also, do you cover up any components and if so, how?

 

Shower caps work great, so do the plastic bags you get with your groceries..

Man I want to use Simple Green SOOO badly but am SOOO nervous from all the horror stories i have heard!

 

Thanks! That's what I needed to know. And what components do you normally cover up? My brother uses aluminium foil and wraps that around bits he doesn't want to get wet.

 

I normally cover the distributor, air intake, starter and any electrical areas = fuse box etc- most modern vehicles have a shroud over the fuse box so covering is not needed

I am probably more conservative than most when it comes to engine details - I do not use PW I simply use a steam of water.. I am just to damn nervous.

 

I'm really sceptical about spraying down an engine of a german car...way too many sensors...I'd rather do a wipe down with citrus degreaser, and a terry towel, then just wipe down with clean damp terry towel, to "rinse"...and yes, charge german cars more for engine detailing...

 

Just out of curiosity, MotorCity, what do you use when detailing engines?

 

Product wise:

I use an All Purpose Cleaner and Stoners More Shine or 303 Aerospace...

I have used cd2 to dress the last 2 times but have yet to perfect the method.

 

Very nice engine bay details there SA Detailer.

Oh I too enjoy detailing engine bays but I'm always so nervous doing them as I'd hate to ruine something in them so I play it safe and cover up as much as possible..but it all depends on the vehicle too.

 

I wouldn't reccomend this method at all...

Flooding an engine can cause damage as already stated- ignitions, altenators, coils on plugs, distributor, fueses, etc.

And Simple Green... I don't use it anymore. No one should use it while detailing. Unless it's that aerospace certified one. The typical simple green will fade/bleach/stain plastic and will stain metals.... I don't think a customer would like to have their aluminum block or other metals stained... there are plenty of other APCs that are just as effective yet safer.

Sure it saves time ... but IMO a good detailer (rather than a car washer) would take the extra time and precautions to do a safe and quality engine cleaning. It isn't worth the risks-- even if this process hasn't caused any issues YET, it will in the future! But trying to teach a dog new tricks is impossible ...

 

that looks great!

which parts of the engine do you cover? which parts are the sensitive ones?

 

Just a couple a minutes. Don't cover anything.

I have been cleaning my 6 year old Benz with the same method every 3 months and my baby still drives like a dream.

No fading here on my 6 year old engine that I clean every 3 months.

 

Man look at those engines and I find it hard to believe that the owners care about ANYTHING under the hood!

Maybe I'm just lucky but I don't cover anything either. I don't flood the engine compartment, but rather use a light rinse and have yet to have a single problem.

 

There is nothing wrong with using simple green, just dont let it sit on anything too long and dont apply it to anything hot. It all comes down to common sense, I wouldnt hose an engine down on full blast but there is nothing wrong with a gentle rinse at all. Like SA, I have been using simple green for years without any problems, so it comes down to user error not teaching an old dog new tricks.

 

5 mins??? I use that much time to cover up my electronics parts...

do you have a quick video showing how you do it? If i can do it for 5 mins, i would do that more often.

 

As long as he's using SuperDressIt every three months to cover up the fading then I don't see anything wrong with simple green.

As for damaging the engine. I compare it to what happens to cell phones when they get wet. Most cell phones shut off when they get wet. If you disconnect the battery and let them dry for a day or two then they will work 99% of the time. If you try to turn it back on while its still wet you if will be ruined forever 99% of the time.

I disconnect my car battery(drain the caps) then degrease, agitate, and then spray down my engine and radiator with the a regular hose nossle. Then dry it with an air compressor and then let it sit and dry for about two hours. My only fears are that the alternator is completely dry and that no water got under spark plug wire ends. Outside of that I don't see how water can get in anything else. I don't have a distributor, nor is my air intake in the front of my engine like some.. but those are things I worry about on other cars. Once dry I clean the battery terminals, reconnect, and top them with some anti-corrosion spray.

Bottom line.. I have seen a whole desktop computer dropped in a pool and it still worked once it was dry... so long at the caps are drained and it was FULLY dry before being plugged back in.

 

i dont quite think i would use a power washer because i would be too nervous but new gen cars are pretty sealed up there in the engine. its not like water doesn't get into the engine compartment when your driving and its raining out.

just as long as the electrics are covered, any sensors in the engine are inside the tubing measuring airflow, heat, etc.

just my .02

 

Have you ever done an engine when you don't have access to a hose? I am curious about whether I should not try to clean engines in the winter, or maybe with ONR.

 

Wouldn't pressure washing be a little safer, as less water is used on the engine than when doing with a hose. As long as you keep it at a safe distance I don't see a problem

 

Ive done lots of engines on cars ( i do alot of my families and neighbors cars on the side for extra cash) and i've found that using an APC ( usually like 4:1 dilution strong but effective) usually does a good job if you let it sit then rinse it long enough on a cool engine. the only problem ive ever had was with my own car, using a pressure washer, i accidentally half unscrewed a park plug (the rear of a 7mgte engine is exposed, curse toyotas lack of plastic in my old ass car) but that was an easy fix, as soon as i realized it was missing, i just checked the spark plugs and i was good. I always carry a tube of tinfoil with me for engines, cuz it works great for covering sensitive electrical parts. then just blast away. I love CD2, just spray it on, wipe it with a crappy cotton rag, and then bam, the engine looks like brand new, the mechanics at toyota told me i have the cleanest engine bay they've ever seen.