Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics detailing engine help

yes i searched didn't come up with anything that was real helpful.how does everbody else get there engine to have a show room shine? mine looks pretty sad but not near as bad as some i have seen. thanks in advance.

Yeah, mine's pretty bad too. I need to clean it, but I'm not quite sure how.

It's real easy. Get access to a pressure washer. Some self serve carwashes don't allow engine cleaning, but who's gonna stop you late at night? LEAVE ENGINE RUNNING. Spray engine down with Simple Green. Let sit a minute, and rinse with pressure washer, keeping water away from electricals and intake, at least don't keep the spray on them. Let air dry. When dry, spray engine down with Armor All. Let air dry. You may want to cover your fenders with towels. The chemical I used to do this when I detailed left streaks in the finish (wasn't simple green). Wasn't a problem as the car would then be buffed, taking the streaks out.

The best stuff in the world to use after cleaning the engine is ZEP RESTORE. This stuff is awesome. It puts a clear coat on all your parts in the engine compartment. I mean everything. I t also protects wires connectors by placing a seal on them.

Look at my pics here:
Look at engine photo.

Heres what I do. I go to the quarter wash and use the "engine degreaser" and spray it all over the engine and then rinse off. If your car is real bad you may have to use the entire cycle of degreaser and then another cycle to rinse. After you do that go and drive the car for a bit to help dry everything off and go home to dry off the rest. Then what I use is the foaming tire shine and spray it everywhere, let it dry and you may have to wash your car as the foaming tire shine is coming out of an aerosol can and gets everywhere. You can minimize this by doing it in the garage but who cares if it gets on the car, just gives you reason to wash the car anyways As far as the brand of tire foam I use the cheapest stuff because I don't see the difference but if you use the stuff thats not foaming but comes out of a can, like Black Magic, it seems to go on thicker and I think it would last longer, even after you go and wash it again at a later date, good luck with your car and post some pics

Any opinions on Gunk Engine cleaner? I've used it once before with no side effects, but maybe I was lucky...

It was posted before that you leave your engine running while washing it. I got a few questions about this point. Will it short anything out, like if theres water going from both wires to the battery or anything of that matter? And also, do you leave the engine running while spraying the Black Magic or any other tire shine? LAstly, if you dont even need to have it running let me know too, im in need of an engine wash!

PS...theres a coin machine wash right down the road from me, but can I use a regular garden hose with a head on it that shoots a powerful spray?

Bill, nice engine.

Castrol Super Clean is great for removing caked on engine goo. I got the engine in my truck looking like it was almost new, and that was with 20+ years of crap on there. Do not let this get in contact with your car's paint!

Leave the engine running, but make sure its not hot. Most of the carwashes around here use heated water on soap but cold on rinse. Be careful, the engine doesn't like really cold water if it is hot. Another caution (personal experience here), if you are washing a Zetec, make sure you don't get water around your plugs. There is nowhere for it to go. The spark plugs look like they will seal, but they don't do a 100% job. If you experience any driveability issues after washing a Zetec, pull a plug wire and look at the spark plug. If there is water in there, that is why. :rolleyes: If your fingers are small enough, get some napkins and a pen. The pen can mush the napkin into the water and soak it up. I found this out when I washed mine before the last Utah meet, when the car was stuck by the side of the road.

You have the cleaning part right. But everyone knows how tire dressing attracts dirt. So to give it a nice luster that wont attract dirt. Use WD-40. That works better then anything ive tried.

what about the kkm or other open air filters? will it hurt it to get it wet and then drive with it wet or damp?