Engine cleaner
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Race Director
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: "There's a he11 of a lot of things they didn't tell me when I signed on this outfit....... i'm pract
Engine cleaner
What do you all use for engine cleaner/degreaser and how is it used? My 93 is not filthy dirty, but could use a little cleaning......
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,110
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From: JUPITER FLORIDA
For all the black plastic and rubber hoses I used foaming tire shine. Spray it on and leave it. A little later on it looks great. Takes no work to do it which is the great part. Every thing rubber or plastic looks shiny and detailed.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Bergen County, NJ
Pro
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 671
Likes: 10
2021 C4 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist
elbow grease
Elbow grease and patience! Stay on top of it. For my 93 I did one hour of driving, two hours cleaning. Very meditative..but hard on the back.
For Chris's sake don't get any water in the optispark!!
For Chris's sake don't get any water in the optispark!!
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 805
Likes: 3
From: Waco TX
Is it safe to steam clean an LT1? I'd consider doing it if it was safe. Mine isn't that dirty, but it would be nice to get it looking brand new again. Do you think most shops that do it could guarantee they don't dammage anything?
Last edited by CStewTAMU; Jul 12, 2008 at 03:08 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,147
Likes: 452
From: Port St. Lucie West Florida
imho I would not steam clean the engine. The electrical (relays,connectors,etc.) components are old and can be damaged-and the opti you would have to be careful. Clean the engine by hand,it will still look good.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,616
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From: Sandhills of North Carolina
This is a quick method to make it look decent. I've done it several times. I used the Armorall foaming tire cleaner. Compressed air helps also in some of the really bad areas. Stay away from the engine detailers sold in your local auto supply stores.................ask me how I know.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
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There is a difference in steam and "dry" steam. The so-called dry steam is super heated and has no water droplets in it. They make about 1,000 gallons of steam for every 1.5 quarts of water used.
There is a reason that tool in the video is thousands of dollars and the little ones are only a hundred or so.
I wouldn't use "wet" steam inside the engine bay of a modern car LT1 or no.
There is a reason that tool in the video is thousands of dollars and the little ones are only a hundred or so.
I wouldn't use "wet" steam inside the engine bay of a modern car LT1 or no.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,172
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From: Millet Alberta
St. Jude Donor '17-'18
I use Spray Nine...
Tire dressing works good on the black plastic & rubber parts under the hood - but it tends to attract dust. If it has silicon in it, it can also dry out the parts and they will crack...
I spray the dirty areas (staying away from the optispark) with Spray Nine, let it sit for 2-3 minutes, scrub the bad spots, and rinse with water.
My Vette rarely gets dirty enough that I need to do this - but it works great on the undercarriage (I love my lift), and on my other vehicles.
PS: I also clean my tires with Spray Nine: wash the tires, spray Spray Nine on them, let stand for 2-3 min, scrub, then rinse. They dry almost as black as if you'd used tire dressing on them - but they have no dust-attracting goo on them... This will also clean white lettering and/or whitewalls on your tires...
Tire dressing works good on the black plastic & rubber parts under the hood - but it tends to attract dust. If it has silicon in it, it can also dry out the parts and they will crack...
I spray the dirty areas (staying away from the optispark) with Spray Nine, let it sit for 2-3 minutes, scrub the bad spots, and rinse with water.
My Vette rarely gets dirty enough that I need to do this - but it works great on the undercarriage (I love my lift), and on my other vehicles.
PS: I also clean my tires with Spray Nine: wash the tires, spray Spray Nine on them, let stand for 2-3 min, scrub, then rinse. They dry almost as black as if you'd used tire dressing on them - but they have no dust-attracting goo on them... This will also clean white lettering and/or whitewalls on your tires...
