Okay, I know we aren't supposed to get water under the hoods of these cars even if the Opti is vented on my 96 LT4.
I have had a small oil leak that I'm pretty sure is coming from my valve cover gaskets. I will be replacing them soon but as you can imagine after a few years of this the engine bay isn't exactly pretty. Going after it with an air hose and some paper-towels and simple green isn't going to cut it.
So here's the question, could I dig down to the opti, pull it and then spray degreaser all over the place and hit it with the hose? At least I could get the bulk of the gunk off so I could go back and detail it without removing every part off the engine to get to all the nooks and crannies.
My other question would be, I live in a very dry climate (Albuquerque). Is there any reason I couldn't forgo all of this and just spray the engine down and let the car sit until everything is dried out? It shouldn't hurt the opti as long as it isn't sparking while it's wet should it? I mean, water itself doesn't hurt anything electrical if it is dry by the time you put a charge to it.

 

Ok yeah thats not a bad idea. Heres what I would do and I am a detailer. Spray the entire area around the option just dont dump straight onto the opti. Put the car on ramps first and do it from underneath. When you are spraying it off watch the spray pattern and dont spray on the opti spray around it, moving the spray pattern outward toward the fenders on both sides. If yo use a good degreaser you should be able to do this with a hose. The rest of the motor you dont really have to worry about just dont dump on the ecu or mass air flow. Now for better measure cover the mass air ecu and opti in seran wrap ( However you spell it ) and also disonnect the battery and dont start the car for a day. That is how I would do it if it where me and then I dress it with a nice can or tire shine armoral and wipe it all down lightly after it sat for a half hour. The thing would look like new when I was done. I do them all the time here. Never spray directly into major electricle components spray around them using the outer fan of the spray pattern that is what I do. Hope that helps. If you have any questions feel free to ask

Mike

 

Thanks Mike. I'll have to find a place where I can do this. I live on an Air Force base and they are really picky about that whole working on your car at your house. I think I'll try plastic wrapping and then spray degreaser all over the place, let it set for a bit and then hose everything down as best as I can.

 

You should be ok with it. Just do it when you know you wont need to drive the car for awhile to at least give you the time to let it air dry before reconnecting the battery terminals and pretty much stay away from the opti. There is no need to work that area to much just a light spray around it protected and youll be fine. Do try to plastic wrap it though. They are very sensitive and you dont want that problem at all as you well know. Best of luck with it and Hats off to a US air force member. A pleasure

 

Do they still have the self-car wash on base? That's where I did my Jeep back in the day. Been so long since I've been to that base I don't even remember where the car was was now.

 

For ease of engine compartment detailing get a foaming tire product cleaner - spray everywhere except at the opti. Fast and easy.

Thomas

 

I wouldnt use simple green personally. Since the airforce and army tested it and the Air Force report summed it up this way: "We do not recommend the use of
this product on Air Force equipment containing aluminum."

 

Cyclonite, over on the main side of the base there are still a couple wash stalls. The auto-hobby shop they have is pretty nice with lift stalls at about $3 and hour. They have a paint booth with heat that you can use and there are some paint and body classes I'm thinking of taking.
shby, that's good information. Could you tell me where that came from because I'd like to read into it.
Green rocket, that is a great idea that I never thought of. Have you found any problems with the film that stuff seems to leave behind?

Thanks for all the tips everybody.

 

No problem with the film left behind, you can still rinse most non-opti areas - this is one of the auto detailer tricks that cleans dirt out of inaccessible areas in the engine compartment.

Thomas

 

http://www.titanspot.com/Titan/index.php?showtopic=5970 the second post has some good info on it.

I second using the tire shine stuff for a gloss. I hit my bay with some 409 or purple power and a brush then use tire foam after ive rinsed the degreaser. Makes the bay look damn good. I have found that when your first doing it you might wanna hit the bay with the foam a few times a week to condition the plastics and rubber and when its conditioned then once a week if your a detail freak like me. The only downside to it is if you live in a dusty area like me the dust seems to be attracted to it lol. Im always detailing but its a labor of love.

 

Take a plastic bag, like a grocery bag and slip it between the waterpump and the opti, drape it over the opti. Then, do the same thing with an old towel. This will keep the opti dry.

Some spray degreasers, like Gunk, will turn your rubber parts white and it's a bitch to remove. So, only use them on the grease (like your valve cover leak). Besides, Gunk will stink up your car for days. The cheapo degreaser at Walmart (blue can) actually works pretty well.
Simple Green for the regular dirt.

The hose is not for blasting off grease and dirt, it's for removing SG and degreaser with a light spray.
Hi press car washes are for tractors and lawnmowers, not Corvettes with a lot of electronic connections.

 

You guys are awesome, thanks!

 

After you clean it, use CD2 on it. It will amaze you on how nice it comes out looking.