Notices
C5 General General C5 Corvette and C5 Z06 Discussion not covered in Tech

Cleaning Engine bay

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 10:28 AM
  #1  
corvettecentral's Avatar
corvettecentral
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 175
Likes: 0
From: Loughborough, UK
Default Cleaning Engine bay

Hi there,

Just purchased my first C5 , 2003 auto coupe, black on black. I'm thrilled with this machine. My previous Corvette, a 1993 C4 is a lovely car but when choosing one as a daily driver the C5 wins hands down.

Anyway that's enough of my excitement, I'm wondering if it is possible to have the LS1 steam cleaned and professionally cleaned. Coming from the C4 background the word 'water' and 'engine' brings shivers down the spine, the optispark is notorious for moisture related problems/failiure. I know that the C5 doesn't have a distributor, just a coil for each cylinder so this shoud not be a problem.

Any comments are appreciated.

Wayne
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 10:30 AM
  #2  
BAMF AE's Avatar
BAMF AE
Safety Car
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,454
Likes: 1
From: The Surgeon General has warned that it's ok to smoke mustangs!
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Default

Congratz on the purchase!!! It's going to be the same with the C5's....don't even bother steam cleaning it....Pickup a bottle of "Simple Green" and follow the instructions on the back!

Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 11:01 AM
  #3  
Icemanskis's Avatar
Icemanskis
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,322
Likes: 2
From: New York NY
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05
Default

Originally Posted by 4RE Killer
Congratz on the purchase!!! It's going to be the same with the C5's....don't even bother steam cleaning it....Pickup a bottle of "Simple Green" and follow the instructions on the back!

this is what most people do. Water down the engine bay, apply simple green, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then rinse off. Then use a leaf blower to completely dry the engine bay (this is important). If you want you could also mask off areas you dont want wet like the intake, alternator, and battery compartment. After everything is dry, spray some hot shine or other rubber enhancement/protectant onto a towel and apply on the plastics parts. This will make your engine look like new.
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 01:05 PM
  #4  
Vetteman Jack's Avatar
Vetteman Jack
Administrator
Supporting Lifetime
Veteran: Navy
St. Jude 20 Year Donor
25 Year Member
Veteran: Reserves
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,611
Likes: 24,866
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Default

Use the Simple Green method - steam cleaning the engine can get water into items you don't want water in.
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 01:07 PM
  #5  
T's's Avatar
T's
Le Mans Master
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 5,800
Likes: 1
From: Sunny South
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08
Default

Yup, I use simple green, works well on our vettes
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 01:52 PM
  #6  
VetteTech81's Avatar
VetteTech81
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 7,179
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte, NC
Default

Originally Posted by T's 99
Yup, I use simple green, works well on our vettes
Same here simple green and a hose.. I sometimes take it to the DIY car wash and pressure wash the engine bay along with the simple green.
-=Rick
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 03:23 PM
  #7  
HummelS's Avatar
HummelS
Race Director
Supporting Gold
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 17,541
Likes: 2
From: Manhattan, KS Missing SoCal since 2005
Default

Technique - get engine warm (not hot). Spray with Simple Green & let sit 5-10 minutes. Rinse with hose. Dry using compressor, shop vac in reverse, leaf blower, etc.
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 03:29 PM
  #8  
QuikZilver's Avatar
QuikZilver
Le Mans Master
10 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 5,362
Likes: 3
From: Delray Beach FL
Default

Corvettecentral...first...welcome to the dark side!
I remember many conversations in the C4 section about washing the motor and the shivers everyone got, especially with the LT1 (former name was Whitvette). On my C5, I have done what everyone above has mentioned. Works like a charm. Its nice to not have to spend 2 days cleaning the motor of an LT1!! BTW...when you get to having to replace the plugs, the C5 is a BREEZE!!!!! You can take you sweet a$$ time and still have it done in under 2 hours. No more 8 hours (or more if doing the wires too)!!!
Congrats again!!
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-8

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 03:56 PM
  #9  
csexton's Avatar
csexton
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 30,045
Likes: 4
From: Danville Virginia
Default

Welcome and congrats!!
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2005 | 05:22 PM
  #10  
Markss's Avatar
Markss
Racer
20 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 458
Likes: 8
From: Wickliffe OH
Default

Simple Green is formulated to work better with cold water. I would recomend that you use it when engine is cold. I usually do it first thing in the A.M.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Cleaning Engine bay





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:38 AM.

story-0
2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Is the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 the best Silverado yet?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-16 08:01:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers

Slideshow: 5 best and 5 worst Corvette daily drivers

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-15 10:32:13


VIEW MORE
story-2
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained

Slideshow: The headlights of every Corvette generation explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-15 10:17:14


VIEW MORE
story-3
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 most overrated Corvette track packages ever.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:46:45


VIEW MORE
story-4
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

Slideshow: Every 2027 Corvette engine explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:16:31


VIEW MORE
story-5
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-08 19:53:43


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE