Cleaning the Engine.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,044
Likes: 9,808
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Everyone has an opinion about this. I'll give you my wisdom.
Cover you alternator with a plastic bag. Use Simple Green on a totally cold engine. Spray liberally and let soak for 5-10 minutes. Then wash off with a garden hose on very low pressure with a plant watering head setting. If you use a fire hose or high pressure you are likely to have expensive engine problems!
DO NOT use tire shine on your engine. All it will do is make a big greasy mess that will attract more dirt, make your hands sticky when you work on your engine, and be very difficult to remove.
There is an engine dressing can I bought at AutoZone but I cannot recall the name of it right now. It does not leave a greasy mess. You spray it on after cleaning then let the engine warm up and it dries leaving a nice finish. Safe and no residue unlike the horrible silicone products.
EDIT: It is called CD2 Engine Detailer
Cover you alternator with a plastic bag. Use Simple Green on a totally cold engine. Spray liberally and let soak for 5-10 minutes. Then wash off with a garden hose on very low pressure with a plant watering head setting. If you use a fire hose or high pressure you are likely to have expensive engine problems!
DO NOT use tire shine on your engine. All it will do is make a big greasy mess that will attract more dirt, make your hands sticky when you work on your engine, and be very difficult to remove.
There is an engine dressing can I bought at AutoZone but I cannot recall the name of it right now. It does not leave a greasy mess. You spray it on after cleaning then let the engine warm up and it dries leaving a nice finish. Safe and no residue unlike the horrible silicone products.
EDIT: It is called CD2 Engine Detailer
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,280
Likes: 551
From: Pittsburgh PA
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 26,745
Likes: 694
From: PA
My engine never gets that dirty. Most of the time a wet sock will clean everything and then just some WD40 on another sock and it looks great.
I dont use it but my buddy does on his cars. Looks good too. He does it every spring and the car sees minimal driving so rarely gets dirty anyway.
I'm a big fan of CRC Silicone spray, in the red can, from most autoparts stores. It goes on very light & leaves zero residue, but it protects & makes all the black items, rubber, vinyl, plastic, etc look like new. I tried an off-brand silicone spray & it went on greasy & I tossed it, so be careful of that.
I dont use it but my buddy does on his cars. Looks good too. He does it every spring and the car sees minimal driving so rarely gets dirty anyway.
Last edited by TLS_Addict; Nov 16, 2012 at 04:52 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,074
Likes: 296
From: San Francisco CA
Simple Green works very well. I don't worry about the alternator and just spray a 50/50 mix of SG and water over everything including the insulator on the hood. I let it soak in for a few minutes and then spray down with my hose set on a gentle spray. Once rinsed I close the hood, start the engine and let the car idle for about 20 minutes. This gets the engine hot enough to boil off the rinse water. Then I open the hood and dry off any deep puddles that form in various locations around the engine compartment. The insulator may take a little longer to dry than the rest of the engine compartment but everything will look sharp with a minimum of effort. I use a towel to clean the front of the frame rails and to radiator shroud under the air cleaner. Be very careful using any Tire Shine or other shine treatments in the engine compartment. Most contain silicone which is a huge problem for the O2 sensors and since the intake is right where you would be applying the products it wouldn't take much for it to get through the engine and onto the O2 sensors.
Bill
Bill
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Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Henderson Nv-Rohnert Park/Sonoma C o. ca/born in NY Rockaway Beach.
I used the black on black, and in and out spray they both work great..
I just purchased my 06 and the last owner lived on a dusty road, these sprays worked great..Turns them black like new ..
I just purchased my 06 and the last owner lived on a dusty road, these sprays worked great..Turns them black like new ..
Safety Car
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From: Land of 10,000 taxes
Racer
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From: Fuquay Varina NC
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Chicago Illinois
St. Jude Donor '12
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Canaveral Groves Florida
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13
I'm a big fan of CRC Silicone spray, in the red can, from most autoparts stores. It goes on very light & leaves zero residue, but it protects & makes all the black items, rubber, vinyl, plastic, etc look like new. I tried an off-brand silicone spray & it went on greasy & I tossed it, so be careful of that.
last long also
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,630
Likes: 188
From: Austin TX
Simple Green works very well. I don't worry about the alternator and just spray a 50/50 mix of SG and water over everything including the insulator on the hood. I let it soak in for a few minutes and then spray down with my hose set on a gentle spray. Once rinsed I close the hood, start the engine and let the car idle for about 20 minutes. This gets the engine hot enough to boil off the rinse water. Then I open the hood and dry off any deep puddles that form in various locations around the engine compartment. The insulator may take a little longer to dry than the rest of the engine compartment but everything will look sharp with a minimum of effort. I use a towel to clean the front of the frame rails and to radiator shroud under the air cleaner. Be very careful using any Tire Shine or other shine treatments in the engine compartment. Most contain silicone which is a huge problem for the O2 sensors and since the intake is right where you would be applying the products it wouldn't take much for it to get through the engine and onto the O2 sensors.
Bill
Bill
Also APC works well if you dont have any simple green. Just another note, if you have an open air filter, cover that as well. Just dont forget to remove the bag before you start the car.