Hey guys

So, I thought I had the perfect opportunity for a badge. My engine bay had been the scene of a prior oil starvation meltdown with the previous owner, and basically, the engine bay was caked in about 3mm of oil, which had stood for some time even after the new engine went in. (nothing to do with me so chill).

Anyway, tonight I thought I would start the complete detail, which I saw taking 3 or 4 seperate evenings to complete. Firstly today, I got hold of some trusty oil degreaser, that I got from a local hardware store. It is pretty harsh stuff I think, but did say it was fine for motors.

So off I go, spraying like mad in all areas with a warm engine. 5 minutes later, i rinse down the engine - hey presto, the valve cover looks amazing, the oil starts to wash away, and Im grinning.......

Then, as the water starts to dry, a white covering appears over the whole engine bay, like a flaky substance. I quickly go over the engine with more water, but the same thing happens.

So I get out the rubber dressing (megs) that I have, but it only has a short term effect.


WHAT DO I DO???

I think it may be an effect of the high salt content water we use here, but I'm not sure. Any ideas?

I guess I should have waited for my Megs APC and Hyperdressing to arrive

 

sounds like an acid based cleaner...
was it?
if so,did it dry at all on the parts?

what products have you used so far?

 

acid based? a regular engine degreaser would work fine, u just need to scrub a bit.

 

pics?

 

get the following. (has to be the foam version, no foaming armor will light on firer!)

foamy gunk engine brite (several cans if very dirty)
foamy armor all

cover electrical if needed. and do this on a cool/cold engine.

spray the entire engine with the foamy gunk engine degreaser. let it sit for a few minutes. using a med pressure spray the entire engine bay. most of the dirt and crap will fall off.

when the engine is still wet spray a layer of the foaming armor all in the engine compartment. shut the hood, and start the car. let it idle for 15 minutes. Open the hood and you will have a smile!

 

Engine Bay Detailing

 

of course, you guys are talking like I can get anything other than normal armourall and actual brands of stuff!

I have to import everything!!

It is called CLR degreasant, and it could well be acid based, but I cleaned it all with LOTS of water with engine running. Have I screwed up everything ? Not sure if because the engine was running it dried the CLR too quickly?

For detailing, how about armourall foam tyre stuff? I know I can get that. Would it work the same? Just not sure if it would work on producing a good looking valve cover

 

http://thedetailinghandbook.com/Engine_Detailing.aspx

 

CLR... i searched for MSDS on that product. (I see this stuff on commericals all the time)
http://www.hescoinc.com/Msds/comcl4.pdf

NOTE: Chemical Family: Aqueous Acidic Cleaner

Two Types of acid in this product:

Lactic and Gluconic Acid

Both of these are organic based acids. I don't see how an organic acid could have a chemical reaction with a metal, but im sure it does. Im no chemist by any means, but you should be alright going back over it with a regular degreaser. I use that and the tire shine products. Works like a charm. Good luck.

 

RIGHT! I brought this back from the dead as finally got some meguiars stuff, shipped to 3 of us here in the UAE, so we could split shipping etc

This is the engine as it was when I bought it.



Now, I know some of you are going to wonder how it gets this bad, but at least the before and after look impressive

So in my shipment, among other things (including a PC ) was Megiuars APC and also Meguiars HyperDressing, both from the detailer range. I had already gone over the bay with CLR as said earlier, with mixed success.

I mixed up the APC at about 3:1 as the bottle says 4:1, and you guys here said 1:1!! I was also trying this on golf carts, so I stuck with the milder 3:1.

I wet the wings and everything around the bay area in case of inevitable overspray, and then soaked the whole engine with APC. I didn't run the engine, as its 40 degrees here and it was already warm!

Left it for a few minutes, and then agitated the areas that needed it with a brush.

Rinsed the whole lot down and let it dry for a bit, about 5 minutes.

Then out came the Hyperdressing. Again, went for a mild gloss mix of almost 4:1. This looks like milkshake but I resisted the temptation to try it haha

Anyway, after thoroughly mixing the solution, I sprayed it on everything quite heavily, and then ran the engine for a couple of minutes to dry it out. After that, reapplied the HD on necessary areas, and then after that dried, dabbed off the excess.

It looks a million times better, although still needs the odd areas finished off! I can't believe how satisfied I am with Megs, it was totally worth the wait and the cost

Next on test will be Plastx and PC


This was a tease post, as I can't post pictures until tonight when I get home!