Engine Bay Help Please.

[Calisto]

Now that the outside of KITT is sooooooo shiny I think that the engine should be a bit cleaner than what it is atm.

My options are.

1. I could take it someplace (dont know where yet) any ideas on price???? to get it looking show worthy. Not just a steam clean, I mean really go to town on it, colour coded etc.

2. I could do it myself but not as good as the professionals:unsure:

I dont know what to do

HELP PLEASE

Ash.x

[Twincam.GTi]

I get asked this question everytime I pop the bonnet on my cars, and simply I point out it cannot be done in a day or even a week; it just takes time and above all patience.

My advice would be do it yourself a bit at a time. One day I would do 'one quarter' of the engine bay. Rubber hoses, plastic Battery casing and Plastic Air box etc can be cleaned with 'Armour All/ Back to black etc.', car polish for underside of the bonnet (will take a few goes this due to road film/haze) and front slam panel, for bright metal try 'solvo autosol'.

As you can see only polish substances have been used, so to have a nice engine bay need not cost more than around a 'taner'; but it does take effort and time.

If you wish after doing all this then and only then you may decide to have certain items 'chromed' or 'colour coded'.

Good luck.

P.S. Once your engine bay is up to a certain standard it will have to be kept that way ...it will add to your cleaning time!

[Rookey]

Ash,

Depends how lazy you are i suppose,

The amount of crap/oil/dirt thats built up under there is insane ..the pros will get all of the nooks and crannies :)

The only thing you could do yourself afterward is to t-cut the inside.

That's my recommendation anyway ..

[stevetubbyturbo]

It depends how far you want to go.

Ive know people to remove the engine to clean the engine bay but you probably dont want to go that far.

So want you could do is (as Twincam GTi said) take your time over a week or 2 and clean it in stages and theres loads of stuff on the market for cleaning engines and bays.

[ae111sr]

Took me two days just to do the underside of my bonnet. It was stinking when I started but now you could eat your dinner off it :D

Once it is clean it's so much easier to keep it that way. I get some very strange looks from passers by when they see me polishing the "wrong side" of the bonnet :shutit:

[Twincam.GTi]

ae111sr Posted Today, 11:01 AM

 

Once it is clean it's so much easier to keep it that way. I get some very strange looks from passers by when they see me polishing the "wrong side" of the bonnet 

I get strange looks and (I think) slight ridicule just for cleaning/looking after my cars down my road as everyone else in my lane seems to just stick their's through the car wash once a month and not care about them... that is till they have a problem or have a knock with their cars, then they're ringing my doorbell asking for help

[earpl]

a great winter job :P, did my mates show bmw m3 convertable (1990). droped the block, everything and resparayed the bay. the crap they use in there never polishes up the same as the paintwork

[Karma Supra]

Or you can do it Karma Style :D

1, Remove engine and all ancilleries.

2, totally T cut and polish engine bay

3, remove al polishale aloy and steal bits from engine and engine bay, sand and wet dry out and casting marks, use a bench buffer to polish it all to a mirror finish.

4, Attack the block with degreaser, wire wool/brush, then paint it with a suitible paint..

5, Replace and dubious looking rubbers, repaint any faded plastics etc,

6, buy new power steering, clutch, brake resevoirs from toyota to replace the nasty yellowed old ones.

7, Replace all, and try and not spill oil all down the side of your freshly cleaned engine!!!!

It has got bad folks, I said its addictive...

I'm even contemplating ploishing the gearbox

[Puls]

You could just replace the fluid reservoirs *before* cleaning your motor ;)

All I have to say is that if any old-timer tells you to use oven cleaner...don't! I used it once on an old engine had about 55 years of oil/grease/dirt caked over everything. It worked great, but I left it on too long and took all the paint off with the dirt

I'm partial to Gunk Engine Brite for the engine, and for paint that can be damaged, I've used citrus based cleaner. Armor All wipes making doing rubbers/plastics under there much easier.

[knightrider]

ash just send rich under there with his autoglym metal polish hes done a gud job on the sera!

[Boro Sera]

ash just send rich under there with his autoglym metal polish hes done a gud job on the sera!

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it's gonna be even better this year too, Lee !

[Calisto]

If Rich had more time Im pretty sure he would lend a hand. <_< ;) but I am so not counting on him.

I LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH RICH

[JustJJ]

mmmmmmmm pretttttyyyyy engine :P

[Karma Supra]

You could just replace the fluid reservoirs *before* cleaning your motor ;)

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Not if its sitting next to the car on a stand ;)

[Fizz]

The only bit of polishing i have done is on my exhaust tips...

Used Autosol and it worked a treat!! could not believe i didnt knwo about it before! B)

I wouldn't mind cleaning the engine bay but its one of those things where you cant leave it half done as it would look more stoopid than it did just all filthy..

Can i use the Autosol on the metal stuff in the engine bay?

Also this buffer thing you use after the wire brush.. where do you get it from?

Im thinking i may just leave the car looking mint from the outside as opposed to cleaning the engine..