Cleaning Under Hood

[yankees1]

How should you clean the insulating material that lines the engine compartment hood? I do vacum it but there is a white stain that covers part of it.

[zippymbr]

The white stain is prob a mineral deposit. I am guessing that water from a wet engine evaporated and condensed on the insulation leaving a stain. Maybe a vinegar spritz?

[Accumulator]

Yeah, that`s what I was thinking. I generally get by with a light cleaning (BHB, diluted APC) but sometimes a little vinegar helps with things like salt deposits. Try to *not* get the padding too wet.



Once it`s decent, I find that a *light* spray with the hose, just enough to dampen it a little bit, and wiping with an old cotton towel will keep it looking good. Spend a minute at every wash and it`ll never need a lot of work.

[imported_Totoland Mach]

for a nice look at the underhood pad: I use Kiwi shoe dye (not the polish...the dye) on my Mustang Mach 1. I usually apply it once a year for car shows and it works great. It does take some time to daub it on...about 1.5 hours because you are using the product from the bottle "wrong side up"...but it can be done.



The dye dries to a matte black finish and will not come off or cause problems. I found the dye at my local hardware store for $2.50 and a bottle lasts for at least 2-3 applications.



Totoland Mach

[Accumulator]

Now *that* is something I wouldn`t have thought of!



I`d only use that on certain types of pads, but for ones that don`t need to stay porous I bet it`s great.