Foam guns and degreasing.

[Indy Ram]

I see that foam guns are back as a hot topic and I`m considering getting one. But I`m thinking more towards the engine bay. I just got a new engine and they left some spare hole open so oil sprayed the whole bay. Simple green and a soft terry seem to be working, but there are just places that I can`t reach. So ...



Would any quality gun be ok ( for washing and degreasing the engine and the bay)? Any paint removal concerns (on the newly painted engine)? Start with a very weak Simple Green solution and then get stronger? How about Woolite or Murphy`s Oil?



I`m looking at either the Foamer - Multi-Dilution Unit (http://www.safetyplus.net/CandJproducts.html#56SG13291) or the Gilmor (http://www.automagic.biz/accessories/miscorder.htm) one.

[jchetty]

personally.....i find that when cleaning motors all the soap in the world doesnt do much or degreaser for that matter.....a lil agitation makes a world of a diiference...so maybe try and getting brushes...for example i just added to my arsenal a soft cone style brush meant for wire wheels which really gets into tight places...i will post pic 2morrow

[Bill D]

I`d agree with J if for no other reason, if you decide to then use the gun for car washing later, you would have to really thoroughly wash it out in attempt to reduce the residue from the degreaser. Depending on the product it wouldn`t surprise me if some residue is left behind and could mix with your car soap. I`m going to use my gun strictly for car washing only.

[BookemDano]

Originally posted by Indy Ram

I see that foam guns are back as a hot topic and I`m considering getting one. But I`m thinking more towards the engine bay. I just got a new engine and they left some spare hole open so oil sprayed the whole bay. Simple green and a soft terry seem to be working, but there are just places that I can`t reach. So ...



Would any quality gun be ok ( for washing and degreasing the engine and the bay)? Any paint removal concerns (on the newly painted engine)? Start with a very weak Simple Green solution and then get stronger? How about Woolite or Murphy`s Oil?



I`m looking at either the Foamer - Multi-Dilution Unit (http://www.safetyplus.net/CandJproducts.html#56SG13291) or the Gilmor (http://www.automagic.biz/accessories/miscorder.htm) one.



I agree with Jay and Bill completely...



Regarding the the engine detail process, there are some good posts on Autopia that cover engine detailing. Most involve using an engine degreaser and covering the electrical parts with aluminum foil. Several have pics and recommend products. Try a search for "Engine AND Detail".



Regarding the foam gun...



First, keep the foam gun for only one purpose - washing cars. If you put engine degreaser in it, it may be next to impossible to remove the residual degreaser.



Also, the degreaser will probably remove everything from your paint. Foam guns are not too precise. It would probably be next to impossible to keep the degreaser off of your paint.



Second, the current AutoMagic foam gun is NOT the Butcher`s foam gun. The one that I ordered (and am returning) seems to be a plastic-only knockoff.



The Simple Green foam gun looks exactly like a Butcher`s gun except for the green color and the a different bottle. The head unit (brass part connected to the bottle cap) looks exactly the same.



I believe that the only part that Gilmor makes is the hand sprayer part. That looks like a standard Gilmor hose sprayer.



At the bottom of this forum page, Jay posted pictures of his AutoMagic foam gun:



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47773&perpage=12&pagenumber=2



This looks exactly like a a Butcher`s Foam gun and it is the image of the gun on the AutoMagic web site. BUT, it is not what you will receive from AutoMagic. This is what you will receive:



http://autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10427&size=big&papass=&sort=1



Jay and Bill are happy with their Butcher`s gun. My plastic knockoff did NOT work well. But mostly, I am quite angry that Automagic changed their product but did NOT update their website or notify me that they were shipping me a different one. So...



I would strongly urge you NOT to buy gun from AutoMagic. Jay purchased his from:



Phoenix JS

919 838-4992



I just ordered a new Butcher`s foam gun from these same folks. $50.55 + actual shipping costs. And they are very nice to deal with.



The Simple Green one should work well also, but the bottle is a bit large. I`m not sure how well that would work washing your car. Might be better; might be worse.



Good luck on your decision.



Regards,



Dan.

[Bill D]

Mine is a Gilmour foam gun which is identical to the Butcher`s only different color. These 3 are the "good" foam guns:



Gilmour (got at a local detailing store)



Butcher`s ( available through janitoral supply outlets and a website listed in other threads)



Simple Green ( also available online--site mentioned on another thread)

[Michaelelts]

I just got a gilmour off of ebay although be aware there are 2 gilmour types. I have a static mix ratio which I belive ends in QF the variable mix ratio ends in qfMR David

[Bill D]

Yep, do keep an eye on Ebay. Looks like new or used ones could appear there:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41991&item=5938258569&rd=1

[usdm]

If you look at the images (http://www.cjms.com/showerfoamgun.html) on the CMJ website, they are not the model that you get.

At least they do not look like the model I got. Mine is the butcher type model.

[Bill D]

Yeah, that is apparently the Auto Magic model pictured but if you get the Gilmour/Butcher`s one, that`s great! :up

[BookemDano]

Well, I`m confused now. It looks like there is is more than one "Butcher`s" type head.

[Bill D]

Dan, not that I`m aware of: the Butcher`s and the Gilmour, AFAIK, are the same exact unit just different colors

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Bill D

Dan, not that I`m aware of: the Butcher`s and the Gilmour, AFAIK, are the same exact unit just different colors



Yeah, and I suspect they`re actually manufactured by Gilmour ;)

[Indy Ram]

Now now, you tell me that I can`t use the foam gun and then hijack my thread :nono ;)



I never thought about mixing different purpose chemicals in the gun. Yeah, sounds like a bad idea. Thanks



Since it`s a brand new engine, and since it`s not typical road grime and grease, but more like it was just sprayed with oil, I thought that there might be an easy method to remove it. But I keep forgetting that most of this hobby has to do with patience and observation. And sometimes a lil elbow grease. So just got out the 303 and some microfibers and went to work. I wonder what my elderly neighbors think when they see my with the truck on jack stands and me underneath with a garden hose? I think it cleaned up pretty well. I`ll be parking it this winter and hitting it again. I`ll also try out some of the Wurth protective wax and some other goodies.



I`m wondering if anyone has used the edge pads that are on the end of a stick. They might be handy in small places when placed in a drill. Any thoughts?



And thanks for all the comments.:wavey

[jchetty]

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my car is new so the engine wasnt hard to clean up, imo the 2 most important things are aluminum foil/plastic wrap and a good assortment of brushes...microfibers are good but i would rather use terry cloth as 1) they are usually cheaper 2)i finds it tends to pull dirt better 3)if they are really dirty cheat and bleach them because you only using them for the engine







due to popular request im editing my post to mention i am envious of white95max`s engine compartment and he has inspired me to polish parts in the spring ..

[White95Max]

:lol

I`m flattered.



This engine compartment?



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/White95Max/EngineBay-E.jpg