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  1. #16

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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Quote Originally Posted by bcgreen View Post
    You`ll find out over time that "Super Clean" and "Purple Power" will work as well as the M108 for less.
    bcgreeen:
    I just got off the phone with the Super Clean Customer Service rep and she strongly suggests testing it first. Most individuals using this product for engine degreasing make three BIG mistakes:
    1) Using it full strength undiluted: she suggested an 4:1 or 8:1 dilution ratio.
    2) Letting it dwell or sit too long on aluminum of ANY type. It should be rinsed AND wiped off immediately.
    (Hard to do deep in an aluminum intake manifold or the underside of an engine-transmission bell housing!!)
    3) Using it on hot or too warm of an engine. (Some cleaners do suggest this to make it easier to dissolve dirt and grease, but NOT this product)

    That`s a REAL problem on today`s engines and front suspension components in the engine bay area regardless of the vehicle type that have SO much aluminum present to reduce weight and increase gas mileage.

    While it may sound like I am disseminating "mis-information" and advocating NOT to use Super Clean and its dollar-store generic equivalent Purple Power on engines that have aluminum, it is still your choice. You just need to be aware that there are "possible" (I emphasis that term) aluminum whitening and "bloom" consequences and ramifications in doing so. I prefer to use other safer, aluminum-friendly degreasers, albeit at a much higher price.

    I have also long advocated NOT using over-the-counter Simple Green for the same aluminum whitening reason. Simple Green knows this and has developed an aluminum-friendly formulation called Simple Green Pro (looks purple). But at 2-1/2 times the price of OTC Simple Green, I`ve found other degreasers in that same price range. My preferred degreaser that I currently use is Optimum Polymer Technology`s Power Clean, but that is (much) more expensive compared to M108.

    I also used (past tense) Kano Laboratories` (the makers the THE BEST rusted thread penetrant oil, Kroil) Floway aerosol spray for engine cleaning and degreasing , but that product, while extremely effective, is also extremely expensive now.
    GB detailer
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  2. #17

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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Fishing- IF you don`t want to get things wet, use a solvent. Rather than any dressings, I`d use a trim/etc. coating. I`d plan on using BHBs and a gazillion swabs whichever way you go.

    Once you get it nice, it`s *EASY* to keep it that way as long as you do it at every wash. Yes, even on vehicles that get really messy under there due to leaks (especially those that aren`t feasible to correct)..all a matter of not letting it get ahead of you.

    A spotless engine compartment, like a spotless undercarriage, can make a huge diff with regard to how techs treat your vehicle
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  3. #18
    Fishing's Avatar
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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    bcgreen - Thank you for the information. When I am done with the M108 I may be looking around at others, have to wait and see,,,,a gallon of M108 is going to last me a while lol lol.

    Lonnie - Thank you for doing all that research. I am going to try to learn a little more about aluminum and chemical reactions to it. I don`t like using chemicals that may be harmfull.

    Accumulator - That is an options I did consider and may use. I am going to try the deluted M108 in a hand spray bottle and a pump tank sprayer for rinse water and compressed air as my starting point and adjust as needed from there. LOL took me a few minutes to figure out what BHB was,,,,,

    Thank you everyone for the help.

  4. #19

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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Fishing- In this context, the great thing about those Boar`s Hair Brushes (heh heh...when Yours Truly posts "BHB".. ) is that no matter what kind of nasty greasy [crap] you get on `em, they clean up quickly and easily. Unlike synthetic bristles, which can get so gunked up I never quite get `em clean (at least not with the amount of time/effort I`ll put into it).

    And yeah...*keep caustic products off aluminum*. Even microscopic flaws in an aluminum bit`s anodizing/powdercoating/etc. can allow product to do damage.
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  5. #20
    Hooked For Life Bill D's Avatar
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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    I used to use carburetor or brake cleaner in hard to research nooks and crannies of an engine safely with success.
    Treat it like it`s the only one in the world.
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  6. #21

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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill D View Post
    I used to use carburetor or brake cleaner in hard to research nooks and crannies of an engine safely with success.
    It`s nice to not have to rinse Heh heh, some brake cleaners are kinda nasty, but they do get things clean...just wear the right protective gear.

  7. #22
    Fishing's Avatar
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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Bill D - Thank you while I have them I have never given them thought for cleaning anything other than carbs and brakes. May have to give them a try on stubborn stuff.

  8. #23
    Hooked For Life Bill D's Avatar
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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Let us know how you make out. I was able to erase some tough deposits. Just use sparingly. Don`t use the cleaners on plastics though.
    Treat it like it`s the only one in the world.
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  9. #24

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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lonnie View Post
    I do think that the Autopia Store needs "update" their information about engine cleaning, as both the McKee`s 37 Engine Degreaser and the McKee`s 37 Turbo Blower are both "discontinued" items (IE; they are no longer sold or available) at the Autopia Store.
    I would suggest Optimum Power Clean or Meg`s Detailer Line M108 Super Degreaser as alternate degreaser products and the Blackfire Car Dryer or Metro Vac Air Force Quick Draw Compact Dryer as alternate dryers, all products currently available at the Autopia Store.

    I am also "surprised` to see engine cleaning using a garden hose and fire nozzle to wash/rinse the engine compartment. I would think this introduced way too much water into those areas, even if someone has taken the time to wrap senors, engine computer control boxes, and fuse boxes with plastic to mitigate the entrance of said water into these water-sensitive electrical components. I would think a garden-type hand-pressurized insecticide sprayer with a sprayer wand, like the IK Pro Foam 12 , might be a better way to wash and rinse and control the amount of water introduced into the engine.

    As far as engine cleaning and detailing, does anyone use a high-end steamer like the Vapor Systems VX5000 or the Reliable Brio Pro 1000CC to do so?? I`ve watched product demonstration videos for both of these steamers and they show them being used to steam clean engine compartments.
    Neither one of these are available or sold at the Autopia Store (sorry!). The Autopia Store offers the Vapormore line of steamers and the only one that is a true high-end pro model is the MR-1000 Forenza Steam Cleaner.

    By the way, the engine compartment is the FIRST area you should clean if you are doing a vehicle detail, for obvious reasons. Chances are overspray and such will get on the exterior front fender panels and grill and windshield, requiring a follow-up cleaning /washing of those areas when done OR the entire vehicle exterior (preferred).
    More common sense suggestion:
    Watch what you use for a de-geaser or engine cleaner. Many over-the-counter degreasers, like OTC Simple Green or Super Clean (the Purple Stuff) are NOT safe for use on aluminum components so prevalent on today`s vehicles. They will cause whitening or aluminum "bloom" on such parts if allowed to dwell too long or not rinsed or dried completely. A popular OTC engine cleaner aerosol spray is Gunk Engine Brite. I am just not "keen" to using that either.
    And for safety`s sake, PLEASE refrain from using gasoline as an engine cleaning solvent and degreaser (my readily-available redneck "solvent" in my younger day. Might "explain" a lot of why your as are today, Captain Obvious! Just sayin`...). While very inexpensive and very effective as a de-greasing solvent, its detriment to personal health, the environmental, and flammability far out-weigh its use for engine cleaning.
    ALWAYS READ THE LABEL DIRECTIONS AND WARNINGS BEFORE USING ANY PRODUCT FOR ENGINE CLEANING.

    Edit:
    Since I detail and clean daily drivers almost exclusively, engine compartments and the underside of the hood collect far more than just grease and dirt. Perhaps the "worst" is leaf, pine needle, lawn litter in the cowl area where fresh air is taken into the interior. I prefer to first remove what I can by hand and then take a vacuum to those areas. Sometimes I take a tweezers to extract embedded litter in the cowl vents. That`s the litter that plugs drain holes and then causes rust to form in cowl areas.
    I have also removed rodent debris, like mice nests or chipmunk seed-&-nut "stashes". You just need to cognitive and vigilant about such things happening in daily driven vehicles when you open the hood. I have not encountered live animals, like snakes or lizards or rodents. I did remove a dead bird from the grill of my own vehicle.
    Insect and bugs can really collect on the radiator and front underside of the hood. A good long brush, like the E-Z Detail brush can help get the bugs off the radiator and a bug mesh sponge works well for under the hood. I`ve used Poorboy`s World Bug Squash as a pre-treater for those areas, but I am sure a de-greaser or All-Purpose Cleaner can be substituted for that purpose.
    Hi! I don`t mean to jump in randomly, but this forum got my attention as I`ve been curious about engine bay cleaning myself. I see you clean and detail drivers daily, so I`m assuming its your business. Is there any difference with a CVT engine cleaning vs an old-school automatic engine? I just bought a car with the CVT, and I noticed it seems to have an additional belt, as well as a chain pulley system that I know is not in an automatic engine. Thanks!

  10. #25

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    Re: Learning how to detail an Engine Bay.

    Quote Originally Posted by Chas09 View Post
    Hi! I don`t mean to jump in randomly, but this forum got my attention as I`ve been curious about engine bay cleaning myself. I see you clean and detail drivers daily, so I`m assuming its your business. Is there any difference with a CVT engine cleaning vs an old-school automatic engine? I just bought a car with the CVT, and I noticed it seems to have an additional belt, as well as a chain pulley system that I know is not in an automatic engine. Thanks!
    I would think the CVT would be sealed completely like an automatic so I wouldn’t expect them to be treated any different. Are you saying there is a car with an open CVT? But if it is open, it isopen to moisture from underneath the car and again, I’d say treat it the same. Put cleaner on there, agitate with a soft brush, don’t let the cleaner dwell too long, and then flush with clean water but definitely don’t spray with a pressure washer as you wouldn’t want to force water into seals.

 

 
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