best approach to a 350,000 mile 88 BMW engine

T

tssdetailing

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I have a long time customer who for the first time ever wants his engine cleaned up. Last I had a look under the hood, it was a mess, lots of dust and a jumble of wires etc. This car is an all original, daily driven 88 BMW 3 series drop top. I'm very apprehensive about this gig. Can anyone give me some pointers?



garyCarAfter.jpg
 
Light misting of APC and ONR dampened (junk) MF towels. There is no way in hell I would go spraying water around that car. The 80's cars were loaded with electronics that weren't exactly waterproof.
 
tssdetailing- I simply *love* using solvents for things like this. They cut grease/etc. really well and evaporate cleanly.



It's been a looong time since I had my e30 M3, but I don't recall it being all that sensitive to underhood cleaning/moisture. I never got things soaking wet, but I never worried much about it either. I sure wouldn't hesitate to use a steamer in there.
 
For the metal parts, some stiffer plastic bristle brushes and harsh solvents would serve you well. As Accumulator said, a steamer would be perfect for this.
 
I say go to town with the water when cleaning the engine bay, but afterward use the blow function of a shopvac or a leaf blower (electric) to blast water out of all the crevices. This is how I've detailed engines for years and have not run into any issues.



Also, as Accumulator mentioned, utilize the cleaning power of solvents to do the 'scrubbing' for you.
 
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