New products = New way to clean engine bay?

Brad B. said:
All the years I nationally campaigned Jags I never used water. Aluminum polish, brake cleaner spray, Acrysol and medical swabs. And lots of elbow grease!



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:2thumbs::2thumbs::2thumbs:
 
Are we talking strictly brake cleaner spray from an auto parts store and Acrysol/PrepSol/equivalent only to clean these types of motors? No other chemical-- say APC ? and is it a good idea to keep these cleaners sprayed on MFs, rags, swabs,etc. only, never sprayed directly on any part even in a small amount?
 
Bill D said:
Are we talking strictly brake cleaner spray from an auto parts store and Acrysol/PrepSol/equivalent only to clean these types of motors? No other chemical-- say APC ?
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IMO the only downside of APCs is the need to rinse. I don't think their alkaline nature is an issue, for instance (usual caveats apply though).



And some brake cleaners, like the one Lynn used on her Jag, are about as flammable as stuff gets, hence all my comments about choosing the right one.



The nice things about the solvent approach are a) no need to rinse, they evaporate cleanly, b) easy to control where they go via application media (e.g., swabs and small brushes), and c) they generally work very well on "typical underhood filth".



The downsides include flammability and the way they'll remove decals/etc. if you go about it wrong.



.. and is it a good idea to keep these cleaners sprayed on MFs, rags, swabs, etc. only, never sprayed directly on any

part even in a small amount?
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IMO yeah...I'm not a big fan of atomizing flammable stuff and spraying it around engine compartments. Some ignition systems can spark when you might not expect it (there are parts on my XJS that'll knock you on your can if you touch 'em the wrong way, or so I'm told).



But all that (and all the preceding posts) said...looking at cptzippy's engine compartment, well....*I* would cover a lot of stuff up with aluminum foil and go at it with some Engine Cleaner and BHBs, rinsing with the minimum of water required and being very careful about how I did said rinsing. Yep, I really would do the initital work that way. But I guess it's easy to feel lucky when I won't really be doing it, huh?



Eh, I've sprayed a bit of water in my XJS's engine compartment, and mine's a lot more sensitive to such stuff than his oughta be.
 
Brake fluid, but I personally I'm only going to keep brake cleaner in mind for super gunky cleaning only on surfaces like cast iron. Remember to have plenty of ventilation around brake cleaner :sick1:
 
Cool. thanks. I've never used anything other than an APC and GUNK engine degreaser to clean engines. Now at least I know I have another alternative to help out the arsenal.
 
All of my cars are modern/non finicky enough for me to use APC when needed without a problem. I do always tend to keep hosing the engine down to bare minimum though. I don't think I'll ever need to resort to doing that given my current line up of cars.
 
Bill D said:
All of my cars are modern/non finicky enough for me to use APC when needed without a problem..
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My older Audi V8s are fine in that regard, no real worries about water. But I hear the newer ones are like my Crown Vic's 4.6, with Coil On Plug ignitions that can be really touchy in that regard.



But yeah, once you get things clean it's seldom necessary to do any more big cleanups unless something goes really haywire.
 
I touch up under the hood at least twice seasonally with Swiffer dusters. They work so well!
 
Bill D said:
I touch up under the hood at least twice seasonally with Swiffer dusters. They work so well!
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I end up BHBing and swabbing and QDing and so on, but you know how dirty I let vehicles get between washes :o
 
Bill D said:
You mean you're not pulling engine covers at every wash? ;) :chuckle:
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Oh sure, the D2-series Audis get a lot of underhood plastic removed at every wash :D



It's just that there's always enough dirt underhood that I do more than I'd attempt with a Swiffer. BHBs with shampoo, light rinse, QDing with MFs and swabs, that kind of cleanup. Not "concours", but I wouldn't be laughed off the field either ;)
 
Sounds like there's always a lot of dirt around during your driving. You technique blows away what passes for concours these days though...
 
Bill D said:
Sounds like there's always a lot of dirt around during your driving....
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Sorta surprising about that; ditto for the undercarriages, who woulda thunk they'd need cleaned all the time even in nice weather :nixweiss



But OTOH, I wonder just how many vehicles would *really* pass a white-glove test in those areas...
 
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