recommended products to make the engine shine?

Whereis a good place to learn how to detail an engine and not cause problems. Like all the above pictures, everything looks exposed. That would scare the bejesus out of me.
 
lol that car scared me to lol because i have never seen so much electrical stuff in my life. Basicly you have to learn it on you own, cover anything that you dont feel comfortable spraying. I really DON'T like the Adams video because he just sprays into the engine. I always cover the alternator, distributor, air filter, fuse box(es) and battery. If their is stuff you don't know just cover it and be on the safe side.

Also I did that car for free so I wasn't too worried
 
I used wd 40 for ten years on my jeep with no problems and no fires. I felt it work very well and I never covered anything up. I'm not saying this is the best way to do it but I never replaced an thing under the hood and sold her with 200k on the clock.
 
Unless the engine is very dirty I do not use a hose in the engine bay. Even then it's a one time thing. Once clean I wipe the area down every car wash and it keeps it looking new. It's like anything once you get it clean stay on top off it and it's easy to maintain.
 
Anthony A said:
Unless the engine is very dirty I do not use a hose in the engine bay. Even then it's a one time thing. Once clean I wipe the area down every car wash and it keeps it looking new. It's like anything once you get it clean stay on top off it and it's easy to maintain.
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Yep!
Works for me.
Once a year I will do a S100 Total Cycle Wash spray into the nooks and crannies I can't get to. It removes the dust and crud buildup and seems to rinse clean.
FWIW, I purchased a couple of cans of the CD-2 several months back and haven't used it yet. Just never thought it was necessary to use. After reading all the raves about it, I found it necessary to purchase though. I think I may have done that sort of thing a couple of other times, too.:D

Charles
 
CharlesW said:
Yep!
I found it necessary to purchase though. I think I may have done that sort of thing a couple of other times, too.:D

Charles
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Me too Charles.I'm Always running out to by products i don't need,but i have found they come in handy when you do :D.
I just bought Duregloss AW & shampoo today :) I 'll find something to try it on.
 
joe.p said:
Me too Charles.I'm Always running out to by products i don't need,but i have found they come in handy when you do :D.
I just bought Duregloss AW & shampoo today :) I 'll find something to try it on.
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You will really like both those products especially the shampoo.
 
Anthony A said:
You will really like both those products especially the shampoo.
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Opened the cap on the shampoo before i paid for it i wanted to seee what it smelled like. Smells nice,maybe like cherries.
 
I used Greased lightening and I too top it off with WD-40. I do find that it attracts dust but after you wipe it down once it stays clean for a long time just keep wiping it down every now and then.

1999 Grand Voyager SE 3.3L


1987 Crown Victoria 5.0L


I spray the whole engine bay directly with degreaser, scrub all over, rinse, start and dry then spray down with WD-40 and wipe! Never had any issues except with water getting in the spark plug holes on inline 4 cylinder engines, now i plug the holes before i start. I've washed 100's of motors this way; no fires from the WD-40.

Oh yeah, use some steel wool on aluminum parts!
 
My 01 4x4 Tacoma has a 2.7 engine and I have used Mean Green on the engine for several years now and I also just use a pressure hose at the car wash to rinse it off. My engine is spotless and I have never had a problem. Most of todays engines are sealed enough that you don't have to worry about water. On all the hoses and plastic parts I use a spray wax like Duragloss AW and wipe it down. The wax helps keep the dirt off and it looks so good people can't believe it when they open the hood. Mike
 
after 12+ years of detailing, I had to chuckle at the WD40 comment, as I have previously only heard that from Farmers in the past. WD-40 is NOT safe for finishes especially under the hood where you will find a good amount of heat!

Use a water based product after washing the engien bay and before washing the car. This way any over spray on the exterior of the car can be washed off quickly. After the car is finsihed you can go back and touch up any "dry" spots as well as any excess. Once you get good at this, you will not need to go back with much touch up at all under the hood.. Awter based products are great becaseu the tend not to atract dust as much! IN fact I have a customer show me under the hood of his 2007 Camry that I detailed 4 months ago and it was still almost perfect! That was 6000 miles ago!
 
I have used Water based dressing for 16 years and have always been happy with the end results. I have read in several publications that the silicones in water based dressings wreak havoic with electrical systems, so i always try to only lightly mist or just wipe around anything i think might be a problem. I have had maybe a total of 6 engine problems that weren't something as simple as just being wet and after completely drying were fine. The problems I have had, had nothing to do with my technique but with existing or impending issues with the vehicle. One warning I would give is to be careful if you intend to pressure wash your underhood mat. On some vehicles this mat is very fragile and can be torn apart by the pressure. It will also take a very long time to dry and will drip water out of the front of the hood for hours. It can be washed, just keep the nozzle far enough away as to not cause damage.
 
I had to go to the WD-40 website just to be sure:
"What surfaces or materials are OK to use WD-40 on?
WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40."

So it is safe for rubber and plastic. However, I do agree with the some of the suggestions so far:
- don't go to far in between cleaning
- use a degreaser (simple green works for me)
- use a rubber/vinyl protectant on hoses & plastic
I oscillate between:
Meg GC Vinyl/Rubber Protectant
Meg Endurance
303 Aerospace Protectant (probably my favorite and hardy devcon1 protectant)
Z16
Stoner Trim Shine (**not a true protectant - but it sprays down into the hard to get spots and really cleans and get things looking tidy where I can't possibly put my hands or brushes)

For painted parts, I used a MF sprayed with QD.

If you stay on top of the engine monthly or less, then you don't have to go to the using the hose part. Very risky....
 
WD40 will work, and so will most tire dressings. I dont think that the shine will last very long with wd40. As far as being safe, it is made to displace water, and you just washed your engine with water.On plastic and rubber use a tire dressing . On shinny metal use a qd.
 
I've used WD40 on an engine bay and I'd recommend some other multi-purpose dressing. WD40 works great for other extreme alternatives, but a dedicated dressing is better.
 
I've used Simple Green straight from the bottle, but slightly diluted works ok too. The only problem I've had was sometimes a little scrubbing is required, and I keep forgetting to buy a scrub brush when I have the $.:ass
 
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