Engine bay cleaning - what solvent to use??

[gazzy2000]

hi,

has anyone got any hot tips on cleaning 15+ years of sh1t under the bonet?

( yes i did a search first )

With the engine out i just want to clean the bay up, whats best to use??

i have a 1800PSI water blaster but need to know what solvent to use first... one that wont damge the paint.

i f i cud avoid elbo grease that wud be good too LOL

Cheers

[Drunkenmonkey]

i used cans of super cheeps $2.50 cans of degreaser

[familyman]

 Drunkenmonkey said:

i used cans of super cheeps $2.50 cans of degreaser

+1

Also awesome for cleaning spilt oil off garage floor.

[Guest boostin]

Can you hook your waterblaster up to the hot water? That makes a big difference. We've got a big diesel heated blaster at work, and only use a weak cleaning solution, but the hot water strips most stuff away quick as.

[duckandcover]

 Drunkenmonkey said:

i used cans of super cheeps $2.50 cans of degreaser

This stuff is awesome!

[jacsmiley]

is it new zealand shyte or ex japan shyte??

use the degreaser and the "red hose brush" with soft brissles. i think you can get them from bunnings or the warehouse. if you let the degeaser soak for a couple of mins (watch out for chemical runs on you front guards) the brush should take it off mint!

i used to be a "car appearance tech" (groomer lol) and imports were thick with smog!

the heated water will def help there!

[R.D]

dont mean to thread steal haha

but on the topic.

i need to degrease my turbo housing area due to spilt trans fluid, is it safe to go nuts with degreaser and then a hose around that area? dont actually know where the remaining fluid is that wont burn off, so kinda need to go nuts with it.

Cheers!

[subieboy]

Koala Care Degreaser 2.5L - from Supercheap auto

I used it to clean the engine bay of a 97 Commodore... you could eat off that block afterwards... (if you were stupid enough that is)

[Guest the_return_of_the_jedi]

+1 on the degreaser...

buy 3 or 4 cans tho...

spray and walk away...

oh and make sure you wash it off after a few mins... use a hose is fine

[jacsmiley]

 R.D said:

dont mean to thread steal haha

but on the topic.

i need to degrease my turbo housing area due to spilt trans fluid, is it safe to go nuts with degreaser and then a hose around that area? dont actually know where the remaining fluid is that wont burn off, so kinda need to go nuts with it.

Cheers!

go nuts with it like you said..... hopefully the degreaser will run down the same place as the fluid did and thin it out enough to wash away

[R.D]

well i did go nuts with it, and didn't realize the smell today after two long drives, so i reckon she did the trick beautifully.

man that'd be a mish and a half to get the whole engine bay clean tho!

[ReubenH]

I used to just use wash world to clean my engine. The engine bay/wheel cleaner stuff, let it sit for a min, then waterblast it off. Yet to have had a problem doing this. Haven't even bent any intercooler fins with the water blaster .

But they dun got a washworld in queenstown

[gazzy2000]

well i brought 4 cans of degreaser from supercrap and that and the water blaster got that really bad shyte off..

But it didnt get that real baked-on grit off, you know that layer of sh1t, the one that stops the old paint from showing its TRUE original colours..

well i got creative, i used chemco (that pink sh1t your mom uses on the bath) and a scotch bright non-scratch pad, and man that works a treat! you need to use elbow grease too but the end result is worth it. When i finished an area i simply water blasted off.

Heres a pic of the sponge/pad, i didnt get before pics of the engine bay dam it, but will post some pics up of what it came up like.

[dubbedup]

diesel and a lit match?

[666SubSpeed]

DONT USE CHEMICO ON YOUR PAINT !!!

Or not paint that has clear coat that u like anyway. once you get it in the sun you will be kicking yourself after you see the swirl marks. I once thought it would be a good idea to use it to remove the tar stuck to the car. So I parked in the garage and polished anything that looked like it would come off...WOW I said as everything washed away wonderfully. Oh how little did I know... 3 cut and polishes later and the marks were still there when I sold the car 2 years later. gutted

Oh well you live and most of us learn. 8)

[gazzy2000]

 666SubSpeed said:

DONT USE CHEMICO ON YOUR PAINT !!!

Or not paint that has clear coat that u like anyway. once you get it in the sun you will be kicking yourself after you see the swirl marks. I once thought it would be a good idea to use it to remove the tar stuck to the car. So I parked in the garage and polished anything that looked like it would come off...WOW I said as everything washed away wonderfully. Oh how little did I know... 3 cut and polishes later and the marks were still there when I sold the car 2 years later. gutted

Oh well you live and most of us learn. 8)

dosent look like under bonnet paint has clear coat AFAI can see

wud never use such a harsh method on external panels :o

[Treecrusher]

brake clean is also a great de-greaser if you can afford it. I would clean my kart after every meeting and use combination of de-greaser and brake clean. The brake clean seems to dissolve oil and grime much more quickly, but costs a lot more.

[Guest the_return_of_the_jedi]

i used australian export degreaser on my front subframe the other day..

its now a nice black paint and clean as a whistle. will post pics up if i can be bothered tomorrow, anyway it was nicely coated in thick black shite before and now its not so yeah i recommend it.. just spray it on and let it soak for a bit.. wipe off with a old cloth or hose it off etc.. same with the firewall and chassis rail areas.. will take a fair amount of time..but

the end result is worth it

[subieboy]

 the_return_of_the_jedi said:

i used australian export degreaser on my front subframe the other day..

its now a nice black paint and clean as a whistle. will post pics up if i can be bothered tomorrow, anyway it was nicely coated in thick black shite before and now its not so yeah i recommend it.. just spray it on and let it soak for a bit.. wipe off with a old cloth or hose it off etc.. same with the firewall and chassis rail areas.. will take a fair amount of time..but

the end result is worth it

The Koala stuff is similar, all I do is spray on and wash off (some caked on sh!t needs a rub)

[Guest]

brake clean ftw use it on everything lol yea but i get it cheap through my work. its pretty pricy if ur paying full but the degreaser from supercheap is also good and its cheap... go nuts

[Guest]

I use a tooth brush and persistence, in 400hours your engine bay will look like new. 8)