motor cleaning HOW-TO with lots of pics!

[NotaDime]

well after making a thread on cleaning my motor a lot of you guys have pm'd me or asked me to do a how-to so here it is.
(heres my motor thread on my motor...... http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f74/qu...h-pics-291704/)





i have finally done a how to clean your motor and here we go.........




first off the motor i used wasn't an s-10 but it was a vortec motor so that'll work. lol

heres a pic of the mileage on the motor.








here are a few pics of the motor before anything was done.
















now we will need to cover anything that you dont want to get wet like distributer, alternator, computer, or any other sensitive electronics.

now rinse both fenders, the cowl area including the windshield, also wet the grill and entire front end. this is to help prevent staining on anything from the degreaser.


after wetting everything EXCEPT for the motor, spray some degreaser on the underside of the hood. use a cloth or (i use) a netted bug sponge and wipe all of the underside of the hood. after you wipe it all, rinse it off good.


now you will need to spray at least a whole quart bottle of degreaser on EVERYTHING under the hood including all plastics, metals, painted, nonpainted, motor, brackets, EVERYTHING.

after everything is soaked in degreaser you will now need to START THE MOTOR.

you want the motor running from here on to help dry the water faster in spots that you dont want water.


now you will start your pressure washer, and blast away.

start off by doing the fenders and firewall first.

pressure wash the actual motor LAST.
you want to put the least amount of water on the motor as possible. thats why you do the fenders and firewall first because you can use as much water on those as you need to.


after you pressure wash everything down, you may need to use the bug sponge to touch up a few spots here and there.





here are some pics of after being degreased and is still dripping wet from water




























the motor should still be running now.


now take your WATER based dressing (like armour all) and soak EVERYTHING with it. including plastics, metals, painted, nonpainted, EVERYTHING.

(you dont want to use a "tire dressing" that has silicone or a solvent because they are flammable! so make sure it is water based.)


you may have to shut off the motor for a few minutes because the fan from the motor will want to blow it away from where your trying to spray.


make sure you turn the nozzle to a straight spray pattern and spray those low spots that are hard to reach.



make sure you restart the motor after you spray it all down with dressing



here is what it will look like after you spray the dressing on it all, all milky and runny.























now shut the hood.


now it is time to wash the entire vehicle.

wash it like you normally do, keep in mind you are going to have dressing on your cowl, windshield, fenders, grill and just about everywhere on the front end so wash those areas good!

in case you forgot, the motor should be running while your washing the vehicle.



after your done washing the vehicle dry it good, shut off the vehicle and pop the hood again.

use a wax pad and start wiping down everything under the hood. start by first wiping the puddles up and that will coat your pad with dressing.

if you use a cheap dressing, there wont be a nice shine left, it will "dry up" so thats why its important to use a good dressing to do this.

just keep wiping everything. also this is a good time to get into corners and hard to reach spots that still have a little bit of dirt left. your wax pad with dressing will get rid of any dirty spots left.



here are the final results after you are completely finished






































here is the dressing that i used on this one.

[DJDAudio]

Now when the motor and block is hot and you blast it with cold water ... is this not a bad thing?

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJDAudio

Now when the motor and block is hot and you blast it with cold water ... is this not a bad thing?

well like i stated ...."after everything is soaked in degreaser you will now need to START THE MOTOR." ......then you pressure wash it all off. the motor is not really hot at this point.



but ya, you wont have it running for 30 minutes then start blasting cold water to it.....so no worrys there.

[DJDAudio]

Quote: Originally Posted by NotaDime

well like i stated ...."after everything is soaked in degreaser you will now need to START THE MOTOR." ......then you pressure wash it all off. the motor is not really hot at this point.



but ya, you wont have it running for 30 minutes then start blasting cold water to it.....so no worrys there.

ok cool cool that works

[S10ForumMember]

That looks great!

[llorracs93s10]

so could i do this with this motor out of my truck and than intstall it already done up? I mean, will it be all slippery and all like when you touch your tires after doing a good coat of ''tire foam'' or a sort of tire cleaner?

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJDAudio

ok cool cool that works

that was a great point to bring up though!

Quote: Originally Posted by S10ForumMember

That looks great!

thanks!!

Quote: Originally Posted by llorracs93s10

so could i do this with this motor out of my truck and than intstall it already done up? I mean, will it be all slippery and all like when you touch your tires after doing a good coat of ''tire foam'' or a sort of tire cleaner?

yes u can do it with that motor, but just dont dress it until its in and running. with all the "hands on" it'll just wipe the dressing off. but ya, id clean the hell out of it before you install it.

[01cherryreds10]

If it were me and I had an engine on a hoist, I'd just take the accessories and clean everything down really well with some GUNK and paint everything and put it back on the block.

But that is just me of course, you may get water in some holes so you'll need to blow those dry with compressed air.

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by 01cherryreds10

If it were me ..................and paint everything and put it back on the block.

But that is just me of course, you may get water in some holes so you'll need to blow those dry with compressed air.

some people dont like painting things, and would rather have the stock look.


also thats another great tip, to blow out the water with an air hose.

[SWCC]

Ive never used any type of dressing to bring out a shine because of one concern. Does it have a tendency to attract dirt faster because of the oil-y residue?

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by 01cherryreds10

If it were me and I had an engine on a hoist, I'd just take the accessories and clean everything down really well with some GUNK and paint everything and put it back on the block.

But that is just me of course, you may get water in some holes so you'll need to blow those dry with compressed air.

actually me and my buddy were going to take off the pulleys setup and paint the block glossy black and replace the intake with a painted red one. I guess my post was kinda pointless than. The only thing i want to know is there anthing ican do to the pullies and altenator to give them a better finshed look? Cuz the block will be painted, the intke will be painted and polished and the fuel rails will be polished and the valve covers will be repainted black, or get chrome ones. So i would have to make the front accesssories looking good as the block and intake. And FYI, i would be getting the water pump painted too, just dont know if ishould do it red to match the intake, or do black like the block. what do you all think?

[rrray88sdime]

great how-to! i planned on doing this tomorrow, but you just helped me out a ton!

so basically, after you spray everythign with degreaser, then you can un-cover your alternator, air filter comp etc correct? what would you recommend covering them with? would plastic bags from a grocery store do the trick?

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by Smilodon

Ive never used any type of dressing to bring out a shine because of one concern. Does it have a tendency to attract dirt faster because of the oil-y residue?

if you use the right dressing (not a cheap one) , after you wipe it down, dirt wont really stick to it. if/when it does just use a dry towel to wipe it down and itll look new again.

oh and again, make sure to use a water based , NOT an "oil-y" based dressing

Quote: Originally Posted by llorracs93s10

The only thing i want to know is there anthing ican do to the pullies and altenator to give them a better finshed look?

you can use a wheel cleaning acid and that will brighten them up good or since your pulling it all off, have them sandblasted, and leave them in the raw.

Quote: Originally Posted by rrray88sdime

great how-to! i planned on doing this tomorrow, but you just helped me out a ton!

thanks! have fun!!

Quote: Originally Posted by rrray88sdime

so basically, after you spray everythign with degreaser, then you can un-cover your alternator, air filter comp etc correct? what would you recommend covering them with? would plastic bags from a grocery store do the trick?

you can remove the covering AFTER you pressure wash everything. but before you spray the dressing.

you can use plastic bags or aluminum foil. they both work.

[XtremelyYellow]

Wow! Great how to...Thanks!

[Kovz]

great How-To man. looks great!

[rokrskrapr]

I've always heard that tire shine on plug wires deteriorates them making them arc off of everything anybody experience this? I still, however, do it to my truck,there's nothing like that fresh look when you pop the hood.

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by rokrskrapr

I've always heard that tire shine on plug wires deteriorates them making them arc off of everything anybody experience this?

silicone can deteriorate rubber. again use a water based dressing not a "tire dressing" as they are normally full of silicones and solvents (which can ignite and catch on fire)

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by XtremelyYellow

Wow! Great how to...Thanks!

thank you!

Quote: Originally Posted by kovz34

great How-To man. looks great!

thank you!

[oneone3]

drive that clean engine down a gravel road and then look under the hood

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by oneone3

drive that clean engine down a gravel road and then look under the hood

Quote: Originally Posted by NotaDime

if you use the right dressing (not a cheap one) , after you wipe it down, dirt wont really stick to it. if/when it does just use a dry towel to wipe it down and itll look new again.

oh and again, make sure to use a water based , NOT an "oil-y" based dressing

Quote: Originally Posted by oneone3

drive that clean engine down a gravel road and then look under the hood

you sh!t out your ass, do you not wipe it clean because your going to sh!t again???

[4x4zr2GA]

wow. that motor sitting outside the truck in the garage is going to need alot more than degreaser... that thing is oxidized!

[beandip]

Looks good

but, i used armor all and sprayed down EVERYTHING, including the computer and ac condenser, well when i washed everything down, the armor all left an oily residue on the computer and ac condenser and it was soo dull that i couldn't see myself in it anymore. so i had to re-polish it again to get my shine back

so, for you guys that polished your computer and ac condenser, DONT GET ARMOR ALL ON IT!! just thought I would share.

[tt85_GM]

for my A/C lines and accumulator I use Blue metal polish, turns out like a mirror.

[Sleeper S10]

wow nice write up and cleaning of that engine / area!!!

i am tempted to do this just it would remove all the "rust check" on the firewall, etc.
a clean engine/ area is nice but so is having the rust protection.

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by tt85_GM

for my A/C lines and accumulator I use Blue metal polish, turns out like a mirror.

thats a great tip!!



[quote=Sleeper S10;5341701]wow nice write up and cleaning of that engine / area!!!

quote]

thanks!

[BONDO]

too much work id rather pay someone to do it

looks great tho

[ExtCab96S_Dime]

Quote: Originally Posted by bondoville

too much work id rather pay someone to do it

looks great tho

Can tell you're from Wisconsin, lazyass. lol Just kidding.

Great write up though, to the original poster.

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by ExtCab96S_Dime

Great write up though, to the original poster.

[PinkNoma]

What kind of degreaser did you use? Also, where are you getting your supplies? Walmart/parts store?

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by PinkNoma

What kind of degreaser did you use? Also, where are you getting your supplies? Walmart/parts store?

no i do auto detailing for a living, nothing store bought. you can use just about any type of degreaser just cut it with water acordingly

[Dirt Nasty]

how do you go about covering everything you dont want to get wet (alt, electrical stuff, etc.)

[usmc_noma]

i've heard people use foil or wrap it with plastic before. it's good as long as you don't turn it on.

[ZQ8 Blazer]

When I painted mine I removed all the electronics and plugged all the holes then I pressure washed it, primed, painted. Turned out nice:

[ippy00]

wow! i envy u

[Wicked Mayhem]

so what brand dressing can i use that can be bought at walmart or autozone etc? i looked and the only thing i saw was armor all. is that good to use? i see you mention armor all but you say "like armor all" so i wanna make sure i use somehting good.

and can i use simple green for the degreaser???

[ZQ8 Blazer]

Simple green is good since it has no chemicals in it.

Oreilly's carries something in their body shop sectioned called professional dressing. Or something like that, it REALLY makes stuff shine, it does seem to make dust stick to stuff a little easier, but it is the best stuff I've ever seen, it's really good for interiors.

[llorracs93s10]

Well i cleaned my motor/tranny on tuesday, and i wil have pics of it tomrrow night. But all i did was use degreaser from autozone that is in a purple container. It looks 10x better. Valve covers really cleaned up and so did the tranny. It almost looks like it just arrived as a reman'd tranny.

[ippy00]

picsssss

[llorracs93s10]

[ZQ8 Blazer]

looks better, but still needs more cleaning. Use a scotch brite pad on the cast aluminum that is oxidized.

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wicked Mayhem

so what brand dressing can i use that can be bought at walmart or autozone etc? i looked and the only thing i saw was armor all. is that good to use? i see you mention armor all but you say "like armor all" so i wanna make sure i use somehting good.

and can i use simple green for the degreaser???

yes and yes.


armor all isnt the greatest but itll work probably better then anything else walmart has.


i am lucky because i detail for a living and know what to use.


heres something you can buy online that is the greatest dressing ive ever used in my 16 year career........

allthough it does contain silicone.


http://www.malcopro.com/index.php?pa...art&Itemid=101

[Wicked Mayhem]

cool. ill use armor all for now then. ill buy something offline for next time. but i just want under the hood cleaned up. ill post my results tomorrow in here!

[NotaDime]

cool! take your time doing it and be sure to post pics....

[Wicked Mayhem]

woke up at 9:30. finished up about 15 minutes ago. think it came out good for my first time. next time i can do a better job. i didnt scrub my ac hoses really so there is some dried mud sunk in them still and a little way down on the fenderwells. but overall, it came out great IMO!

before


after




dirty




degreased and hosed off


armor alled


clean

[beandip]

sweet, looks good .

now that its all clean it wont be so hard to keep it that way.

[ZQ8 Blazer]

Damn looks good, Im going to have to do this to my Blazers.\

What kind of degreaser did you end up using?

[Wicked Mayhem]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZQ8 Blazer

Damn looks good, Im going to have to do this to my Blazers.\

What kind of degreaser did you end up using?

yeah its super easy. added like 15 minutes to my wash time. i didnt detail the wheels or interior like i usually do. its cloudy out now so im glad i didnt lol..

i used simple green max since i had it already. it seemed to work great.

next time i do this i will scrub the inner fenders and hoses so it will be perfect!

[beandip]

polish the ECU and A/C accumulator THEN it will be even better


I just noticed you dont have the hood insulation, did you take it off or didnt have it? it looks better without but im worried about paint chipping, i think its more for sound than it is for heat though.

[OneLowSdime]

sweet shit

[Wicked Mayhem]

Quote: Originally Posted by beandip

polish the ECU and A/C accumulator THEN it will be even better


I just noticed you dont have the hood insulation, did you take it off or didnt have it? it looks better without but im worried about paint chipping, i think its more for sound than it is for heat though.

i actually took it off right before those pics. it had a ton of mud on it and got tore up when i tried cleaning it from when it was lifted. so i yanked it off.

and yes i have been thinking about polishing that stuff up. now that my engine bay is clean, i might follow through.