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.

[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?

[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!

[kovz34]

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!

[bondoville]

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.