motor cleaning HOW-TO with lots of pics!

[ZQ8 Blazer]

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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!

How'd you apply the simple green?

I took my inner fenders out and repainted them semi gloss black, looks a lot better. There are 2 rivets holding the d.s. one on, so that made it a little harder to get off, GM is stupid.

Quote:

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.

Removing the insulator doesn't hurt anything. I ran my show truck w/o one for 4 years and never had any problems from anything.

[Wicked Mayhem]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZQ8 Blazer

How'd you apply the simple green?

I took my inner fenders out and repainted them semi gloss black, looks a lot better. There are 2 rivets holding the d.s. one on, so that made it a little harder to get off, GM is stupid.


Removing the insulator doesn't hurt anything. I ran my show truck w/o one for 4 years and never had any problems from anything.

i had the simple green max. and just sprayed it right out of the bottle. i think it said something about diluting it, but i didnt. i just soaked down the engine bay, scrubbed a couple spots i noticed real good. then hosed it all off. then armor alled it and shut the hood and washed it.

and yeah the insulator isnt needed. ive always left it on my other vehicles cause i never kept under the hood clean, except for my luv. but they didnt come with it haha

[beandip]

so yeah i guess its just to keep the noise down then, looks like i need to remove mine then

[ZQ8 Blazer]

Quote:

i had the simple green max. and just sprayed it right out of the bottle. i think it said something about diluting it, but i didnt. i just soaked down the engine bay, scrubbed a couple spots i noticed real good. then hosed it all off. then armor alled it and shut the hood and washed it.

oh ok duh, I have a gallon jug of it here and forgot I could put it in a spray bottle, what a dumb ass. I have some Extreme Simple Green that is really freaking strong, it'll take oil stains out of concrete, but I don't guess I'll use it, it's probably too strong.

[NotaDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by beandip

I just noticed you dont have the hood insulation, did you take it off or didnt have it?

that is actually a fire blanket.
if your engine catches on fire it will melt the little round plastic tabs and it will drop on the motor to slow the fire.

[Tex Star Detail]

be careful of just soaking everything under the hood with degreaser. I typically find the paint to be considerably thinner under the hood. (not just on our trucks) spraying degreaser (simple green, purple power, etc) will eventually thin the paint and remove it after a few times, if not the 1st time.
I don't recommend hitting the paint under the hood with a pressure washer either. your best bet is to knuckle bust it and use some rags, preferably, microfiber....

happy detailing

[Wicked Mayhem]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tex Star Detail

be careful of just soaking everything under the hood with degreaser. I typically find the paint to be considerably thinner under the hood. (not just on our trucks) spraying degreaser (simple green, purple power, etc) will eventually thin the paint and remove it after a few times, if not the 1st time.
I don't recommend hitting the paint under the hood with a pressure washer either. your best bet is to knuckle bust it and use some rags, preferably, microfiber....

happy detailing

ill be careful on the degreaser on the underside of the hood then. i didnt let it sit very long, so it shouldnt do to much damage??? and i didnt use a pressure washer, my dad said he had bad luck one time so i just stuck with a hose.

[Tex Star Detail]

a standard hose will work good.
For the degreaser, make sure it is diluted correctly. Spray on, let dwell for a minute or two, agitate with a microfiber towel, then rinse.

NOTE: make sure the fenders (outer) stay WET! Degreaser will leave "runs" in the paint. you do not want degreaser just sitting there doing damage, so, better safe than sorry and keep the paint wet.

[kovz34]

ok, i got motivated to this. I used GUNK as the degreaser. Good how-to Nota

[ZQ8 Blazer]

I've gotta get around to doing mine.

[dawgnutz]

Hey Nota, The water neck on my truck exploded a couple of years ago and covered the engine with dex cool remnanats. Is there anything out there that can help me get it off? It's kinda stubborn around the cast aluminum pieces and on some of the plastics.

[ZQ8 Blazer]

^ try a scotchbrite pad, that worked on my cast parts when I had the same problem.

Ok I did mine last night, notice the nasty firewall:



and after cleaning it with Simple Green, notice that $15 cold air intake, god that thing gave me like 50hp, still gotta armor all it better and next time I wash it I'm going to use gunk to clean it up a little better:



I would have painted the A/C clutch, but I've gotta get a new one anyway. I also had a bad squeek from the serpentine belt or setup and I already had a new belt. I sprayed some WD-40 on the belt and all the pulley and voila it quit instantly.

[dawgnutz]

Thanks Man! ^

MAnual Labor! I don't mind it so much when it's for something I want to do. LOL !

[ZQ8 Blazer]

If it's bare cast iron, you can also start off with steel wool

[sdimedragginbody]

be careful when using degreasers if the motor is hot, some degreasers are flamable... one dealreship burnt down the whole car wash last year because of a degreaser fire.....

also if you have "rust" type of stains on plastic or painted surfaces or anything fron a hose bursting or something scrubbing bubbles and a terry cloth do wonders... i detail cars for my dad's used car dealership and you just get to know helpful little stuff like that

[dawgnutz]

^Thanks man!

[FCKNLOW]

great how to man.....i plan on doin this when i get the truck back!

[Primerdime]

Quote: Originally Posted by sdimedragginbody

be careful when using degreasers if the motor is hot, some degreasers are flamable... one dealreship burnt down the whole car wash last year because of a degreaser fire.....

That's why you start with a cold motor. Notice that you're not spraying the motor hot with water, either.

[stv-lo]

i have everything to do mine except two things... time and a hose lol looks good