Most liked posts in thread: How I clean a MINI engine bay

Oh no... it's not showing up? :crazy:

Yeah, it was the first time I cleaned it with 11k on the car.
The cleaner I used (it was Griots) had a hard spray, not misting, so it was hard to spray everything.

I looked at the hubby's engine..... his engine bay is so big, you can get your arm down to stuff! I can hardly get a finger in places in the MINI engine bay! :mad2:

 

Engine cleaner.... eek:yikes:

You do know that inside the engine bay area, any body color paint doesn't have the clear-coat (it's not as shiny as the exterior). This paint is very soft and can easily be removed accidentally. And I don't think MINI even uses a primer anymore. I think people typically use a diluted mix like simple green (4 parts water + 1 part SG).

 

LOL- it was not harsh stuff... just didn't like how it went on... and it seemed slimy. I didn't spray it on the painted parts (like the strut tower areas).
But I will get Simple Green for next time

 

Get yourself a hardware store/walmart sprayer, do the 4:1 SG and it works like a charm, well with a fair amt of elbow grease!

 

Oh I need to do this to my Mini at some point. 19,000 miles and haven't cleaned the engine bay yet. It's getting a little nasty.

 

Procrastination!

Day 2 of cleaning the engine bay. After 3yrs and 45K my procrastination bill finally came due. Thanks to everyone for the tips on how to do it, but everything's starting to smell like Simple Green, LOL. Hey, if nothing else I've improved the power to weight ratio a little!

 

2 days Dwight, Holy Crap!

Either it was totally totally nasty or you have a even worse case if OCD than I!!!

Please send pic's!

 

Hey, I do take a lot of breaks, but it was TOTALLY GRUNGY! Dirt, mummified bugs, feathers, fur from a small mammal (?), etc, etc. I'll post a pic when done, but no way I'm posting a before shot! Couldn't stand the thought of the humiliating laughter that would come pouring in, lol. I did find out where a mystery oil film on the cam cover was coming from. The oil filler cap. Doesn't seem to seal properly. :blush2:

 

Compared to Dwights? absolutely!! :ihih:

Gotta admit mine's in need of some attn. I was thinking a little before and after action with some 'in process' photo's might be in order.

Have a AutoX this weekend and spreading mulch the next :cryin: so gimme a couple weeks

 

Spring Cleaning

Hey TGS91, make that 4 days! Along with more breaks I also put in new spark plugs right in the middle of Spring cleaning. Probably won't pass a white glove inspection, but looks a whole lot better then it did. Trying to decide on what to treat the hoses with as everything I've seen makes them look like they've been shellacked. Don't care for that look, I want them protected. Here's a couple "after" pics. The "before" ones got disappeared! LOL :smilewinkgrin:

 

Looking pretty good!

You try 303 Aerospace Protectant?

Tip I got from Lotsie was after you've had enough of the wiping down with SG.....spray the crap outta the engine bay with the 303 and then take your ride for a 10+ minute rip around the neighborhood. Get back and wipe it all down. Should put a even bigger smile on your face!

 

Thanks much TGS91 and Lotsie, too. I've got the 303, but wasn't sure about using it in the heat of the engine bay. Tomorrow AM's project. I'm good at 10++ minute rips, LOL!

 

Tim, is there anything that needs to be covered up in advance?

 

OctaneGuy uses Pre-Wow to clean an engine bay in this thread:
http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/detailing/4203-octaneguy-monicas-2007-chili-red-mcs-detail.html#axzz1z7HBD4OB

While my bottle of Black Wow may last as long as my car, I think that I need to buy Pre-Wow by the gallon.

 

That Sir, is a nice job. Well done.

 

opcorn:

 

ArmourAlling ar·mour-all-in [ahr-mer-awl-lin]

verb American Idiom

1. The act of wiping a typically liquid synthetic substance on non-metallic motor vehicle surfaces to clean, protect, beautify and sometimes increase slipperiness to never before levels.

Origin:
1970's: Middle America

 

That is it exactly.

 

Whadda ya mean sometimes? Haven't you seen that armorall advert where it takes a whole pit crew to clean up the smutz after the armorall'd car leaves the driveway? What's up with that?

 

Ok, I really need to clean my engine because I've got 52,000 miles and I've never cleaned under the bonnet. Question though, how do you clean the underside of the bonnet? I've got a bunch of dirt built up but I haven't seen how you can clean it all off.