I've been given a very cool (but actually OT) 50 year old car by my aunt. The engine bay seems to have acquired a moderate film of grime over everything. I'd like to keep it as original as possible-so is there a good way to do a gentle general cleaning/degreasing without destroying any original paint? Thanks for the suggestions.
In my opinion, the Resto-Motive/POR-15 "Marine Clean" is a fantastic product for de-greasing. It can be diluted to your preferred strength, and works very well.
I have had fantastic luck with Simple Green and a soft bristled brush...spray on, let soak for a minute, scrub the heavy built up areas and wipe off. follow with a good spray of water and you are in business.
Easy off MAY remove paint too! I really like a couple of the cleaners I get at Sams club, but they can take paint too. (name is skipping my brain for now) I'd start with a warm soapy pressure wash (car wash) and see where things are. Then maybe a bucket of simple green/water mix and some scrubbing, followed by more pressure wash time.
Purple Power is some real good stuff, you can buy it at the local O'Reilly store for about $7.00 I usually spray it on and let it set a while, then head to the car wash, spray again and get after it with pressure !!!
Easy Off works great on nasty stuff BUT !!! It will oxidize the steel brake lines, fuel lines etc. It will take off paint. Only use this if you plan on repainting everything it touches.
I've found that while Purple Power works great for getting grease off it will eat paint if you leave it on for a period of time. If the car runs and drives I'd get a can of Gunk or other engine cleaner along with a can of WD-40 and a roll of paper or blue towels and head on down to the local car wash with the strongest pressure on the spray wands during a period of time when things are slow there and the attendant is not around as some don't like you to wash engines. Squirt the engine cleaner on the engine and engine compartment, drive into the stall at the car wash and make sure you have plenty of quarters. The WD-40 is in case the car doesn't start after you wash the engine so you can spray the inside of the distributor cap with it to get the condensation out by spraying the WD-40 and swirling it around in the cap and pouring it and the water out and wiping the inside of the cap dry with the paper towels. You might have to dry the plug wires and top of the coil too. I towed my 71 GMC to town to the car wash minus engine a while back just to wash the engine compartment at the car wash before I installed the new engine.
Go to your nearest NAPA and grab a few spray cans of Gunk Ultrabright Engine Degreaser, and a bristle brush with long bristles. Follow the directions on the cans. Your engine bay will look great in no time.
run motor for a few min to get warm simple green works let it soak scrub with soft brush hose off,repete if necessary easyoff oven cleaner will remove paint so don't use it in engine bay...
In your driveway at the house, Simple Green is probably the best one to use. . Oil Eater is biodegradable and works great too but it burns if you get it splashed on your face and I don't know how it is on paint as I never scrubbed anything with it that I worried about the paint on.
I buy a spray product called "Super Clean" at the local Autozone. It's biodegradeable, and water soluble, so I can spray it on and after it sits awhile, I bruah it to loosen the grime and spray it off with a hose. Pretty cheap price, and it wont hurt any paint that wasn't already about to fall off. Stay away from Easy Off if you don't want the paint damaged also.
I have also had good luck with the Castrol Super Clean product...BUT a word of caution...wear gloves!!!! Dont let this stuff stay in contact with your skin for too long. It eats grease like nobody's business, but it will also eat the skin off your hands. Ask me how I know....
I've used Purple Power, Super Clean, Simple Green and good old Gunk. They all work pretty well. But Gunk on a warm engine is real tough to beat, especially if it's a really grimy, funk infested, mess. A hard bristle parts brush works good on the thick stuff.
I use a really cheap product from the dollar store called AWSOME. Its easy on paint and makes rubber parts look good if they aren't dry rotten. Its about 2 bucks for 32oz
Last weekend, I degreased a V8 crate engine on an engine stand, that only had about 10,000 miles on it. Used a product from Home Depot called ZEP All-Purpose Cleaner and degreaser. Worked great! Followed up with water, some light sanding, lacquer thinner on paper towels, wax and grease remover, tack rag, primer, engine paint. I plan to do the same process with the engine bay after taking it to the car wash and cleaning the engine bay before removing the 6 cylinder engine.
Thanks. I guess I will start with a comparison test-I found three different spray ons in the rather odd pile of auto products I have accumulated over the years. Maybe i should have looked before I asked-don't even know if this stuff will come out of the can. Thanks.
I use a citrus oil cleaner as it won't harm paint at all , GUnk mkaes a engine cleaner with citrus and it cleans great even when cold , so does simple green , I bought a cheap garden sprayer and mix up a batch of the simple green and ot water and soak the the stuff down then wash it down with hot water , if you can get the large chunks off first it works better , the secret for simple green to work is apply it to a dry greasy surface , as if its wet with water it forms a barrier
read the label on the cleaners ( purple stuff ) if says Hydroxide ( potassium or sodium ) its caustic and will eat paint ( potassium hydroxide is used in ez-off oven cleaner ) and will burn you bad and if you get it in your eyes can make you blind or do severe corneal damage .
Any of you had trouble power washing with anything coming loose or things getting wet that shouldn't? Mostly electrical/wiring or getting water in oil or carbs? Seems like that kind of pressure wouldn't be so great for such things.
I saw the funniest thing a few months back Newport Beach, CA. This collaged-aged kid was spraying the engine bay of an OT SUV with a garden hose and hi-pressure nozzle. A short time later he was using a leaf blower to dry everything off.
Simple Green for a mild cleaning. Castrol Super Clean for the heavy stuff. Do NOT get any on you, it will de-oil your skin. Don't ask.
I rent a kerosene fired steam pressure washer and do engine bays and undercarriages with them you cant get them any cleaner. It might be a little more money I think its usually about 70.00 bucks for 1/2 day. It will end up cleaner with less mess and in less time to clean it. You can put the car up on jack stands and do the entire undercarriage at the same time.
I use one of these cheap wand sprayers, it works better than you think. http://www.amazon.com/Pneumatic-Spray-Cleaning-Degreaser-Washer/dp/B003O2WPP4 Here is the secret. Use Gunk degreaser or your favorite degreaser and work it in with a brush. When the dirt and grease is loosened up wash it off with the sprayer. Get a 2 liter pop bottle and fill it with HOT water, the hottest water you can get out of the tap. Cold water won't work. Also it works better if you throw away the filter off the hose. Wear gloves, the sprayer gets hot. The water turns to steam and most of it evaporates. Works even better if you warm up the motor first. Spread a piece of old carpet under the motor and it will catch all the dirt and water. You can clean the motor inside the garage and not even make a mess.
^ that's why I don't use Simple Green on rubber or wire that is intended for re-use......it takes out the oils and dries up those parts prematurely. PS, i use a leaf blower to dry off the engine bay too. It works well.
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