First Time Engine Detailing

Well,

I have insured with Peter Best on Limited mileage and he wants photo's...... Having never cared much about any car I have owned until now I have never cleaned an engine bay. I have read the sticky at the top, but just want a bit of reassurance of what if anything I need to cover before I start. I have bought the spray cleaner which says just spray on and wash off but wanted to get a bit of advice before I take the plunge over the weekend.

I am sure the engine will be fine as is but quite looking forward to having a go as long as I don't kill it in the process.

Don't spray shite on it and wash off. :( Treat it like an old person who has soiled themselves. Good soft cloth bath.

Only joking, just be careful. I never use water in the bay.

A local hand car wash does engine bay steam cleaning for a tenner, so I was going to opt for that, although I too am a little worried incase something goes amiss afterwards.

Just a reminder of the wealth of info in the Index-section

https://www.two-sixties.co.uk/mgoc26...gine-detailing

Courtesy of Mr. Essling

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Originally Posted by 2V8s

A local hand car wash does engine bay steam cleaning for a tenner, so I was going to opt for that, although I too am a little worried incase something goes amiss afterwards.

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Wouldn't risk it with petrols, and most modern diesels. Old school derv's yeah no problem, did our Maestro diesel after spilt oil everywhere after a service, d'oh! Jet washed it all out and it came up spanking! Used to do the 600 too as all the ecu gubbins was inside the cabin :D

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product...6VQ=FG&Range=1

Some of this ^ should do the trick, but instead of washing off with hose use like Tim said, damp cloth with plenty of water in a bucket etc.. to rinse the cloth clean :D

For all your plastic / rubber on the engine use this with a small detail brush.

It knocks spots off all the expensive stuff..


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...5651&langId=-1

Ive used the autogym stuff and it is no miricle worker but helps dissolve grease.

If I was you I would do a bit at a time and do it slowly and carefully without too much water.

yes I use the Autoglym engine / machine cleaner and degreaser, its good. I used it on my Mustang's engine etc, then power hosed off and it came up really well. Will also use it on my R200 that currently has engine removed and front end completely striped.

Ill be honest, Im not patient enough do use a cloth as I want a thorough job in all the hard to reach places. So I think I might risk the steam clean but I'll have a read of the link Herman posted up

WD40....try it...amazing as a cleaner but use it sparingly and not on a hot engine. Otherwise elbow grease and patience and auto glym. Attachment 2056

get a pump up garden sprayers, they have enough pressure to get most stuff off, plus brush the cleaner into the bad areas spray off with engine running, aviod spraying the belt as you will get a face full. and all good a clean and the heat dries it, apply silicon spray or engine dressing to the plastic and good as new.

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Originally Posted by pessling

get a pump up garden sprayers, they have enough pressure to get most stuff off, plus brush the cleaner into the bad areas spray off with engine running, aviod spraying the belt as you will get a face full. and all good a clean and the heat dries it, apply silicon spray or engine dressing to the plastic and good as new.

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thanks for the reminder Peter, I really must do #242 sometime! :cool:

Good thing with the TVR you can't see much of the engine.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/IMG_0533.jpg

My ZT before going back to standard. Believe the engine bays stay pretty clean because of the undertray.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/5a63dba3.jpg

Before playing around with the intake

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/SNC00099.jpg

Not long after i got the car and fitted the accufab

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...IMG_0146-1.jpg

I have some work to do to get up to that standard Peter! How you enjoing the TVR? Will it be a keeper do you think?

Yeah a keeper, had it on the rollers the other week and made 370bhp but its really over fueling at the minute so needs a remap, and the rolling road event killed one of the lambda sensors so just waiting on that to come then change that over and reset the engine idle as its been a bit erratic, but nothing too hard about setting it all up and matching the banks up with a air flow syncrometer.

All the information i gained as a ZT owner now, having to learn from scratch all about the tvr.

I'm impatient too. I get a very good finish with AMBERSIL degreaser. Or use the foaming tire cleaner on the black bits. Comes up very well and only takes 10 mins.

I snow foamed mine, lot sit for 10 minutes and then pressure washed it all off, came up a treat.

As for the OP original Q
If you are after an agreed (allegedly) value policy then the insurer will want some pictures, if otoh you think that agreed value policies aren't worth the paper then just insure the thing as a car and then there is no need for evidence of condition.

Instead of creating a new thread I thought about Highjacking this one, I saw in the tops ticky that someone seems to have used hamerite to paint their actual engine silver? Is this a wise thing to do?

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Originally Posted by Liaison

Instead of creating a new thread I thought about Highjacking this one, I saw in the tops ticky that someone seems to have used hamerite to paint their actual engine silver? Is this a wise thing to do?

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I'd use a high temp paint personally but smooth Hammerite would probably be ok. When I cleaned my engine bay I used Jizer spray which is a very good degreaser then carefully hosed it down and I'd advise to clean the engine with a product like this before you paint it