Engine Washing:
Hey Everyone,
Sorry I haven't been around in a bit. I have been working on getting my new system up on my website, and have been neglecting my Detailing Duties, but have no fear, the Candyman is here!
Lets start off with Steam Cleaners. First off, a true Steam Cleaner runs at 200 PSI at 400+ degrees, and produces just vapor, and are pretty rare these days. The machine you guys are talking about is a Hot High Pressure Washer, but the industry keeps refering them to a Steam Cleaner. As a couple of you guys have already pointed out, and I will attest to, a Steam pressure washer of 3000 PSI at 320 degrees with a zero tip on it has enough pressure to cut through a 2 x 4. I used to have 2 of them for cleaning under carriages, and yep, they are great under certain conditions like cleaning under carriages, or cleaning gum, and oil off of concrete, but it if you take that kind of pressure to your engine compartment, you stand a good chance at damaging electronics, etc in a heartbeat! That's not to say you can't use a Steam Cleaner, but if you do, I would not recommend going over 1000 PSI max pressure. If you have a machine with 2500, or more PSI, you can get pressure tips that have less restriction (produce less pressure) like 25 degree fan tips, 50 degree fan tips, or more which should reduce the pressure making it somewhat safer.
Here is my rundown on engines from a consumer standpoint.
Materials: Foamy Engine Cleaner like (Gunk) or some related brand from Walmart, Pep Boys, ect, a bottle of degreaser (Simple Green), a soft Bristle brush, water hose with spray nozzle, a couple of old bath towels, two paint brushes, Water Based Dressing. a can of Mag & Aluminum Polish, and a bottle of wax.
I recommend:
1. Gunk Foamy Engine Cleaner.
2. Simple Green
3. Meguiar's All Metal Polish:
Meguiar's Direct All Metal Polish
4. Meguiar's Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Spray mixed 50/50 with water
Meguiar's Direct Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Spray
A couple of notes:
I usually don't like working around a hot engine, and don't like to warm an engine up prior to cleaning, but have known guys who have done it. It is up to individual preference, but not necessary.
It is a good idea however to start the engine whenever you are hosing it down to ensure you do not get any water anywhere you do not want! As you rinse, if the engine bogs down, stop spraying, and let the water evaporate, and you will be fine!
I recommend using a spray nozzle on your hose to help control the flow of water, and always be sure to use as little water as possible when cleaning your engine. Try to avoid drowning your engine!
And lastly, before you begin, if you have any aftermarket electronics like an alarm, etc, be sure to cover over it with a ziplock bag to try to make sure not to get any water into the electronics.
Now, lets move onto the process.
1. Lightly spray down the engine bay with my hose to get rid of any large particles and loose dirt. Avoid directly hitting any of those key components with direct water pressure.
2. I like to either wet the front fenders, and grill down with water, or wet down a couple of bath towels and cover the fenders, and grill of the car to avoid any chemical splatter from potentially damaging, or staining your Paint.
3. Spray your Engine with your Foamy Engine Cleaner, and use a soft bristle brush to get extra dirty areas, and areas that are not scratch sensitive like the paint. After you have agitated the surface, and allowed the Chemical to react for a couple of minutes, Start your PT and spray down your engine compartment with water. Again, if you hear belts squeel it is normal, and will go away in a minute, or two. If you hear the engine bog down, simply stop spraying, and let it go back to normal before you finish rinsing, and after you are done, turn the car off, and its time to move onto the smaller details.
4. Once you have gotten all the bad areas with a Bristle brush its time to move to the smaller details you cant reach by hand. Grab a bottle of Degreaser (Simple Green works fine) and a Paint brush, and spray, and agitate all the tight areas good to break loose any grease, and grime from all the nook's, and crannies where dirt loves to hide. Then, restart your PT, and give it one final rinse to make sure you get everything nice, and clean!
5. Now its time to dry things off a bit. If you have an air compressor, this is an easy, and fast job of just blowing the water out. If you don't have a Compressor, you can also use a Leaf Blower, or those little cans of compressed air used for cleaning Computer Keyboards, or even small rags. The idea is to soak up as much water as possible..
6. Next I usually grab some Mag & Aluminum Polish, or Jeweler's Rouge, and do a quick polish over the AC Lines, and other polishable metal surfaces to give them a nice clean shine.
7. Finally I grab my other Paint Brush and apply a good Water Based Dressing diluted 50/50 with water on all the plastic and rubber components. Then I finish up by waxing the underside of the hood, strut tops, and all related painted surfaces to complete the job.
Quick Tip: To apply Dressing to your Engine Compartment, spray your dressing directly to your paint brush, and apply it to any plastic, or rubber components throughout your engine fro a nice new looking appearance.
If you follow this procedure, your engine will look excellent for as long as you own your car, and as an added bonus, if you ever have a leak, or related type of problem, it is way easier to find on a clean engine!
For more great information on Professional Automotive Detailing, please check out:
Company & Forum Announcements - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online
Or check out our Meguiar's Inside man and Custom PT Owner Michael Stoops for the latest deals on all your Detailing Chemical questions, or needs and be sure to tell them the Candyman sent you!
Michael Stoops
Surface Care Specialist
Meguiar's Inc.
(800) 347-5700 xt 175
mstoops@meguiars.com
Take it easy, and if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask away any time!
Candyman