Engine cleaning

The I try to keep my '84 308 in good shape with a regular wash and shine but I whish I could do something to clean the engine and transmission pan. This area is widely exposed but also very hard to reach. Any suggestion to get rid of the oil/sand/dirt building up in under the engine? Thanks.

 

Simple Green and a pressure washer. Be careful where you aim - some bits don't like water at 3000 psi.

 

Similar to what I did on my 328 - works nicely for cleaning up the lower half of the engine. The pressure washer can be used quite "surgically".

You will improve access if you jack up the rear of the car & remove the wheels and the wheel arch liners. Keep both detergent/degreaser & pressure washer away from the cambelts, V Belts, alternator, AC compressor, starter, fuel pump, ball joints, UV joints & boots etc. Wrap electrics in food wrap/plastic bags as far as possible before you start. If you have the plug leads that don't seal off the plug recesses then try not to fill up round the plugs with either detergent or water - you might find the thing a bit tricky to start afterwards!

When you are done, dry the thing off with a leaf blower if you have one & then remove plastic & start & run engine for 10-15 minutes to warm it up & dry everything out properly.

It probably won't be concourse but It should be cleaner than when you started.

Be sensible & carefull & it will be fine - don't just throw a bucket of detergent into the engine bay & then hose the thing down liberally!

I.

 

Do search on Simple Green and /or engine cleaning. Not recommended.

 

Get an aerosol nozzle for a air compressor (and a breathing mask/goggles) from your local auto parts store and spray the engine down with plain old mineral spirits. Its safe for all metals, cured paint finishes, rubber, plastics, belts, hoses, seals, dries without leaving residue, and is virtually non flammable. Its what aircraft shops spray down aircraft engines with. You might need a brush etc., to get down to the bottom of heavy deposits, but once the engine is clean of all heavy dirt and grease, and the leaks are dealt with, keeping it clean gets a lot easier.

 

I know this sounds stupid but what is mineral spirits? Is that kerosene, paint thinner or is the can labeled "minieral spirits"?
I use Wurth contact and circuit board cleaner. It works great but is getting dificult to find.
Morris

 

Yes, the can is labeled "Mineral Spirits".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_spirits

Seamus

 

I like the products from S100.While marketed for motorcycles, they work great on auto engines too... http://www.s100.com/s100_eb.htm

 

IIRC Simple Green was fine to use, but should not be left on for long periods (more than 10 to 15 minutes).

 

I agree. The S100 line is excellent for cleaning, but you have to make sure you rinse thoroughly or you get a LOT of white spots. The rust inhibitor spray is also good for exposed metal. Especially for off-season storage. Once sprayed on, it polishes up nicely as well.

 

+1...I've also had great results with mineral spirits over the years on various vehicles; also use dowel rods or cedar shims with paper towels to get to those hard to reach places(like in the sparkplug wells, etc.).

 

Mineral spirits is generally the same as paint thinner, just make sure you read the label. WallyWorld sells it pretty cheap last I looked.

 

Yeah, min spirits is great....paint thinner/min spirits, same thing. Also, another name is Stoddard solvent. Non flammable, but recently shot up in price, ....petrol derivative. Home depot stocks tons of it. Hey, I am not sure though, how friendly it is with rubber , cuz it is a petrol derivative, and that is generally a no-no, even though it evaporates within a few hours. Only thing I know that is friendly with rubber is silicone and soaps.

 

Thats why you need to read the label. mineral spirits is generally safe, stoddard solvent is safe, paint thinner can be not quite so friendly to rubber. But your not going to soak the engine in the stuff overnight, just spray it down, blow it off with an airhose and its dry.

 

For the small stuff, Paul, I put mineral spirits in a dry 409 bottle and spray it on. For parts, I keep a large glass bottle and, after cleaning parts in a bin, I pour the liquid back into the glass bottle. The dirt precipitates out and the spirits can be used again. For cleaning paint brushes, I do the same thing. Cheap bastid that I am. But, it works for me.

 

Hey guys, there is a world of difference betweeen safety solvent, (non flamable) and paint thinner/mineral spirits, which is a dandy fire starter. spend the extra bucks and get safety solvent, Odly enough, available from local petroleum distributor, or your friendly auto parts store.

trust me on this - don't burn the car down.

chris

 

Dont woooooorry, the stuff's all the same, practically speaking. Stoddard/varsol/min spirits/paint thinner all the same. Was a painter for years, and when you buy something that says "paint thinner", the stuff in the can is the classic,unadulterated, standard, non flammable, aliphatic hydrocarbon based, mineral spirits which is ALSO commonly known as paint thinner, period. It's the same as saying sodium chloride is commonly known as salt. While there certainly are other solvents that thin paint, they are NOT all known commonly as "paint thinner". Likewise, while there are other salts , many of which are deadly poisons, "common salt" is edible sodium chloride.

 

Hey Paul, when I said "is also known as stoddard solvent", I didnt mean to say that a can would be labelled as such, cuz the cans aint. They are the same thing, practically speaking.