What is the best/safest way to clean my engine bay( 400ia )?
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...spirits&page=3 A couple of notes I'd like to add: 1.) If the yellow cadmium coating on the metal parts is in fair condition, it can be brightened with....believe it or not....Mother's 'Back to Black'. 2.) I used a regular metal polish (Mothers/3M/etc.) to remove corrosion/tarnish & to begin brightening the parts, then I used Simichrome (from Germany) to bring full luster & has protective coating to retard dulling. Once brought to the level shown below, 1 wkend./yr. is all that is required to breakdown the top of the engine/repolish/re-assy. to maintain brillance. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's a recent write-up I did: http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/maserati/168393-proper-engine-cleaning-maserati-quattroporte.html
Glad you found it useful. I'll have a recent 360 Modena engine up soon so you Ferrari guys could relate I figured the Maserati is still in the family.
Nice work! Looks fantastic. I still even after seeing this cringe when I think about dumping water into the engine bay of my 348SS. Is there any other way to do this without watering down the entire engine bay? MB
Thanks, I linked the site so that I dont forget it. Can the 400i compartment take a soaking like that?
On a 400, I'd be very careful. Cover any exposed electrical with aluminum foil. You can get one of those pump containers used by gardeners and use that as your water source. But you should be OK if you follow the steps I have outlines and use the pump sprayer. If you do decide to do it, make sure to post before/after pics
Good caution check. With regards to the spark plug wells, they are deep, can hold a lot of water, & will require compressed air to force the water out (which will get dirt all over that clean engine) or wet-vac it out w/tiny orifice. The garden pump sprayer (insecticide/herbicide type) route is a very good idea if you decide to go the H2O route. It's fast, it's easy, & no fuss. The problem with a garden hose or power washer however is that water will get pushed into places you don't want it to. Regardless of any of the 3 aforementioned processes you use, there are frame cavities below the battery tray & brake booster that will hold H2O (behind the front wheel wells). If the car has ever been exposed to snowy conditions, you can bet that cinders/salt residue camps out here (& that stuff should be attended to anyway!). And getting water out of these cavities can be pretty tricky, especially the brake booster side.
The only issue that the 365/400/400I is that the spark plugs are at the bottom of a funnel and the water that ends up there will need to be blown out.