So I spent some time under the hood this evening cleaning up the engine bay. This is the first time I put any effort into cleaning up the engine since I purchased the car about 7 Months ago. Anyways it's a start for now but I know I have a long ways to go. Another reason to clean the engine.....great way to make sure wires are in good condition, check vacuum lines (found one disconnected!) and make sure there aren't any oil leaks.

Here are a few before after shots and a shot of the cleaning products used.

 

very nice... wish mine looked like that

 

x2, it does look very good.

 

Got frustrated last night with crap so I did the same thing.

928's are great therapy.

 

Very nice work -- just in time for winter!

 

Ooooh. Very nice.

So far I've had mine about a month and I'm still picking leaves out from here and there. So far I've only gotten to cleaning the gunk off of the drain pan and lower sections to see what's leaking. I love a clean engine compartment. Now I've got to get in there and get to work.

Nice Pix too.

 

Your engine compartment looks really impressive!

The PO did a good job on mine, but I'm keen to get it even cleaner. I'm just concerned by the warning in the owner's manual which gives this advice on "cleaning and preserving engine compartment":

"The engine compartment and the surface of the engine are treated with a corrosion inhibitor at the factory.

If grease solvents are used for cleaning the compartment or engine, they invariably destroy the corrosion inhibiting coating. It is then absolutely necessary to have a durable preservative applied to all surfaces, body seams, joints and assemblies in the engine compartment".

My question is are some cleaners OK as far as preserving the anti-corrosion coating, or have you all applied preservative afterwards, or is it just something in the manual you can safely ignore on a near 20 year old car?

Thanks,

Adrian

 

It looked pretty healthy before.

 

Thanks guys. Yeah the previous owners definitely took care of the engine, I was very lucky. I really needed to have just the surface dirt removed and some minor grease here and there that is typical with age. My last car was a nightmare compared to this one. I do need to have the valve covers and intake recoated eventually, some nicks and scratches which the camera doesn't show.

Adrian,

Using the products I've shown above will definitely avoid removing any protective coatings such as the Zinc plating on the nuts/bolts and the protective wax (cosmoline). I would be very surprised if you have much cosmoline left on your car to be honest, if you don't see a yellow waxy substance on surfaces now it has probably long since been removed. The key is to avoid regular use of strong cleaners such as an engine degreaser and products which attract dirt. A quick wipe every couple of months also keeps the engine looking great.

If your engine is already clean use products you would use on your paint like a quick detailer and a vinyl/rubber protectant for the hoses. The S100 can be purchased in a Harley dealer for $8.00 and is great on plastics. It dries hard but contains some basic oils that really revive and bring back the faded plastics. It's also safe on painted surfaces, almost like a wax but doesn't whiten.

 

Afshin
Looking good.....try adams polishes "in & out" spray......it works really well...heres a link

http://www.adamspolishes.com/site/pr...79DAAF2B64258C

Heres a pic of the last time I cleaned mine for a concours

 

Brian...I simply luv the clean look of you car. Nice!

Here's Sharkeys final engine pose before departing with new owner to Atlanta.

 

Ted
Very clean as well......the bummer is it takes ALOT of work to keep a 928 engine in "concours" shape....if you drive it at all it gets just covered in dust.....it takes me a couple days to get it to show condition.....I was going to prep it for sharktoberfest....but its pointless since I have drive 360miles through the dusty valley to get there!! So I'll have to touch it up a bit the day before!

 

Did a little spiff job this weekend too.

RDS

 

Some seriously nice looking engines! Looks like a few of us are getting ready for the upcoming events. Bummer it looks like rain this coming Friday, maybe it will hold off.

Brian,

It will be a while before my car looks anything like yours. I still need to get my detail brushes and remove the oxidation and tougher stains. I also need to buy a sticker kit and replace a few items to get things up to par. I will check out the Adams products to see how they compare. Can you describe how it works? Does it also have oils in it to condition plastic or is it more like a spray paint coating that hardens? What I like about the S100 is that it dries completely and doesn't attract dust but it's not a coating it's more of a conditioner. Any dust that lays down sprays off with compressed air. Always interested in better products and I must say your car looks awesome.

 

RDS are you going to Frenzy? If yes, it would be good to compare notes. Your engine looks sweet.