Tips for Cleaning Engine
08-14-2013, 02:35 PM
#31
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If you want a concurs engine bay and you now have a dirty, greasy engine bay with old sensors, cracked connector boots, etc., then disassembly is the place to start.
08-14-2013, 04:10 PM
#33
For an old engine with things that need to be fixed, disassemble and renewal is key. Rob is not really joking. The Cleaners will etch away the yellow cad a bit, but so does time, and so does oil over 30 years. I always pressure wash the under side of the cars I have, as I despise, hate, and wish ill on cosmoline and oil stains, etc. I won't know where to start if its all oily, etc. A new leak will form newer oil but you can't see it with old grime.
A pressure washer is fine, imo, as long as you are careful and realistic about your goals. Yes, you can destroy things, like wire covers, hoses, etc - but you won't be destroying anything that was not already on its way to the crapper.
A pressure washer is fine, imo, as long as you are careful and realistic about your goals. Yes, you can destroy things, like wire covers, hoses, etc - but you won't be destroying anything that was not already on its way to the crapper.
08-14-2013, 05:21 PM
#34
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Time alone doesn't do anything to the plating. It needs some help from somthing a little ion-imbalanced to get it going. Hence the warning about using low-pH cleaners.
Similar warning about salt-air climates, road salt, acid rain and the like. The cad and zinc plating are considered sacrificial, giving of themselves before the core metal start to deteriorate. If you really want the cad and yellow zinc and chromated parts to stay looking new, clear-coat them immediately after plating and before installation. Ditto aluminum bits that otherwise suffer from hydroxide staining and salt pitting. Anodizing is the other option for aluminum, effectively creating a barrier metal-oxide layer. Even that lasts a lot longer with a clear-coat application.
I looked under the front of the Honda Pilot DD, and see some real pretty aluminum control arms and other cast-aluminum pieces. For grins, I may take a pass at them with the 3M spray clear-bra stuff that Jeff Spahn showed off on his hood. The front suspension uprights are cast iron or steel with no finish at all. (!!!) So they arrived with a nice orange oxide (read: rust) coating on them. They need to come off, get pickled to neutralize the oxidation, then clear-coated for onoing protection. Everything under the car has been cleaned and waxed since the first few days of ownership, and is kept clean and showroom-fresh. I'm telling you, the garage lift is a time-eater, task-generator, etc. Way too much dirty stuff comes right up to eye level...
Similar warning about salt-air climates, road salt, acid rain and the like. The cad and zinc plating are considered sacrificial, giving of themselves before the core metal start to deteriorate. If you really want the cad and yellow zinc and chromated parts to stay looking new, clear-coat them immediately after plating and before installation. Ditto aluminum bits that otherwise suffer from hydroxide staining and salt pitting. Anodizing is the other option for aluminum, effectively creating a barrier metal-oxide layer. Even that lasts a lot longer with a clear-coat application.
I looked under the front of the Honda Pilot DD, and see some real pretty aluminum control arms and other cast-aluminum pieces. For grins, I may take a pass at them with the 3M spray clear-bra stuff that Jeff Spahn showed off on his hood. The front suspension uprights are cast iron or steel with no finish at all. (!!!) So they arrived with a nice orange oxide (read: rust) coating on them. They need to come off, get pickled to neutralize the oxidation, then clear-coated for onoing protection. Everything under the car has been cleaned and waxed since the first few days of ownership, and is kept clean and showroom-fresh. I'm telling you, the garage lift is a time-eater, task-generator, etc. Way too much dirty stuff comes right up to eye level...
08-14-2013, 06:40 PM
#35
I looked under the front of the Honda Pilot DD, and see some real pretty aluminum control arms and other cast-aluminum pieces. For grins, I may take a pass at them with the 3M spray clear-bra stuff that Jeff Spahn showed off on his hood. The front suspension uprights are cast iron or steel with no finish at all. (!!!) So they arrived with a nice orange oxide (read: rust) coating on them. They need to come off, get pickled to neutralize the oxidation, then clear-coated for onoing protection. Everything under the car has been cleaned and waxed since the first few days of ownership, and is kept clean and showroom-fresh. I'm telling you, the garage lift is a time-eater, task-generator, etc. Way too much dirty stuff comes right up to eye level...
I feel so much better when its all clean and rust free. It really bothers me. A big bunch. A sock on the floor next to the bed? No Problem. Rusty or cosmoline on the aluminum bits? Hell no.