Just looking at 911 PW yesterday re 964 buyers guide from last year where Phil's car is shown with the super clean engine bay.

What's the best way to clean the engine bay?

 

Same way as the rest of the car really.

I used Mer polish for the fan blades and any paintwork
Metal polish for any of the 'metal' bits that get that blemished/dull/corroded look
Black Plastic trim spray for the plastic bits (eg Son of a gun, Back to black etc)
I changed the fan belts. Nice black belts with clear white writing make it look much better - polished the pulleys whilst they were off.
Replace or clean the vent tubes to the distributor/lights

It's not too hard. Just think of it as a nice easy way to spend a couple of hours.

Main advice:
1. Take your time, be prepared to take bits off to clean them. It makes a much better job of the piece and allows access to other bits
2. Be prepared to get bored! Stop and continue another day
3. It's in the detail. Get every bit as clean as you can.

Hope this helps!

 

Just a word of warning - dont use any silicone sprays in the engine bay - as it can kill certain engine sensors.

Ade

 

Ade - you can, but spray onto cloth then wipe on plastic parts.

 

Oh bloody hell - the pressure's on for me to get it clean before Castle Coombe tomorrow, then

 

Nothing to do with engines, but I've got a super-clean windscreen now, after using Turtle Wax windscreen polish. Gets rid of all those ground-on flies etc - well worth £4 at Halfords.

Cheers

 

Where does one get "Son of a gun". I cant find it anywhere.
The only one I see is "back to black". Is it as good?
Thanks

 

Pretty much the same thing - there are several similar products. The trick is to get something which acts as a clear protectant and enhancer - avoid anything which gives an artifically black or shiny finish.

Cheers

 

can one use the a garden hose and just spray the engine down? I do that on my other cars. Haven't a problem.... yet. Yes I use Simple Green to get rid of grime.

 

delhi - good question! I do this too on my other cars but for some reason I've been reluctant to on my 964.

Part of the reason is that the 964 engine doesn't really get too dirty...

 

Don't see why not, if it's that bad. You'd need to use Gunk or similar to loosen the oily grime first. And make sure you relubricate linkages etc after.

Cheers

 

...and make sure you're electrics are water proof beforehand. You may want to spray some ignition sealer on the distributors etc.

 

Two other cautions. Be careful around the sound pad, the one that sits above and behind the engine. It started to come apart after the Simple Green/garden hose treatment. Also, you may want to protect your air filter, especially if you have a drilled box or cone.

 

Just had a quick look at my engine. It's actually not that bad. Fan is scruffy, though. Is it worth taking it off to clean, Rob?

Cheers

 

IMHO Autoglym's Bumper Care is by far the best product I have ever used on plastics. It's an excellent colour restorer and protector and besides the engine also works very well on mirror surrounds, the spoiler grille, window rubbers, switch rubber covers, seals, etc. It's also very good on interior trim such as the centre console and the screw off key guard that seems to be particularly prone to fading.