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^^^^^^ Thanks for the heads up. It looks like it's only available online. Do you have a favorite source? Detailing.com has it but Pelican doesn't (but has other P21 products).
I generally use the SG on painted areas inside the engine bay or if an area of the engine is particularly dirty, such as a recent oil leak. I've had the M3 for years and I've had the front end completely apart and I cleaned it before putting it back so t's been relatively easy to keep clean since then by mostly using the 2 products above.
Yeah, I used to use Simple Green on just about everything. It's only recently that I was made aware of the issues with aluminum. I'm sure on a large casting, the corrosion issues are just cosmetic. On thin sheet, I've been told it really can cause issues. There is enough aluminum on our cars that I just stopped using it on mine altogether. Probably me being too cautious but with so many products to choose from, it wasn't a big deal to use something else on aluminum parts.
I wouldn't use Simple Green to clean any engine. I used S100 motorcycle clean on my engines with a hose in a light spray mode. It's safe on engine components and if you don't clean your engine regularly, you can use microfiber brush to agitate tough grime painted areas and wheel cleaning brush on the engine components. I hand wipe dry and then use compressed air to drive out all of the excess water
A word of warning about using products that contain sodium hydroxide, DON’T! I use a lot of SuperClean for my restorations and have a 20 gallon container that I soak parts in to degrease and remove paint. When I say degrease I mean remove 50-60 years of crud, oil and dirt buildup, etc. All of the Sodium Hydroxide products are wonderful for soaks and sprays, just not on aluminum or pot metal because it will darken them or turn them black if it’s left on too long. Buy aluminum safe products similar to ‘mag wheel’ cleaners or you may end up with discoloration after repeated use. BTW, 303 is absolutely the best thing I’ve used for protecting just cleaned parts.
Perdido
"Simple Green diluted with water, soft brush, light mist to rinse. "
Rather than using Simple Green, I have had good success with P21S Total Auto Wash. Will not harm the various finishes - aluminum, plastics, and painted surfaces. Balanced PH. Effective cleaner for engines, engine bays, wheel wells, etc. Made in Germany.
I miss having this much room to work in the engine bay of an MGB. Looks cartoonishly simple compared to a modern car. Simpler times.
Originally Posted by Perdido
A word of warning about using products that contain sodium hydroxide, DON’T! I use a lot of SuperClean for my restorations and have a 20 gallon container that I soak parts in to degrease and remove paint. When I say degrease I mean remove 50-60 years of crud, oil and dirt buildup, etc. All of the Sodium Hydroxide products are wonderful for soaks and sprays, just not on aluminum or pot metal because it will darken them or turn them black if it’s left on too long. Buy aluminum safe products similar to ‘mag wheel’ cleaners or you may end up with discoloration after repeated use. BTW, 303 is absolutely the best thing I’ve used for protecting just cleaned parts.
Perdido
Ok while the Porsche engine wasnt designed to be pretty and is hard to see by most, still it does get grungy, and I've never been a grungy fan. So I'd like to power wash it just to be rid of the road grime collected over the years. I've washed most every engine in every car I've owned with zero issues. But I'm curious if anything will be affected should I try it with the 997 engine. Any advice or should I leave it alone to be safe. Thanks in advance.
I'm not a mechanic but I don't think it's a good idea to put a high pressure water canon to the engine and I don't think it's necessary either. I don't like my engine grungy any more than you do but I've used a simple cleaning method on all my car's engines over the years that cleans things up nicely without any high pressure water involved. Cover up the air intakes with plastic bags and then spray the engine down with some good old Gunk on a cold or at least cool engine. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes and then spray it clean with a regular garden hose. Looks perfectly clean to me when done.
Don't know what high pressure water would do in addition to this process except possibly getting water into places where there should be no water.
