I want to clean the engine and compartment for my '92 ZX (non-turbo). Has any one done this? Any tips or techniques and what products should I use? Is it better left to a professional?

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Merritt

Vacuum with shop vac. Spray down wish foaming degreaser, power wash on a med-low setting, and let dry out for 4-5 hours on a sunny hot day.

As it is drying,

Grab some simple green, Brake cleaner, disposable shop towels, nylon bristle brushes, metal polish, tooth brushes ,towels and tire shine and go to town.

Buy some dielectric grease and coat you electrical connections while you are at it and you are good to go.

Also you can sand and repaint random brackets that are easy to get to for that extra somethin.

Not the greatest examnple, as they are only one mega pixel, but the real life difference was incredible.

Careful with the simple green. It reacts with aluminum.

It will be fine. You aren't soaking the part for hours, and the metal polish will clean off any residue.

What the heck IS that?! A Dodge Neon?!

O God, get that thing out of here. This ain't perfect, but shewwwww, alot better to look at at.

Paul
Is that your 240? Outside? In the light of day?

I see some pretty interesting mods to the breathing system on this car. I'd like to start a new thread to discuss it (so we don't distract from the original intent of this thread).

Frank

Sounds good frank,but you better not be talking about that neon...

That's an old pic. but Al, I did yesterday clean all the camping gear out of it, put the hatch on, and with a slight recharge of the battery fired right up and drove it around the block. (defiantly need smaller tires.) To add to the thread, a clean engine bay is a good thing, I've always been into doing that. Sometimes the engine bay will look better than the car. As far as steam cleaning or pressure washing, use a mild biodegradable detergent and let it soak. I always warm up the engine and keep it running while I do it. Try and stay away from the electronics, but a little won't hurt. Always dry the TPS out on those models. Trust me on that. Other than that everything else is detail as far as you want to go. You can spray the compartment down with armour all or equivelant for that nice shine. I use clear coat on the body section sometimes as well, and other parts that will look good shiny. Keep her clean, that's my moto.

I went a long way with, mini brushes, degreaser, water, steel brushes, spray paint, stainless steel screws, TIME AND PATIENCE.

For a quick job, what I do is start with the engine dead cold or slghtly warm. Spray on some degreaser of your choice. I like the "environmental" orange stuff. Follow the directions of the product. Then start the engine and immediately hose it off while the engine is running. Work very quickly with a light, wide spray pattern from a garden hose. Avoid directly spraying at electronics, and connectors. Cover them if possible or grease them before you go at it. Rinse QUICKLY before the engine warms up very much. Cold water on a hot engine could be bad so do it while the engine is cold running.

Why while it's running? If it stalls while I am rinsing, I know what I sprayed that I shouldn't have. Also water will not pool as much in the alternator while running.

I like to let it run for a few minutes afterwards. Then take a towel and dry off as much as I can reach. Then close the hood and take a drive. Park it hot with the hood shut and the heat will dry out the rest of it. Go after the plastic, wires, and rubber with silicone, or armor-all.

My preference is to paint parts that I don't want to see, black. And parts I want to see, aluminum-flake silver. Paint bare aluminum with aluminum flake paint. It won't pit and will look like aluminum anyhow. I like wrinkle black finishes and flat or semi-gloss blacks in the engine bay. Gloss, I feel, belongs outside the car. I am also not a big fan of chrome. That's just me. I like the POR-15 engine painting kit if you pull the motor. Here is a hot tip for painting the engine bay. Instead of using tape to mask off hoses and wires, use aluminum foil. MUCH MUCH easier.



No, this is not a rebuild. It has 137K miles on it un-opened. Elbow grease and paint.
Tip, use a new gasket on anything you remove. Also use a gasket sealer on the both sides of the gasket like Permatex #2 to keep your clean engine from getting oily again.







Happy Detailing!!

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-Dave
76Z Turbo'd
72 In Progress---DONE!

Wow that look awesome cant wait to get mine done

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Broken Z's make me sad