Engine Detailing
Engine Detailing Next to your paint, your engine is one of the most expensive parts of your car. It may even be the reason you bought the car to begin with. You just had to have that big block muscle car or that turbo charged power wagon. You spend thousands of dollars over the course of your vehicle's life servicing the fluids, maintaining the paint and interior, replacing the tires, and everything else involved with car ownership. After years of ownership and tens of thousands of miles behind the wheel, what does your engine look like now? Engine Detailing Procedure Many people don't detail their engines simply because they don't understand the process of how to do it, and they're afraid of damaging something. The truth is that your engine is a lot more resilient than you give it credit for. You can wash and detail your engine without much fear of ruining anything. You just have to remember that you are detailing and not putting out a fire. Don't soak the engine with degreaser or use the hose at high pressure. Engine detailing takes a little finesse to do a good job. First you should remember that you never detail a hot engine. The best time to detail your engine is in the morning when it has been sitting all night. If you throw cold water on a hot engine then you run a much higher risk of causing damage. You definitely want to make sure the engine is cool before you start work. Some detailers recommend warming the engine to loosen build-up but it should only be slightly warm. If its too warm, the degreaser will dry and spot engine surface. Before you begin detailing, cover the alternator, any exposed filters, and the engine's air intake. Those are the areas that you really don't want water or degreaser pooling in. Cover your exposed air filter with a bag, then be sure to remove the bag before you start your engine. You might also want to consider any other areas of the engine that might not be water friendly. If you have done any custom work then you may have electrical connections or gauges that you want to cover. Just think about what you wouldn't necessarily want to get too wet. You can always hand clean those areas after you get the rest of the dirt out. Remember: Use only as much water and cleaners as needed to get the job done. Start by degreasing the perimeter of the engine bay. BLACKFIRE Engine Degreaser is an intense degreaser that works wonders on greasy engine bays. The painted surfaces are fine to use degreaser on, but it will remove wax. Make sure you get the fluid containers and hoses degreased as well. Those are areas that usually get extra dirty. Spray down the firewall at the back of the engine bay and be sure to get as far down as you can. Degreaser won't do the whole job for you, but it will certainly make things [...]
