how to clean your engine?

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GSRCRXsi

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hey guys i just want to make my engine look good like in all the pics i see, and basically mine lookes like shit. its dirty and the block has those white spots on it (corrosion?), rusty screws, ect. where can i get replacement bolts or w/e? mainly visible ones, like the caps that hold down the spark plug cover. i know you can get the engine steam cleaned, but how well does that actually work? does it make it look new again? what are some other techniques? cause basically i dont know what you can get wet and what you cant under the hood. thanks.
 
You can't get much in the way of dist. plug wires, or plugs wet. A hot engine cooling will create a vacuum and draw moisture into the distributor ect. and can hot spot your coil. I have had customers come in with 1000 dollers worth of damage from these cleanings and the car wash won't cover it. Cover your dist. with a bag and rubber bands and work a little at a time.
 
ok, so what do i use to clean? soap and water? and where can i cet those caps that hold down the saprk plug wire cover?
 
They sell engine degreaser at your local parts store. Just make sure you cover your distro up and rinse off your engine, then spray the WHOLE CAN of degreaser and wash the rest of your car. Then come back to the engine and rinse it thoroughly off. This should be good for a clean engine bay. If you wanna go whole hog, set aside 4+ hours and buy yourself a few hard-bristle toothbrushes and a bottle of purple power degreaser from AutoZone etc. Then rinse, and SCRUB til your heart's content.

As for the bolts and caps, just go to your local Acura dealer and tell them you need the valve cover bolts for your year GSR--shouldn't run you more than 20 dollars for a new chrome plated set. They also sell them at http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.net , but it's a pain in the ass to try to order each one individually.
 
Search Google for Valve Covers and you'll find a lot.

If you're serious abou it, you can get new chrome / powder coated piping for everything also.

You can buy heatshrink wrap for your wires, there's a few companies that sell them like Hose Techniques. They also sell things like pipe wraps and connectors etc.

If you drive this thing daily it will probably be in vain though, because the cars you see in magazines and shows are all towed in. They don't get the dust from driving around into the engine bay since they are never driven.
Although I would probably do it anyhow, I just spent like 4 hours the other day cleaning out the inside of my car, the engine bay might just be next.
 
just thought id throw in my two cents... im guessing your a show car? cause i used to do show and i used to care how clen the car was inside and out... but now im pretty much straight race and i dont give a rat's ass how clean my engine bay is cause i KNOW FOR A FACT its gonna get dirty again

:D
 
no im not going for show, the engine bay is just really dirty and i wanted to clean it up. i dont care about it getting dirty again cuz i know it will. jus want it to look new again.
 
here is my 2 cents...
I have gone back and forth with a clean engine and now I have decided to keep it clean. When i have a clean engine I can spot leaks and other issues way easier, yeah it is going to get dirty but cleaning it every 6 months to a year really helps. I garuntee you all that in no way is my car a show car in fact it is far from it check my gallery intitled the shitter to see my primer covered civic (i almost have the cash to paint the phucker). but back to the engine cleanliness thing, if you are as anal as I am, and a you had a few leak problems such as I did, then this is the thing for you to do. Make sure you cover your distributor and wires when you do this.
Good Luck...
 
Originally posted by GSRCRXsi@Jan 2 2003, 05:31 PM
no im not going for show, the engine bay is just really dirty and i wanted to clean it up. i dont care about it getting dirty again cuz i know it will. jus want it to look new again.

alright kool, dont gotta be all butt hurt about what i said, like i said just throwin in my two cents... :lol:

as for it being filthy and not bein able to spot a leak, i can do that fairly easily as well, even though my engine bay is pretty nasty lookin [so is the outside ;p]

i'll get some pictures up when i can so everyone can see my nasty lookin piece of junk :D
 
Start the car let the engine warm up to operating temp. Shut off engine and using plastic and tape cover anything you don't want to get water into. Spray the engine down with engine cleaner degreaser (the engine being warm helps this stuff work) After 5 to 10 minutes and using as little water as possible spray off all the degreaser. For cleaning plug wires and hoses a little carb cleaner or lacquer thinner on a rag will clean them up as good as new. The rest of the engine compartment is best done with a spray cleaner, firewall inner fender wells and radiator support.
 
i detail my engine regularly and here's what i recommmend from my experience:

step 1) get either simple green or purple power (available in the automotive section). engine degreasers dont work nearly as well and the fumes will make u sick and linger for days.

2) get one of those wheel brushes that looks like a mini toilet brush with LOTS of bristles on all sides. the more bristles, the better.

3) for really getting the hard to reach spots, tie a toothbrush to a long wooden dowel or stick using duct tape.

4) be sure to cover your distributor well with a plastic bag and tape. i dont cover my spark plug wires, but i guess u can if u want to. if you have an exposed air filter element, either cover it or remove it and cover up the end of the pipe.

5) it is really better to wash the engine when its cold, because when its hot, the degreasing agent dries up very quickly, leaving you with a dirty, spotty, dry engine. you want to have the degreaser remain wet so it easily carries the dirt away when you rinse it.

6) spray the degreasing agent LIBERALLY. you only need to let it soak a few minutes. dont wait til it starts drying out. brush any greasy areas that you can within that time, then rinse it off with the hose, and repeat.

7) once you're down to where its looking really good, you will want to start drying everyting off with a towel, just like you do the rest of your car. this will keep it from spotting. if u want to go the extra mile, armor all your hoses and polish the metal brackets and such.

thats about it. here's a pic of my engine bay. to get to this point initially took about 10 hours of work, but after that its just a matter of spending a few minutes each month to rinse it off and wipe it dry. have fun!

s3e159b5a04544.jpg
 
:) thanks. i was inspired by all the show cars i saw at my first car show (hot import nights LA 2002).
 
Originally posted by rixXxceboy@Jan 3 2003, 04:59 PM
:) thanks. i was inspired by all the show cars i saw at my first car show (hot import nights LA 2002).

hmmm i do believe that was the HIN where some guy got stabbed in the neck with a weapon r key, a lil bit before the show was over... <_<


dramaticks mayan, lots of dramaticks
 
damn now i've got the urge to clean my engine bay, just so i can take a pic of it and throw it in my gallery.... hmmmmmm :p :p
 
lol thanks for the props! BTW, the exhaust manifold/header cover was repainted, and i used some white touch-up paint in some places where there were dings and deep scratches.

regarding HIN...i didnt hear about any stabbing. hmmm. i was there til it closed on the last night. that show is the shit! :D they should just call it hot import babes! :D
 
Originally posted by rixXxceboy@Jan 3 2003, 08:44 PM
lol thanks for the props! BTW, the exhaust manifold/header cover was repainted, and i used some white touch-up paint in some places where there were dings and deep scratches.

regarding HIN...i didnt hear about any stabbing. hmmm. i was there til it closed on the last night. that show is the shit! :D they should just call it hot import babes! :D

my bad it wasnt in 2002 it was in long beach 2001... i believe in october...

only problem with calling it HIB [Hot Import Babes] is that mike munar [head of vizion ent] would get in some pretty deep shtuff with womens rights lmao :lol:
 
damn womens rights activists are just a bunch of sour dikes :p it used to be about rights to work and vote and equality, but now its about stupid "exploitation" and crap like that.
 
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