I was planning on cleaning the engine bay of my 02 z28 sometime this weekend. I've been doing some research on the best way to accomplish this and so far most people are saying a couple cans of engine degreaser and some CD2 detailer work the best. Any tips or better ideas? Anything to make sure I watch out for so I don't harm anything? Thanks guys.

 

I've had good luck with Simple Green, but I wouldn't use anything stronger(Purple Power, Greased Lightning, or any solvents). Also try to keep fluids away from the opti because liquid+Opti= as you may have already been aware of.

 

He has an '02, so no opti to worry about.

 

Use a steam cleaner and wipe moisture up with a cotton cloth or a micro fiber cloth!

 

I've used this method on my Z28 every year, and some of my customers' cars as well.

I start by covering up any "sensitive" parts (i.e., fuse block, PCM, alternator, and battery) with plastic or aluminum foil. Spray down the entire engine bay including the hood frame with water (not a pressure washer, just a garden hose), then get out the wash bucket and scrub everything down. Rinse, and start the car. Dry off any areas of standing water. You can then remove all the protective coverings and clean those other parts with an APC like Simple Green. Finally apply dressings of your choice (303, Trim Shine, etc.) to plastic and rubber pieces.
Adam's Polishes website has one of the best "how-to" videos for doing this that I've found online.

 

Thanks guys, I'll give those a try next weekend. I tried some engine degreaser and it cleaned the loose stuff pretty well but the stuff that's really caked on there didn't budge. It would take a few more cans to really clean those areas and seems like a waste of money to me. It did work really well on the intake manifold though, it's a nice shiny black now

 

I like to use a diluted bottle of purple power. Spray down the engine with hose and get it wet.

Then spray the purple power and scrub with a soft long bristle scrub brush.

Then rinse, and repeat if needed.

Then dry and detail with CD2 engine detailer.

turns out like new.......

 

Cleaning the engine bay is tricky when you have an LT1 wiith an opti. It takes a long time rags, detergent, and bruhes ~ tooth and paint. After you get an hour into it some areas will need lacquer thinner to remove darkness. A final treatment with Armorall Foaming tire care. IT will shine up all the rubber, vinyl and black painted areas quickly. it will also give the whole compment THE NEW LOOK.

 

The problem with using tire shine is it turns into a greasy, grimey mess after a little while.

 

Are you guys diluting the simple green or just sprayin it straight out of the bottle? Im going to clean my bay up while/after I get done fixing my oil pump issue (if nothing else is wrong) and bought all the rags, sponges, had detail brushes,etc. I just got a regular spray bottle of S.G. and it says dilute 1:10, from what I understand everyone is just spraying and wiping down. Dont wanna start strippin anything or changing plastics to a white chalk finish or anything.

 

I use one of two things, Palmolive brand dish washing soap mixed with water (don't use Dawn, it's too hard to rinse off) or store-brand orange multipurpose cleaner and degreaser. I use a toothbrush to scrub and a reused spray bottle full of water to rinse. The orange cleaner is like a grocery store brand of 409 or something. The soap and orange stuff are strong, but not so strong that they'll ruin anything. Simple green and purple power have a lot of warnings on the bottles, and I wouldn't want that on all the surfaces of the engine.

I'd recommend the orange cleaner for the painted surfaces. For the plastic surfaces I would recommend either water only or the palmolive and water. Some of the stuff you find on the automotive aisle is just too strong. Anything that is safe for humans to have in contact with their skin is a little better IMO.

Tire shine works well for plastics and such and is convenient. But silicone spray is more recommended. On the LS1, there isn't a whole lot that benefits from the tire shine. On the LT1, the air intake elbow practically needs it and the windshield wiper cowl REALLY needs it.

I wouldn't go crazy with tire shine, because it's going to attract dirt and soot, so you'll end up needing to clean the engine bay again. If you want to use it and save yourself some work, only clean what you are going to spray it on, spray it, wait 5 minutes, wipe it off, and then go about cleaning with soap or orange spray.

 

Thanks that makes sense. I know allllll about the tire shine and other shines that leave the greasy film. Im a fan of foaming glass cleaner myself. Cleans well, hasnt stained anything yet that Ive use it on, and doesnt attract a lot of crap. I use invisible glass, by stoners. Very happy with it. I will probably use a tire shine on the elbow and cowl though, let it soak and dry off excess. I do still have a bottle of one of those citrus cleaner things, dollar store special. May use that instead of the SG. Got a ton of detail brushes so no problem there. Oil pump is supposed to be in today so maybe I can get that done and start cleanin this thing up.

 

Be careful with the glass cleaner, some of them contain ammonia and I believe ammonia is the ingredient that will remove the lettering on certain things in the car. I'm embarrassed to say it, but in our Z28, my sister was having me clean the interior plastics with diluted Mr. Clean (ammonia) because I had bronchitus and had coughed all over the dash and such, and it removed the majority of the lettering off the turn signal as well as the window switches in one swipe of the sponge...

 

There are a number of good plastic dressings out there (not "tire shine") that don't leave everything greasy.

 

That is a great point, Im glad you brought that up for whoever else chooses to read and try these tips. I found out about the paint/lettering thing long ago, and just spaced it cause Its kind of just instinct now to not use it on switches and stuff with letters. I dont know about the long term effects of it on the vinyl and plastics, but so far from my experiences, it does a good job. As for cleaning things like door sills, and plastics around them and the doors that take a beating, and with all the rain lately, collect mud and dust like crazy, it takes everything right off.

The Invisible Glass I use, is supposed to be tint safe, but it is still a fairly harsh cleaner and will take lettering off or at least smear it if used on it.