Hints to clean the engine bay?

[taslucas]

I love mud. Mud loves baking itself onto my engine.

Im after any tips on cleaning the engine bay.

I coat my carby in penetrine/crc etc before hitting the mud. This helps to stop any mud clinging in the first place.

I give it a light spray with the pressure cleaner as soon as i can (usually a few days later lol)

I use a small hearth brush and warm soapy water to scrub all the accessable areas.

Anyway i look at it, its a bugger to do so any more tips would be great (and no, not getting muddy in the first place is NOT an option!).......

:feedback:

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh519/taslucas1/PatrolDirtyengine.jpg

[growler2058]

Big clean puddles flat out!!!


Tap, Tap.......Who's there?

[taslucas]

tried it.......

lol

[Winnie]

High pressure degreaser at the carwash.

Tappa tappa

[MudRunnerTD]

Pull up to the car wash, pop the bonnet and spray the engine with truck wash from a spray bottle then drop the bonnet. Wash the car then pop the bonnet again and go to town with the hot pressure washer. If your a petrol then consider turning he engine on and blast it while running. Should come up a treat.

[taslucas]

Sounds good but we dont have a HOT car wash anywhere around here! lol

Im thinking about trying to find a few "specialised" plastic containers (like cordial bottles cut up etc) that i can cut to shape to slide over the delicate areas (coil, dissy, etc) then i can go to town with the pressure cleaner and then just hand wash the covered up areas last.

[97_gq_lwb]

I have used that $2 can stuff and it worked ok for mud it was a 3 in 1 degreaser .

[threedogs]

Go easy with those pressure hoses, they'll get water in anywhere,
how about a carton of Supercheap degreaser. Hot soapy water sounds the go.
Will take a few goes anyway, finish off with tyre shine

[97_gq_lwb]

Normal degreaser doesn't seem to have any impact on the mud but the 3 in1 does it's the one that foams up when you spray it on.

[MudRunnerTD]

If you like mud then you need to put on a lower cowl to stop the mud getting up onto your fan and throwing it all over the joint. That engine bay is a mess! Mine used to look like that and it drive me nuts.

About 8 years ago I had a splash guard bent up and it changed everything!! If you can limit the amount of mud that gets to your fan the mess will be far far less

Check out these pics. I have just removed this as the cheesy bar had a splash guard built in.

19412

19413

Made a massive difference!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[taslucas]

Thanks Darren, thats exactly the info i was after:) I think ill have to look at getting one of those bent up.
I was thinking of getting more rubber matting and trying to stop mud coming up past the engine mount area but i never even thought of the fan throwing it around.

Cheers mate

[macca86]

Get someone else to do it

[nissannewby]

Thats the other thing as well mkae sure the rubber is in good condition between your wheels and engine bay a lot of mud can be thrown in through the gap between the body and chassis.

[Silver]

If you like mud then you need to put on a lower cowl to stop the mud getting up onto your fan and throwing it all over the joint. That engine bay is a mess! Mine used to look like that and it drive me nuts.

About 8 years ago I had a splash guard bent up and it changed everything!! If you can limit the amount of mud that gets to your fan the mess will be far far less

Check out these pics. I have just removed this as the cheesy bar had a splash guard built in.

19412

19413

Made a massive difference!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

looks great - on my GQ/Mav there is a sheet of rubber that goes from the bottom of the radiator support panel area to the rear, that is starting to fail around the fasteners, and I can see this replacing same and providing more coverage.

Did you notice any change to engine cooling after fitting it?

[Silver]

me again.

If the mud is resisting being washed off, and there is no grease or oil helping the mud stick, then maybe a wetting agent that allows the water to get at the mud might help Some soils when they dry actively repel water. Cheap detergent diluted with water a bit, and sprayed on as a pre soak might be worth a go and be a bit cheaper than cans of degreaser (as a side note, the right version of that $2 degreaser is magic stuff!)

Maybe a cheap pump up garden sprayer to dispense the dilute detergent?

[97_gq_lwb]

Has anyone tried the ct-18 truck wash it has been a long time since i have used it but from what i remember it worked good on mud on motorbikes.

[nissannewby]

I use CT-14 I think it is. Its a pink coloured heavy duty degreaser and bilge cleaner. Even well diluted this stuff works awesome it will removed dirty black sump oil, carbon from exhaust and mud. I generally give my engines a hit with this after a service to shine them up and they come up a treat.

[97_gq_lwb]

Heres a link if anyone is interested.
http://www.chemtech.net.au/wn_chemtech1l.html
Or at supercheap
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Chemtech-CT18-Superwash-1-Litre.aspx?pid=10392&variant=true#Description

I might go buy some and give it a go.

[davo94]

ct-18 works a treat. I use it in a pressure sprayer and mix it about 60-1 let it soak for 15mins and hose off. Finish with tyre shine. If this is done regularly it will work better.

[P4trol]

Ct18 is my choice, as you can let it dry, then drive down to the pressure sprayers car wash.

I do appear to have squeaky pulleys though. I'm assuming the cleaning was too good. How do you un-squeak them?



Tipsy-tap

[97_gq_lwb]

Ct18 is my choice, as you can let it dry, then drive down to the pressure sprayers car wash.

I do appear to have squeaky pulleys though. I'm assuming the cleaning was too good. How do you un-squeak them?





Tipsy-tap
check the bearings in the tensioners rock your fan and see if their is movement in the water pump same with tensioners and aircon pump alternator etc lol i just did all of mine as they were buggered.

If it is just fan belt squeak silicon spray does the job.

[patch697]

Ct18 is my choice, as you can let it dry, then drive down to the pressure sprayers car wash.

I do appear to have squeaky pulleys though. I'm assuming the cleaning was too good. How do you un-squeak them?



Tipsy-tap

X2 with CT18.... Use a pump up spay pack as Mudrunner suggested in he's post ( cheap as from your local garden supply) & mix to the directions on the bottle. Its safe enough to use on everything, no hot wash required, although I would suggest a pressure washer of some sort & it works.

[megatexture]

x3 on the ct18 it even gets off the red dust that stains from out west ,i just spray it on and go out and spray it on again in like 20 mins then preasure clean off and it works great

[Robo]

What about trying something like lanoline form work release oil.
Recommended for form props protection against rusting, form work etc.
Comes in 20 ltr containers seems to work ok for the intended purposes might work hear.
20 lts made up at 6 - 1 , I think, so 120 lts.
Work out to be very economical as well, at that ratio.
Make up only as much as you can use at a time, it separates if left sitting around.
Garden pump bottle is the go.

[97_gq_lwb]

I tried the ct-18 today works great even with the garden hose .
I bought some ct-14 as well to try on oily greasy stuff.
and one of these pump up spray bottles http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/SCA-Garden-Pressure-Sprayer-2-Litre.aspx?pid=133945&menuFrom=90101#Description
they had at supercheap $29 for the lot the ct-18 was on special.

[taslucas]

Was just at sca. They didn't have the ct18. Damn Tassie shops,!

Tap, crackle, pop

[P4trol]

Will have to bring some down for you at the end of the year when I come to tassie.


Tipsy-tap

[taslucas]

For sure mate lol.

Tap, crackle, pop

[nomadTech87]

I can't suggest any products, there's plenty of good advice already posted here anyway but one piece of advice I will give is: Do make sure you do clean the mud out of your rig.
It looks great having your 'trol covered in mud but after being bitten once I now go over everything after it's been out.

I used to have a 1966 2A landrover, USED to. Bought it for bargain off a mate who had to get rid of it, she hadn't run for several years due to brake problems and lack of funds so I was going to strip it down, inspect, clean it up and rebuild.
The only visible rust on the car was the bonnet and a bit on the dash. Now this car had done a few firetrails in the blue mountains on its last drive out and still had a wads of dried mud sprayed up underneath which had been there for years.
While inspecting the chasis, I pulled some of the caked mud off and discovered that there was nothing left under there. Underneath the packed mud in several spots there were gaping holes in the chasis. the damage was so great we ended up salvaging the running gear to put on ebay and cutting what remained of the rover for scrap.

If mud is allowed to sit on metal surfaces on your car, it will dry and cake on, then over time the moisture trapped under the dried mud will slowly eat away the metal surfaces underneath regardless of whether the metal is painted.
These days I wait for my Patrol to dry out, then I give her a wash, wax before getting underneath with a scrubbing brush and a damp cloth to clean all the crap out of the body/chasis and prod dried mud out of all the nooks and crannies, clear drain holes etc.

Definitely will have to take up the advice listed here and try rubbing lanolin over the underbody/enginebay

[pjhicks3]

You can buy a thing made by "Staun" called a massojet or something like that, and it just hooks up to your hose - no pressure washer needed, and it has a long handle, I have one, and it works a treat for this..

[pjhicks3]

heres a link to Pirahna who sell them...
http://piranhaoffroad.com.au/index.php/default/staun-massojet/massojet-water-pressure-wand.html?SID=sbso6v5hv36rn16q4vckal2f23

[choochie]

Bunnings sell similar items in the gardening aisle - they are hose extensions for old dears to water hanging baskets - put a thinner end on it and it will work wonders.

[pjhicks3]

Good Idea - The bunnings one will probably be a bucket load cheaper too!!

[threedogs]

X 2 on the lanolin/lanatec I use it on every thing, even good for your tools, hi lift jack.
Can't recommomend it enough. Any thing you can find Lanolin is good for camping gear,
leaf springs, Axe heads, if you can name it you'll find lanolin will protect it.
WARNING:::: be carefull when using on battery terminals, allow it to dry. MAY CAUSE A FIRE
Spray on decking it stops termites even, best stuff ever

[megatexture]

You can buy a thing made by "Staun" called a massojet or something like that, and it just hooks up to your hose - no pressure washer needed, and it has a long handle, I have one, and it works a treat for this..

I had one of these and wouldn't recommend them the fitting on them are cheap and mine lasted about a year, I'm just glad I got the cheaper one with out the compressor fittings

[june]

hey 3D does the lanolin stay sticky [its wool fat isn't it?] would beach sand stick to it?

[Mickyd188]

good tips guys, cheers