hey guys... i need help making my engine bay look cleaner...
-how do i keep the plastic black and shiney looking?
-what should i do with all these loose wires?
-should i electric tape all the wires that arent black already? and one last thing... theres a big tube that i use for my windshield fluid... should i jus remove it and close off the reservoir? i dont really squirt my windshield a lot
-do i use some degreaser to clean everything else? or should i look into something stronger like brake cleaner?
am i suppose to wax the paint to make the strut towers look better?
thx!
heres some pics...
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNTQxNjI1NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNTQxNjI2NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNTQxNjI3NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Here's my advice, it seems to be working alright for me so far. I spray the whole engine down with a degreaser, brake cleaner shouldnt be necessary unless you have some serious build-up going on in there. Just cover the whole engine with the degreaser and let it sit for a little while. Then go over the whole engine with a rag and wipe down everything. Once it dries I like to use Pledge wood cleaner (it was suggested on here once). It sprays out nicer and doesn't leave the greasy mess that Armorall does. Not to mention that is smells nice. The Pledge will give all your plastic pieces and even the painted struts a nice shine. The key to doing this is to make sure that you cover all the areas of the engine bay. As far as the wires go, engines need wires so it shouldnt be a big deal if you can see them. The wire loom stuff that you can buy will make things neater if you want to wrap them all but that's up to you.

dude, looks pretty good to me. way better than mine.

of course, i changed my coolant the other day, and managed to get coolant everywhere while bleeding the system. so, just about anything looks better than mine right now :)

I basically use the writeup posted in the E36 DIY library stickied at the top of the E36 forum.

When the engine is cool, spray the crap out of everything under the hood with simple green (or other degreaser) --I use full strength and I shoot everything -- sticking the nozzle up in every cranny it can fit.

Difficult areas are:
behind and below the headlamps
power steering fluid reservoir top
anything else that's under the oil filter housing.

Le Rinse.

Use a rag to help with the clean up, use a gentle spray of water. Let dry.

Then empty a whole bottle of Armor All (or whaterver vinyl care product you like/can spare change for) in the engine bay --all the wires, engine cover, hoses etcetera.


I recently started waxing the strut towers and the other painted surfaces under hood and trunk lid. I like the improvement :)

thx for the advice people. babym ur engine bay looks great. ill try this when i have time...

Then empty a whole bottle of Armor All (or whaterver vinyl care product you like/can spare change for) in the engine bay --all the wires, engine cover, hoses etcetera.


That sounds like a very bad idea. If you're gonna put that crap on anything in there, wipe it on with a rag. Don't get it on your belts and possibly inside components etc., and don't use actual Armor All as it will cause rubber, plastic and vinyl to dry out and crack. Not to mention holding onto any dirt and dust that gets thrown around in there, and if it's on a moving part that will help it wear out. From what I hear (never tried it but highly recommended) 303 Aerospace protectant sounds good, but don't just go spraying it on everything, you're asking for trouble.

That sounds like a very bad idea.

Well, shoot. As I understand it the problems with ArmorAll are twofold: greasy dash and dried out dash. Also, from what I've read (I won't claim original research on this) the drying problem is caused from UV exposure, not a problem under the hood. Greasiness? I haven't had that problem. What it does do is leave a shine on the rubber/vinyl parts under the hood and break down the greasy clumps that develop on the wire bundles and electrical tape. A regular sized bottle of Armorall is enough to coat all the exposed surfaces but not drench them. I would certainly hope folks have enough sense to wipe off any extra with a rag :)

Also, unless there is something wrong, all of your sensitive bits such as the data port, fuse box, coils etcetera are are protected with either a cover or a watertight seal. The belts get little if any spray --too far down. I haven't had a problem with it and i've tracked the car and Autocrossed it without issue.

The engine bay stays clean for a good while after this treatment with only occasional dry rag touchups necessary. That picture above is about 2 months after a full detail --the picture I took after the carwash that day didn't come out.

For parts that see the sun I like Vinylex.

I'm sure the detailing gurus on this forum will have other comments. All i can speak to is my personal experience.

Thoughts on ArmorAll on your engine... (http://www.apexcone.com/JimPowellHomepage/TechProcedures/EngineBayCleaning/ArmorAll.html)

Having said that, I once had a mechanic (doing some suspension work, but he detailed every car that came into his shop for free as well) who got ArmorAll in/on the horribly exposed Volvo fuel injection fuse, causing the car to die 10 minutes later, stranded in the middle of nowhere, in the days before cell phones. (Actually, I got the car going in 2 minutes, but you get the point.)

Boondoggie --did you do that writeup? If so thank you --that's the one I use :)

i wouldn't recommend brake cleaner or degreaser. Use something like Simple Green. It's much more mild. The paint in your engine bay is very thin and not Clearcoated. If you get something strong on it, the paint will come off.

Boondoggie --did you do that writeup? If so thank you --that's the one I use :)

No, I didn't do it, I just thought of it when I read what you're doing. :)

From my research, Armor All does not dry out components - that's urban legend. To paraphrase, it was the carrier agents (petroleum products) in 20th century silicone products that caused the drying out and cracking of interiors etc. Today's silicone products are fine. :)

wow, the engine is okay if you dont cover anything, and spray it?

wow, the engine is okay if you dont cover anything, and spray it?

gently gently gently....

There will be no pressure washing allowed :nono

You'll be ok if you're seals are intact (be sure to inspect everything).

Someone (I believe NoSoup4U) uses Pledge Lemon shine in his engine bay and said it works very well. Probably smells nice and fresh too!!!

after cleaning the engine bay...... get wd40 out and spray it all down.

I don't know about you guys but.... All I do is give it a good cleaning with soap and water once every 6 months and up keep it up with warm water and a soft towel between full washings. Once everything is clean I apply a good dressing like 303 or something from 1Z to all the plastic parts and polish all uncoated aluminum with mothers polish. Sometimes i'll put a coat of wax or sealant one the shock towers etc and keep them looking good buy QDing every so often.

My civic
http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/10954dsc01274.jpg

m3
http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/10954dsc01661.jpg

I don't know about you guys but.... All I do is give it a good cleaning with soap and water once every 6 months and up keep it up with warm water and a soft towel between full washings. Once everything is clean I apply a good dressing like 303 or something from 1Z to all the plastic parts and polish all uncoated aluminum with mothers polish. Sometimes i'll put a coat of wax or sealant one the shock towers etc and keep them looking good buy QDing every so often.

My civic
http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/10954dsc01274.jpg

m3
http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/10954dsc01661.jpg



I agree most with Mantic. There shouldn't be a need to really use any *cleaners* per se, unless you've got some really nasty buildup going on in the bay--in which case, there may be other problems.

I can leave my engine bay untouched for months and all I'll get is a layer of dust. I've always been confused as to how people get them really nasty looking. A mild mix of soap and hot water with a rag should get the job done without the need for any degreasers, simple green, etc.

There shouldn't be a need to really use any *cleaners* per se, unless you've got some really nasty buildup going on in the bay--in which case, there may be other problems.

I can leave my engine bay untouched for months and all I'll get is a layer of dust. I've always been confused as to how people get them really nasty looking. A mild mix of soap and hot water with a rag should get the job done without the need for any degreasers, simple green, etc.I've said th exact same thing also :)

I've said th exact same thing also :)
Correction, I agree with Mantic and ///MDex. :)

thx guys... well.. while i was at autozone, i saw this product called engine detailer... and also engine degreaser... i bought the engine detailer one, cause i could jus use regular degreaser or watered down degreaser. well i just wanted to see if the engine detailer product really worked so i jus sprayed some on some plastic, and WOW! this stuff it great! it makes the plastic and wires all new and shiney. i even sprayed some on the strut towers and they look great too... i shoulda cleaned the engine bay first but it looks great without even cleaning the enginebay first. just wanted to share... ill try and get pics when i can... my engine bay looks much better now, not showroom good but decent... this spray changed my old and dried out looking wires into shiney new ones... i wonder how long it will last...

Shiny on top of dirty - :nono

Dude, spend an extra 10 min and clean it first. If you don't clean the gunk off there, it will continue to attract more crap.