Engine Cleaning

[Poobah]

My engine room is in serious need of a good spring cleaning. I'd like to take it to a standard coin-op car wash and give it a good cleaning with the high-pressure water/steam gun.

I haven't done this with a car in a long time but I remember having to dry out the distributor cap on cars in the past before they would start.

I know the Northstar doesn't have a distributor, but are there any similar issues I should be aware of?

I'd rather not do it and then be left standing there wondering why the car won't start!

Thanks in advance,

[OynxSTS]

Take it easy on the plugs

There was a link on this a couple of weeks ago... Guru's advice... Try to keep water out of the sparkplug holes and/or blow them dry before you fire her up...

[CadiKing]

Stop!

Are you ablsolutely sure you're open the the

possibility you will be chasing gremlins around your

engine for half the summer?

The last person I know that let a dealership pressure

wash his STS, ended up costing $2,000 and two days

in the shop to get it all 'right' again.

So, Like I said, be careful, cover everything you value

most under the hood with plastic and tape!

Have a blast!

(at least it will be cleaner IF you have to work on it

after the high pressure wash...!)

God Luck,

[JasonA]

One thing I've realized is, if you wash the engine warm (not hot), large grime comes off with a simple spray from the nozzle on your garden hose. No need for pressure. If you take it to a coin wash, be careful about dousing the engine with water, as it will be hot from you driving. Just lightly "dust" the engine with spray from the water gun and do the rest with good ol' elbow grease (clean rag and towel). Once the engine is wet, everything should come off easy with a rag. I wouldn't try to actually REMOVE the grime with water pressure. Just wet the engine compartment and run through it with a rag.

[seabass]

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR CLEANING THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, BUY A SPRAY BOTTLE OF "SIMPLE GREEN"(WILL NOT HARM THE PAINT OR ANYTHING) SPRAY THE WHOLE ENGINE , WAIT A FEW MINUTES AFTER YOU SPRAY WITH SIMPLE GREEN , START THE CAR AND WITH THE HOSE SPRAY IT OFF , NOT TO HARD WITH THE WATER SPRAY, IT WILL WORK VERY WELL. LET THE CAR IDLE TO LET THE EXCESS WATER DRY UP. MY 2 CENTS.

SEABASS

93 STS

[ted tcb]

http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5480

I pressure washed my STS two weeks ago ... covered nothing, just foamed 'er up let 'er rip at the pressure wash ... I've done it this way countless times.

I drove home, turned the car off, and the next day, she farted and hesitated all the way to work. I did a few WOT's, and it went away.... until the next cold start.

All is fine now, but it sure was unsettling ... next time, I cover the plugs, use a degreaser, and just a simple garden hose.

[Ranger]

I do mine at least once a year. Usually in my driveway. Just go easy on the coil & wires. Last time I did it I got a battery no charge message the next day. Went away after about 3 seconds. As mentioned, be carefull spraying cold water on a hot engine. Other than that, just use common sense. Don't drown the PCM or EBTCM. Then take it for a ride and get it good and hot to dry it out good.

[an01sts]

I have done mine twice, and I need to do it one more time. I run the engine until it's hot, spray it with fansastic/409 (simple green sucks) wipe the top cover by hand, start the engine and gently spritz the engine. Because of the different levels of whatever, keep in mind that you'll have cold water runnning over hot manifolds. That means that you start spraying ever so lightly, until the heat has been quenched from the manifolds.

Keep it running and take it for a decent highway drive to dry it out.

[navion]

For all you Simple Green fans out there. We stopped using it on aircraft because it is corrosive to aluminum. (or so I've been told)

[growe3]

I used to use Simple Green it worked OK, but you need to brush & rub to help it work, and the fumes always got me coughing.

I now use Wesley Bleche-Wite Whitewall Tire Cleaner. It is fast, easy and no fumes!

It works best on a slightly warm engine if the oil/dirt buildup is heavy. If the buildup is light a cold engine is fine.

Spray everything under the hood.

Put a good wet coating on everything; engine, wires, cables, battery, firewall, transmission, etc.

Avoid over spray on the exterior car paint. If over spray gets on the exterior paint, don’t rub, just rinse with water. I have never seen any paint damage, but it will remove the wax.

Let set a minute or three, don’t allow it to dry.

Rinse with a garden hose and spray head attachment.

Rinse the driveway, as a lot of debris will now be on the ground. While the debris is wet, it is easy to flush away.

Let drip a while as you take a short break.

I use paper towels to blot around the spark plug boots. Pull each of the front spark plug boots and check for any water that may have got into the spark well. If any water is present just use a long thin screwdriver to poke a paper towel in to absorb any water. No big deal. If water is not present in the front spark plug wells it is not likely to be in any of the rear ones.

Go for a short drive to warm the engine and evaporate the leftover water.

Let the engine cool. Check and blot up any water pockets you may find, the air filter box tends to holds water in the top ridge area.

I then use Meguiar’s Vinyl Protectant to keep everything looking bright and new.

Thoroughly spray everything EXCEPT, the serpentine belt area and water pump belt.

Shove a rag or two around the water pump belt and be careful, do not let any protectant get on the serpentine belt or pulleys. If any gets on either belt wipe off with Wesley’s using a paper towel.

Allow to set for 10 minutes or so then using paper towels wipe of all of the excess protectant. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. The results will be very shiny.

After a couple of days it will absorb in to the vinyl and rubber surfaces and look more like a new car. If it stays to shiny for your taste, just rinse a cold engine with a garden hose and spray head. Any excess will rinse off and under the hood will look great.

I have done this for several years to both of my STS’s and have had no problems, and nice results with minimum effort.

When you get under the car you can also use the Wesley’s to spray any oily or greasy areas and they will rinse clean quick and easy.

As an added benefit Wesley Bleche-Wite Whitewall Tire Cleaner will also clean your tires.

-George

Engine Photos

[Scotty]

George, lets see a photo of your engine!

[growe3]

George, lets see a photo of your engine!

Hi Scotty,

I think I finally got the web link working. Two sizes for your viewing pleasure.

-George

[sprucegoose]

I think I finally got the web link working. Two sizes for your viewing pleasure.

-George

George, you missed a spot by that left strut tower! JK!

Boy that is one impeccable engine compartment! Especially considering it is 13 years old... I use Wesley's Bleche-White also, that is one good product. Years ago a good friend of mine (who’s a body shop manager in a GM garage) told me of its many uses and qualities. It was a great tip, just like yours here!

[Poobah]

Thanks to all of you for the good advice on the fine art of engine cleaning!

Part of my concern about all of this is that I live in a condominium and don't have a good place outside to hose down the engine. I also do not want to make a mess in our common driveway.

In the past, I've gotten pretty good results using Gunk engine cleaner and old rags. I can put down newspapers and do that in the garage. Any thoughts?

[adallak]

My 4.9 is very dirty, leaks all over. I would just remove the serpentine belt and cover the plugs and generator with something. But all those connectors ... scary!

Contemporary detergents can get anywhere!

[growe3]

My 4.9 is very dirty, leaks all over. I would just remove the serpentine belt and cover the plugs and generator with something. But all those connectors ... scary!

Contemporary detergents can get anywhere!

On the Northstar there is really no problem. On a conventional engine with a distributor you must be a little more careful to keep moisture from migrating into the distributor.

Wesley's and water will not hurt the alternator or the belts in any way.

Try it you will be pleasantly surprised.

-George

[growe3]

Thanks to all of you for the good advice on the fine art of engine cleaning!

Part of my concern about all of this is that I live in a condominium and don't have a good place outside to hose down the engine. I also do not want to make a mess in our common driveway.

In the past, I've gotten pretty good results using Gunk engine cleaner and old rags. I can put down newspapers and do that in the garage. Any thoughts?

The nice thing about Wesley's is that it will clean the driveway also. Just make sure to flush it all away while it is still fresh.

I won't use Gunk or similar products. While they clean OK, they leave a grease trail, and a strong smell in the car and on the ground for quite awhile. Wesley's is a different breed of cleaner.

Oderless and leaves surfaces clean and dry.

-George

[adallak]

On the Northstar there is really no problem. On a conventional engine with a distributer you must be a little more carefule to keep moisture from migrating into the distributer.

Wesley's and water will not hurt the alternator or the belts in any way.

Try it you will be pleasently suprised.

Thanks George,

I want to try Wesley's. Never heard of it before, but looks like it is worth trying.

[growe3]

On the Northstar there is really no problem. On a conventional engine with a distributer you must be a little more carefule to keep moisture from migrating into the distributer.

Wesley's and water will not hurt the alternator or the belts in any way.

Try it you will be pleasently suprised.

Thanks George,

I want to try Wesley's. Never heard of it before, but looks like it is worth trying.

You can get it at Kragen, Walmart, etc. At Walmart I get the large bottle ($3.50 or so), it works out to about half price compared to the regular spray bottle.

-George