degreasing engine compartment.

[rocket]

Hi all and happy new year,

Thinking of cleaning engine bay up,engine is clean and oil tight,it was out last year but was replaced without cleaning the bay ariound it...whats safe to use to clean the old oil etc off?

cheers

Ian.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

I've used "Gunk" in the past; engine bay & on my Bikes.
Brush it on & hose it off.
I think it's still available in GB.
Formulation may have changed though, bl--dy H&S

Cheers
John

[rocket]

Thanks John,

i use it on bikes to,wasnt sure if it is ok on fibreglass but il give it a go now i know.

cheers,

Ian.

[twincamman]

cleaners expressly for automotive uses are very costly and I use a lot ----so I use varsol [paint thinner ]and a squirt spray bottle --- use a brush for built up grease ---- much cheaper and still washes off with water -----but there is no 'perfume' smell after ---ed

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Paint thinner sounds a bit aggresive Ed

Aaah (Bisto) but the scent of "Gunk" ranks with "Barbour" jackets & nearly enters into the "Castrol R" league

John

[terryp]

I've used WD40 , spray on, wipe and polish off. You use a lot of rag but you can buy those big industrial type kitchen rolls which work well.
Best of luck! (not a nice job to do with anything!)

Terry

[steveww]

I have also used the WD40 & kitchen roll for a quick tidy up of the engine. Worked well for me

[JJDraper]

Do you feel lucky?!

I use the local garage Jet Washer.... If you are careful, avoid some of the really bad ideas (aiming at the dipstick, carbs etc) you can do a pretty good job. I do use a spray or two of gunk & use a washing up brush to shift some of the worst oily bits (careful of hot exhaust). Just remember to take a mobile phone if your car is not as water resistant as you thought! I have not had any electrical problems and use this method once or twice a year.

Worth doing before a major service or engine work.

Jeremy

[elan_fan]

I get my bits from these guys:

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/

and for cleaning around the engine bay I use this:

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/engine-am ... d_321.html

not cheap but you get what you pay for

regards
Mark

[miked]

Re: Gunk, I used to use the soluble oil type stuff that John refers to on My Yam - FS1E and RD 250 etc. Smelled fab'.

I am not sure it is still the same. My youngest uses it in the spray can (on his old Yams) and it smells and looks like a worse verion than a Jizer type stuff. Can you still get the proper good stuff in the gallon and half gallon cans. It was brown and used to wash off white, like milk.

Mike

[Elanintheforest]

I always use petrol for the really messy jobs, followed by WD40 and a wipe over.

Earlier this year I bought a ?71 Escort Mexico that had been ziebarted from new. Ziebart was an early form of rust preventer, but more like a soft tar than the modern waxy stuff. Something I hadn?t realised was that when they treated a car, they did everything?.that meant under the bonnet as well. They coated the inner wings, wiring loom, brake pipes, block?everything. The upside is that the car is totally rust free, but the downside was a black, sticky and gritty mess that hadn?t been touched since it was applied in 1971?? 38 years of cooked mess.

I tried everything to be as gentle as possible and preserve the original paint, loom tape and stickers, but petrol brushed in with a stiff paint brush was the only thing that would touch it. It?s an extreme example, but I find that old engine oil that hasn?t been cleaned off for years can be just as stubborn as this ziebart stuff.

Can?t beat the Gunk smell though

Mark

[gerrym]

Try Muc Off!

http://www.muc-off.com/motorcycle/bike_ ... c_off.html

Regards

Gerry

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Re: Gunk, I used to use the soluble oil type stuff that John refers to on My Yam - FS1E and RD 250 etc. Smelled fab'.

I am not sure it is still the same. My youngest uses it in the spray can (on his old Yams) and it smells and looks like a worse verion than a Jizer type stuff. Can you still get the proper good stuff in the gallon and half gallon cans. It was brown and used to wash off white, like milk.

Mike

Yes that's the stuff; washes off milky white & available in cans but not everywhere.
A German mate bought a load of the stuff to keep his Vincent clean for the next 200 years.
You'll have to search around, it's out there.
I'm sure it's not available in Halfords & the spotty kids in there wouldn't have a clue of what you're talking about

Cheers
John

[paddy]

I'm sure it's not available in Halfords & the spotty kids in there wouldn't have a clue of what you're talking about

Off topic, but it reminds me of trying to get hold of plug leads in an emergency last year. I went into Halfords to see if they stocked loose leads - the helpful assistant said "oh yes sir, we have them - what's your registration number?"

Paddy

[Robbie693]

I use Autoglym's Clean Machine - it's water based, so enviromentally friendly (sort of) and doesn't leave a residue so is good for degeasing prior to painting.

This stuff is probably good too:

http://www.bilthamber.com/surfex-hd.html

I haven't tried it but all their other stuff I have used is good


Robbie


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