Engine bay detailing

[Falcon_LS]

With all the bad weather we have had here lately, my engine bay had its fair share of sand and dust. I had the time to do some detailing today, so it went from looking something like this:

To this:

Obviously sensitive areas were covered before starting off. I blew off all the dust, and hosed the engine down with pressurised water. Next I liberally sprayed engine degreaser, followed by bucket of water with 4 times the recommended strength of Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo. The brush collection followed afterwards, after which I hosed it all down. I repeated the process three times, and blew away all the water before applying a coat of Meguiar's Tech Interior Protectant. This stuff has UV blockers, and I apply it to my weather stripping once a month. Figured the hoses, etc. could benefit from it.

I will need to respray the top of my radiator next, when I have the time. I got some heat resistant paint and sand paper already.

I also officially hit 250,000 km/156,250 miles today. That's quarter a million kilometres of trouble-free motoring.

 

[hate2work]

That doesn't even look like the same engine!!

Great job, very impressive

 

[astraelraen]

I've always wondered what is considered "sensitive" areas for engine bay cleaning.

On my old 1995 Stratus I would just open the hood and spray water like crazy to clean it. The engine was still running fine at 150k when I sold it. Nothing electrical ever blew up, etc.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Many thanks for the kind words! I just covered up the distributor to be honest. On an engine with COPs, I just cover those up.

 

[wcbcruzer]

Wow! Very nice work. How did you clean it and what did you use to shine it up??

 

[Falcon_LS]

Originally Posted By: wcbcruzer
Wow! Very nice work. How did you clean it and what did you use to shine it up??


Thank you!

Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
Obviously sensitive areas were covered before starting off. I blew off all the dust, and hosed the engine down with pressurised water. Next I liberally sprayed engine degreaser, followed by bucket of water with 4 times the recommended strength of Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo. The brush collection followed afterwards, after which I hosed it all down. I repeated the process three times, and blew away all the water before applying a coat of Meguiar's Tech Interior Protectant. This stuff has UV blockers, and I apply it to my weather stripping once a month. Figured the hoses, etc. could benefit from it.

 

[wcbcruzer]

Ah thanks. I scrolled over the original post several times but still didn't notice your procedure.

 

[Falcon_LS]

No problem at all!

 

[Johnny]

Now, after all that hard work, how long will in stay that way in Kuwait?

 

[Falcon_LS]

Provided I blow off all the dust on a daily basis, about 6-8 weeks tops. If not, about 10 days to 2 weeks before it looks exactly the same.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Now, after all that hard work, how long will in stay that way in Kuwait?

A few minutes at least.


Great job, Falcon, by the way!

 

[TedSexington]

What kind of engine degresser and was it diluted down or did you use it right out of the bottle?

 

[rg200amp]

Very nice job!!!

How often do you have to replace air filters!?!?!?!

 

[Falcon_LS]

Thank you for the kind words.

Originally Posted By: TedSexington
What kind of engine degresser and was it diluted down or did you use it right out of the bottle?


I used STP Engine Degreaser. I suppose you could say it was diluted down, because I sprayed it after hosing the engine with water.

Originally Posted By: rg200amp
How often do you have to replace air filters!?!?!?!


I follow what I like to call an "extreme" service schedule. I keep a set of two OEM Mitsubishi air filters, which have a hard casing and are made of cotton material. Every 2,500 km (1,560 miles) I take one out of the airbox and dump it in a bucket of water with a small amount of washing power, whilst putting in a new one in the airbox. At the next 2,500 km interval, the one in the airbox gets washed and the one that has been washed goes in the airbox. I repeat this for 10,000 km (6,250 miles) so each filter is washed twice. At the 10,000 km mark, I purchase a set of two new, OEM air filters.

As far as my service schedule goes, this is what it looks like in simple terms:

Daily:

• Check oil, coolant and washer fluids first thing in the morning - top up as necessary
• Wash vehicle, cleaning all areas including door jambs, etc. (approx. time 1.5 hours)

Every fill up:

• Blow out air filter with compressed air until no dust appears from either side
• Inspect tire pressures and set to 42 PSI as required
• Top up windshield and headlight washer fluid

Every 2,500 km (1,560 miles)

• Switch air filters

Every 5,000 km (3,000 miles)

• Oil change (dino, brand varies) with a WIX 51334 filter (Auto-Rx'd the engine, switching to full synthetic soon possibly Edge) and Maintenance dose of ARX
• Wash undercarriage with pressurised water
• Switch air filters
• Grease undercarriage nipple joints
• Wash engine bay

Approx. every month or soon after

• Mothers Clay Bar, 3M Scratch Remover and Meguiar's Tech 2.0 with a final coat of Carnauba for added deep shine

Every 10,000 km (6,250 miles)

• Switch air filters
• Tire rotation (cross rotation first and front/rear rotation at next interval so they wear evenly - set of 4 Pirelli Scorpion STRs)
• Inspect pads and rotors
• Clean MAF with electrical contact cleaner
• Clean throttle body

Every 40,000 km (25,000 miles)

• Full ATF flush (including torque converter) with Motorcraft Mercon V
• New brake fluid (Motorcraft HP DOT 3)
• Coolant flush with 60/40 Motorcraft Premium Coolant and distilled water
• New transfer case oil (Mobil or Gulf GL-4 75W-90)
• Service front and rear differentials with Motorcraft axle lubricant 80W-90 (GL-5)
• Flush power steering fluid with MC Mercon V
• New OEM fuel filter
• Clean EGR valve

Every 80,000 km (50,000 miles)

• Replace timing belt
• Replace serpentine belts
• Replace NGK Platinum spark plugs
• Replace brake pads and skim discs as required
• Re-core radiator and replace hoses
• OEM Thermostat
• Replace PCV valve
• Replace valve cover gaskets

Every 160,000 km (100,000 miles)

• Replace water pump
• Replace tie rod ends
• Replace shock absorbers with KYBs