Under-Hood Detailing, Step by Step Process Defined

[Mike Phillips]

Creating a thread with a lot of pictures and commentary takes a long time. We always appreciate it anytime a forum member takes their time wade through their photos, pick the right ones, crop them, resize them, rename them, upload them into a gallery and then create a thread and insert them. I can speak from first hand experience this takes a lot of time, energy and work to do.




I've removed a couple off-topic posts per our forum rules, Meguiar's Forum Rules

Let's everyone work at keeping this thread focused on the discussion of engine detailing.

Thank you!

[dino]

Heres mine as of today's detail session

[sneek]

Wow thats really nice
im about to clean my accord but im waiting to buy meguiars naural shine my local canadian tire is out of stock

[sneek]

Wow thats really nice

[1998Stang]

Hello everyone!

Glad to be able to join you on these forums! I'm a new Meguiars user, and found this site based on a search for engine detailing.

The write-up was very nice, but what would you suggest to use to cover up areas that you don't want to get wet? For my 1998 Mustang (engine has never been cleaned before), I was thinking of covering up the "distributor", the air intake, and the fuse box with aluminum foil.

Some questions:

Would it be advisable to disconnect the battery first?

Would aluminum foil work?

Would the #40 Vinyl and Rubber cleaner have any negative effects on the serpentine belt? (e.g. make it slippery)

Also, the engine should be cold before you spray it, right?




All best,
Joe

[rusty bumper]

Hi 1998Stang!......Welcome to the forum.

I'm not an expert on engine detailing, but I don't think the belt manufacturers would recommend applying any kind of dressing to the outside a drive belt.

[Murr1525]

Hello,

Aluminum foil is good for areas that need molded around.. Just watch electical connections if you start the engine... might want to remove the foil if you need to start the engine. Plastic bags work fine for other areas.

The battery should be OK connected, and dont get foil across the terminals.

I wouldnt go about dressing the belt... I wouldnt worry about a little overspray or a drip, but not directly applying. Dont want to add any slickness.

The engine need not be stone cold. Just mildly warm can make things easier to remove. You dont want it so hot that it dries the liquid onto the surface, just mildly warm.

[1998Stang]

Thank you, Murr and Rusty!


As I have been reading back and forth through these Forums, I have indeed been noticing what you guys have been doing.

I guess I should have read through all the posts before posting my questions!

I see that I'm not the only one here who is a little nervous about spraying liquids around under the hood, and that makes me feel a bit better!

I'll spend the next few days reading everything on these Forums. My compliments to everyone who has done such a great detailing job on their cars! It's really inspiring.


All best and thanks again,
Joe

[sneek]

quick question
can i use meguiars natural shine on the plastic top part of the engine the engine or should i just use it on the hoses?
(detaler line not avalable in canada)

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by sneek
quick question
can i use meguiars natural shine on the plastic top part of the engine the engine or should i just use it on the hoses?
(detaler line not avalable in canada)

I've used it on tires before, and the dash of a car can get pretty hot, so I don't think it would be a problem using it under the hood.

Just my opinion here.

[quikzilver]

What would be the best product to use on the damping "carpet" that is attached on the inside of the bonnet? Products that come to mind are All Purpose Cleaner and Carpet & Interiour Cleaner. The "carpet" is made of pressed fibers and has a black finish on the visible side. I am not gone rub it, since it will probably damage the carpet. Neither would it be a smart thing to get this thing soaking wet, since this will damage the structure. The thing does not get realy dirty, but it grays out over time.

Any suggestions?