best way to clean the engine?

[IrmaInfante]

what is the best way to clean my lightning 02 engine :wtf: Any info is gladly appreciated.

[BlueOvalBolt]

The best that I have found is with product called CD-2 Engine Detailer. It is a 2 can package which has a can of engine cleaner and a can of engine shine which is made to be applied to all surfaces (metal, rubber, plastic). It will leave your engine looking like it did when it came from the factory and lasts longer than the run of the mill Armour All type protectants. Just be careful with it around electronic parts and cover your belts. About $7.00.

[white venom]

:tmb: thats a beautiful engine. where do you get that stuff, can you get it at a local store?

[BlueOvalBolt]

Here in Wisconsin we can get it at Target department stores and at Checker Auto stores.

[BlownSVT]

Hey Blue Oval.........cover the belts and electrical for the cleaning or just the shine part???:huh:

[helga123]

On engine cleaning, you may want to check out S-100's line of motorcycle products. What attracted me to them was the claim of corrosion preventing goodies left behind as well as their "good for all surfaces" reputation.

If you think about it, on many bikes (like a Vmax for example) all the goods are hanging in the breeze for all the world to see, and things get very cr*ppy very quickly in inclement weather. I.e., this is kind of an acid test for clean/corrosion protecting, no?

Vs. the $7 CD-2 though, used on BlueOvalBolt's great looking ride, don't expect a bargain! His results absolutely win the value award.

4 other things, for what it's worth:

1) Griot's Garage has a bizzion little dedicated mitts & Q-tippy things for going to extremes. Be advised though, a decent wish list with their catalog will have you in the price range of a set of tires if you're not careful.

2) Sit down for this one. On the cleaning of mechanisms: Don't use water! Water doesn't touch my R1 Yamaha any more than it does my Colt Python. Specifically because it goes into the worst places water can go & you can't get it out. I would rather flush out dirt with say CRC "moisture displacing" lubricant, since it leaves corrosion protection, than use a detergent to remove all oils & try and bake out the moisture. This is especially true on fasteners, seams (cases, brackets, etc.), springs, pivots/bushings, etc.. To be frank, the plating typically used on auto stuff (and some motorcycle stuff) is the absolute bottom of the barrel. I have found that if you follow the no water rule (I even used my Great Dane 18 hp. mower as a guinea pig over 4 seasons!) and flush with corrosion protecting lube, use spray bottles for applying "the right stuff in the right places), aren't afraid to remove a few things to get where you need to go, lots of clean cloths you can truly keep something "beyond showroom" for an unbelievable length of time. Most important: The stuff works better. My R1 has every single thing that moves in an absolute smooth/stiction-free condition. Ditto for the hand controls, etc., on the mower. The stuff just feels sweet in use. If it sounds like you would be spending a lifetime maintaining a mechanism without water, over the long haul it's the other way around. If you've got "corrosion protection in your crannies" (and I like S-100's stuff) and a decent coat of it buffed into the surface, you can let some maintenance go until you can get back to it without fear that "you can never get it back" to its as-delivered conditon.

3) A true test of your detailing skills (as well as the validity of the above) is to take your ride to a dealer and park it alongside of something new and compare the 2. On a bike, you can actually get yours to "sparkle down low" and actually look fresher than a brand new bike if you're good. On a car, if you use a glass polish, detail the uppers, avoid washing in a manner that puts scratches in (so that minimal effort is expended getting them out), the REAL DEAL, is going to be those details: jambs, suspension hardware, wheels wells, fasteners, etc.. If you're "clean and crisp" here, you can take the compliments and avoid getting sucked into to buying else something new you really don't need.

4) There are some real "keepers" out there. What truly sucks is having something really neat, having it degrade when you could have prevented this, and then realizing it's just not practical to restore it. You "lose a good one". I have an RZ350 that is in this category. It's sweet. IF it wasn't, there's nothing even available today that does what it does. (There are no lightweight 2-stroke roadbikes currently available here.) More to the Ford point, I do not like the current 'stang body style, and that's just fine because every time I pull the cover off my '95, I smile because it'll stand up to a new 'stang, detail wise.

I apologize for the diatribe: just felt like taking advantage of the engine cleaning question to point out that, over the years, you can really preserve some really cool stuff, as well as save some scratch, by paying attention to these things.

O.K., one more: Depreciation & finance charges are so nasty, that money saved by speading out the vehicle replacements actually allows you to keep some of them forever! For example, my mint '95 GT vert is now "free", because its entire value is less than what the depreciation would have been had I jumped into the current car and then jumped into the new 'stang when it comes out. Insurance has fallen, taxes have fallen, payments have not been made on say, an '01 Cobra or whatever, so I get to keep my '95 and add a next gen 'stang to it. There is nothing neater than this term: "multi vehicle discount". Is this cool rationale for detailing or what?

[BlueOvalBolt]

Originally posted by BlownSVT
Hey Blue Oval.........cover the belts and electrical for the cleaning or just the shine part???:huh:

Right or wrong, I really don't cover any electrical parts as anything electrical in the engine bay is pretty much weather proof. Just be careful around the electrical components and don't BLAST them with water. The electrical is sensitive to water obviously and you wouldn't want to get cleaner or protectant in there either.

Covering the belts is more for the protectant part because the last thing you want to do is to make the belts shiney and start slipping (especially the SC belt) but cover them for the cleaning part as well as solvents and rubber normally don't get along to well together.

[Abbott]

Garden hoses and coil packs don't mix, the hand applied products above should do a great job, just take your time, there are few substitutes for elbow grease.

[animal]

The pic of BlueOval's engine simply does NOT do it justice. Having seen it in person, I was sold on that product. Funny how I've been too lazy to even go pick some up though :)

[helga123]

Your answer is to ask BlueOval for a "demonstration" on your truck. You know, just to make sure, you've got all his techniques.

When it gets dirty, you'll of course need a refresher, just to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

See if this works and let the rest of us know. We could take turns and maybe he won't catch on.

[BlueOvalBolt]

Who's first? :moon:

[helga123]

And this is an even better way to go!

I've got dibs on Saturday at 9.

[r shively]

Do you think we could get the demo's like maybe the Old Time Dr. House calls?

The weather up there is too cold for ml L.
:)