I’ve seen several YouTube tutorials on cleaning the engine bay, and they all seem to use foam/degreaser and a power washer (low power) to start with. I thought I should be wary of this, but these pro detailers seem to think it’s ok!
Has anyone used this method on their engine bay? Is there anything to be aware of or avoid specific to the MX5 (apart from the obvious alternator and battery)?
Unless it’s in a terrible condition there’s no need to get that drastic. Use an old paint brush to move dust and muck then spray silicone spray (£4 at Halfords) liberally. This won’t shift surface corrosion on your rocker box (anyone any ideas for this for my ND?) but everything else will come up beautifully. You’ll be amazed to see rubber & plastic look like new.
…I once washed our engine bay…car wouldn’t start afterwars as water was “sitting” in the holes were the spark plug fit!!..never again, and would certainly not use a pressure washer!!
So I take it that a generic silicone spray is pretty similar to branded engine bay dressing or such like?
I use a Pnuematic ‘Solvent gun’ when cleaning car engine bays. I fill the container with de-ionsised water and put a little autoglym vinyl/rubber cleaner in it, and sometimes a little Rubbing alcohol as a degreaser.
It gets into all the nooks and crannies quite precisely and blows out leaves, dust, etc and leaves behind a nice clean sheen.
It also doesn’t soak all of the electrics with water as i can adjust the water/air mix. .
My kit isn’t expensive either, both the compressor and the pneumatic tools were bought from AldiLidl and OK for a DIY’er.
Bilt Hamber Surfex HD seems to be a popular choice on YouTube, have you used this? And I saw someone using a leaf blower to dry as well!
Well I’m pretty sure that silicone spray is silicone spray …. in my experience at least the WD Silicone Spray at £7 seems, feels and behaves identically to the £4 - and greater volume - Halfords stuff. I have some ‘Tyre & Plastics’ spray too, which also seems identical save for the added scent. Very interested in others’ views but as far as I can tell any silicone spray will do and it gives magic results. As you can tell from reading almost any of the threads in our Forum, owners of nice cars who care about their vehicles are prepare to go to great lengths to look after their cars, as am I. The potion manufacturers know this … hence the plethora of snake oil products - alongside some exceptional genuine ones too - on the market.
I treat the engine bay to a generous coating of ACF50 before the winter salt gets applied to the roads. ACF50 protects all the exposed metal components and is good for conditioning the plastic and rubber too. It also treats and prevents rust. This miracle product is from the aerospace industry and is much used by motorcyclists to protect their vulnerable machines through the winter months.
I’ve used Surfex before very good degreaser and because you dilute it a bottle goes a long way. I’ve then used a liberal spraying of Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber on the engine bay as well which gives a nice finish without leaving everything in a sticky silicone coating. The leaf blower then helps dry and blow the coating into all the nooks and crannies.
I’ve done it on several cars. Get the engine lukewarm - literally drive it around the block. Bag up anything sensitive, mainly the master cylinder. Spray with Gunk and agitate on any really filthy areas. Hose off thoroughly and mop up any pools of water you can see. Check down the spark plug wells and mop them out if water has got in. Start the engine and take it for a good drive to steam off the rest.
There is always a small risk with this (with some cars, water can run into the ECU) so I have only done it on filthy secondhand cars.