How best to clean the engine?

[dh58]

What is the best way to clean the engine? Mine is quite dirty. The cables especially.

What is the best way to do it? What products should be used?

n54 135i. Thanks!

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Here are a couple of good resources to help you out...

How to Detail Your Engine Bay by Todd Cooperider


Engine Bay Detailing Guide


Let me know if you've got any other questions

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[Pig Farmer]

Just a helpful FYI... If you use a cleaner that requires a water rinse, take note of the engine cover and the opening in the cover where the oil fill is located. If the dirty water is rinsed into that opening, it will pool in the spark plug/coil ports which are about 6-7" deep. This can short out the coils. If the coils survive, the water will evaporate once the engine is run for a few minutes, but all the gunk that was rinsed off will be left in the ports. Now you run the risk of this crap falling into the cylinder the next time you go to change your plugs.

By the way, I tried Black Magic 2-in-1 Engine Shine and was pretty impressed with the results. It's gentle on aluminum, it did an amazing job cutting through the grime (only a few heavy spots needed a scrub with a toothbrush), it left a nice shine on all the metal and black plastic parts after the water rinse, and it seems to replell dust and dirt. I only mention this since it is rare to find a cheap product that surpasses your expectations. Hopefully you can find it Down Under.

[dh58]

thanks!

[dh58]

Originally Posted by Pig Farmer

Just a helpful FYI... If you use a cleaner that requires a water rinse, take note of the engine cover and the opening in the cover where the oil fill is located. If the dirty water is rinsed into that opening, it will pool in the spark plug/coil ports which are about 6-7" deep. This can short out the coils. If the coils survive, the water will evaporate once the engine is run for a few minutes, but all the gunk that was rinsed off will be left in the ports. Now you run the risk of this crap falling into the cylinder the next time you go to change your plugs.

By the way, I tried Black Magic 2-in-1 Engine Shine and was pretty impressed with the results. It's gentle on aluminum, it did an amazing job cutting through the grime (only a few heavy spots needed a scrub with a toothbrush), it left a nice shine on all the metal and black plastic parts after the water rinse, and it seems to replell dust and dirt. I only mention this since it is rare to find a cheap product that surpasses your expectations. Hopefully you can find it Down Under.

Great advice man! I have amazon :P I can ship anything haha

[Mach1er]

Thanks Greg@DetailedImage , ordered some P21S Total Auto wash and a few accessories from you guys today for this task. 2.5 years without cleaning, it's going to be rough.

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Mach1er

Thanks Greg@DetailedImage , ordered some P21S Total Auto wash and a few accessories from you guys today for this task. 2.5 years without cleaning, it's going to be rough.

Great to hear! Take some before/after shots and share your results with us afterwards!

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[Mach1er]

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage

Great to hear! Take some before/after shots and share your results with us afterwards!

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

Here ya go!
I started off by covering the alternator and a few other choice open ports that didn't look like they should get wet with aluminum foil, then wiped off the dirt that I could with a few damp paper towels and then sprayed everything down with P12S Total Auto Wash. I let that sink in for a few minutes, got to work with the EZ Detail brush and then rinsed with both a squirt bottle and a weed killer sprayer (no hoses at my apartment). Dried with some microfibers that were on their way out and wiped all the plastic and rubber down with some Aerospace 303. Worked like a charm and so easy!

The P12S cuts through absolutely everything, including the cosmoline that I still had on the inside lip of the hood which had been collecting dirt and grime for 2 years (from this thread http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...php?p=14463249) It had no problem with the gross caked-on power steering fluid mess either.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Mach1er

I started off by covering the alternator and a few other choice open ports that didn't look like they should get wet with aluminum foil

Whoa, I wouldn't use something electrically conductive, especially on the alternator.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Whoa, I wouldn't use something electrically conductive, especially on the alternator.

The circuit is open and current wouldn't flow through the conductor.
Tbh I don't know what our alternators look like but on my GTi the housing is encased with a grounding metal shell so aluminum foil had no effect. I would assume it's of a similar design.

[Mach1er]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

The circuit is open and current wouldn't flow through the conductor.
Tbh I don't know what our alternators look like but on my GTi the housing is encased with a grounding metal shell so aluminum foil had no effect. I would assume it's of a similar design.

Yep, it has a metal casing. The foil wasn't actually touching the alternator anyhow, just kinda made an umbrella using the surrounding parts (oil filter cap, part of the engine cover). I touched those up by hand after taking the alu foil off. It's all very cramped in there.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

The circuit is open and current wouldn't flow through the conductor.
Tbh I don't know what our alternators look like but on my GTi the housing is encased with a grounding metal shell so aluminum foil had no effect. I would assume it's of a similar design.

True, but you wouldn't have to think about those things if you used something nonconductive like plastic wrap.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

True, but you wouldn't have to think about those things if you used something nonconductive like plastic wrap.

Hahaha! I do prefer the foil, relatively stronger material and less prone to tears.

[Mach1er]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Hahaha! I do prefer the foil, relatively stronger material and less prone to tears.

I tried the plastic wrap but there was no getting it to stay put. I guess you could plastic wrap and then cover in foil? Overkill. Car started this morning and that's what matters

[hunginator]

Originally Posted by Pig Farmer

Just a helpful FYI... If you use a cleaner that requires a water rinse, take note of the engine cover and the opening in the cover where the oil fill is located. If the dirty water is rinsed into that opening, it will pool in the spark plug/coil ports which are about 6-7" deep. This can short out the coils. If the coils survive, the water will evaporate once the engine is run for a few minutes, but all the gunk that was rinsed off will be left in the ports. Now you run the risk of this crap falling into the cylinder the next time you go to change your plugs.

By the way, I tried Black Magic 2-in-1 Engine Shine and was pretty impressed with the results. It's gentle on aluminum, it did an amazing job cutting through the grime (only a few heavy spots needed a scrub with a toothbrush), it left a nice shine on all the metal and black plastic parts after the water rinse, and it seems to replell dust and dirt. I only mention this since it is rare to find a cheap product that surpasses your expectations. Hopefully you can find it Down Under.

Is this for the n54 or n55 or both where you need to be careful with hosing down the bay where the filler cap is?