Engine Cleaning
After doing an Advance Search for this topic and coming up with nothing, I think it's time to talk about how to clean a ZR-1 engine.
I haven't found the basic idiot's guide to cleaning the engine and I'm in need of one. Maybe some others are too. So come on, guys....how about some detailed reports on how to clean it up. Since my '93 is the newest Vette I've ever owned, I was stunned to find out you can't hose down the engine or you risk shorting out the starter which appears to be a multi-buck fix. So let's hear some solutions and advice on how to clean the engine...:happy1: |
Re: Engine Cleaning
Typically most newer engine bays are fairly safe to take a very light mist with the hose, but I have heard the early 90-ish vettes don't like water too much.
First off how dirty are we talking?? Are we talking little bit of dust/dirt, little bit of grime, or full blown looks like I drove thru a swamp with the hood off? For light dirt and grime use a very dilluted mixture of APC and water in a sprayer, this allows you to control where the cleaner goes and keep it away from sensitive components. I would even say to go so far as throwing a plastic bag over anything you think might be an issue if it were to get wet. It goes without saying start with a cool engine... don't go banzai 500 miles and immediately pop the hood and go to work. Spray anything that needs a little help getting clean, agitate with a boars hair brush, and using another sprayer with clean water, spray it off, then dry the area (either with a towel or using compressed air. Work methodically in small sections to make sure you get everything. Afterward a mixture of our VRT 50/50 with water in a sprayer is a great way to apply dressing to all your rubber, plastic, and other underhood trim that needs to be brought back to life. Knock down the shine with a towel. |
Re: Engine Cleaning
you don't clean the LT5. you don't wash it it will ruin the starter, you don't use chemicals on it you will stain it, if you want to clean it just use some water on a rag. anything else will turn the engine a color you don't want
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Re: Engine Cleaning
When I bought my yellow 1994 ZR-1 last May the engine was very stained with splotches of water or cleaner staining, and streaks on the cam covers from seepage of oil or water . The car has 94,000 miles on it and the stains could be just age but they were a major appearance distractor.
I was afraid that the only way to make it look better was to remove the plenum, throttle body, coolant tubes, and cam covers and get they powder coated. Since I had nothing to lose, I decided to try to clean the engine and see what happened. I figured that since the engine is painted, I would treat it as if it was a stained hood or fender. My plan was to try car polish and then try wet sanding. I started with Simple Green cleaner and it didn't remove any stains. Next I used Adams Swirl and Haze Remover with a micro-fiber cloth. I put a few drops of the Swirl and Haze Remover on a cloth and with one finger I rubbed the painted portions of the engine working on a small area at a time. When the cloth became black from removing grime, I "rinsed" the area with Simple Green and polished with a clean micro-fiber cloth. And repeat as necessary. And repeat! And repeat!!!!!! It took me six hours to do the whole engine. The results were very satisfying. I removed almost all of the staining and the surfaces have a nice shiney, well care-for look. The finish color may be slightly darker than original, but it is not too bad. Here are some after pictures (I never took before pictures): http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...d/DSC02710.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...d/DSC02711.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...d/DSC02713.jpg Here is a close up that shows some of the areas I still need to work on: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...d/DSC02716.jpg Jim |
Re: Engine Cleaning
For any of you skeptics out there...QB93Z is not a shill for Adams Products. He is the MD State Director for the ZR-1 Net Registry and Chief of the WAZOO Tribe. I saw the car yesterday when we had a maintenance day at QB93Z's garage and I can attest to the before and after. Thanks for sharing the story, Chief.
http://www.science.uva.nl/~robbert/z...rand_Wazoo.jpg |
Re: Engine Cleaning
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Rich |
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About those areas you still need to work on....think Q-tips...and then maybe you too can try for NCRS Top Flight, a goal I know you wish to achieve...yeah, right;)
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Re: Engine Cleaning
Excellent results with the Swirl & Haze Remover QB93Z!!
I might also suggest our Revive polish in that area as its intended to remove light surface contamination and stains. Its a deep cleaning polish with no abrasives so its perfectly safe on surfaces like that. I use it all the time around the door handles on the wifes SUV, its great for getting rid of all the little imperfections there too. |
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Jim |
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I found the Simply Green cleaner to be a pretty good general cleaner but it is runny so you have to be aware of what is below where you are spraying. I found cleaning from the top down worked best. When I was working on the cam covers, I would place a cloth below the area that I was spraying to reduce the over-spray and run-off. Jim |
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As an aside, for those of you that know me, the idea of me giving advice on how to clean an engine compartment is pretty funny. I guess I was desperate. If you hear me start talking about cleaning the bottom of a ZR-1 it will be time for an intervention. Jim |
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The reason I'd suggest Revive is that its properties lend itself better to the removal of 'stains' or discoloration from embedded contamination. Ideally you'd start with SHR and then finish with Revive to get the best of both... thats how the system was designed. In any event it looks like you got excellent results with just the SHR, I was just offering a possible alternative to those in the audience :D |
Re: Engine Cleaning
Thanks for the explanation. Maybe I will give the Revive Polish a try now that I have completed Step 1.
Jim |
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As with any "sensitive paint" it will be susceptible to staining, discoloration, or worse if harsh chemicals are used for cleaning. This is the reason I suggested that even if the engine compartment were VERY dirty he use a highly diluted mixture of APC in a spray in order to control what got wet and what didn't. Trust me, I don't go around telling people with potentially problematic areas of their car to grab the hose and the harshest chemical they can find and apply with an SOS pad... if I had no clue what I was talking about I'd have been run out of business a loooooong time ago. |
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I use Toothpaste and distilled water.
Cleans my LT-5 right up and it smells minty fresh :mrgreen: Then I hand dry it with towel and leaf blower to be safe. |
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Jim |
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The engine looks great! Thanks for the tips. I will be purchasing these products shortly to give this a try.
Thanks, Jason |
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Re: Engine Cleaning
Sounds like a plan!:thumbsup:
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Re: Engine Cleaning
Well I thoguht I'd let you know what I used for my engine. Your drain hole must be clean to do this though. I use GUNK ENGINE BRITE...soak the motor and compartment down with it . Sits a few minutes and then let 'er have it with the water enough to wash the GUNK off. I have done this with both the ZR-1's now. Of course I don't do it every weekend, just initially to get the grime off, and #473, this one was real dirty. Then I have had success with Adams Buttery wax and In-n-Out spray (No Longer Available) all over the engine compartment. I keep my engines pretty clean on a weekly basis.
What do you think? http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...g?t=1259160014 http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...g?t=1259159605 http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...g?t=1259159555 http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...g?t=1259160064 http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...g?t=1259159672 http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...g?t=1259159707 |
Re: Engine Cleaning
Damn. That motor looks clean as a whistle, John. :thumbsup:
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Re: Engine Cleaning
Its Filty John. Thats the worst brake fluid Ive ever seen!!! :mrgreen:
Wow damn claen!! :thumbsup: |
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Very nice John. Mine will never look that good. Every time I start to work on cleaning, I get an over-powering urge to go for a drive. :dancing:dancing
Jim |
Re: Engine Cleaning
Wow John,
Great job!!! I miss that In and Out spray too! :cool: David |
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Friggin PERFECT John :-)
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Re: Engine Cleaning
mmm shiny good!
If you have to pull the plenum, you might as well enlarge the drain hole in the back of the starter valley. Thats the problem child. 3/8" drill is what I remember opening it out to. Not a problem since. Now I'm going out to get some gunk engine bright. mmm shiny |
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The other one, Ive cleaned twice that way. The hole was cleaned and you can actually hear the water draining, a sucking sound kinda was heard. If you can, take some before and after pics. |
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Tell me a bit more about enlarging that drain hole...There is a steel tube (maybe 3/16) at right angle to the rear about 1/2 inch down in that hole. The hole is dead ended down further. The steel tube drains fluids to the rear from that hole and down in front of the fly wheel out just behind the oil pan. I do not want to dump oily fluid onto the flywheel from that hole so prefer using the steel tube. There is no way to enlarge that steel tube without getting inside the bell housing. I will study this further and try to invent a way to more effectively drain that area :read2: |
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http://www.bcvettes.org/howto/zr-1/starter/print.html |
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That will work ......just drilling a larger hole and dumping into the flywheel area is prolly better than drowning out your starter when washing the engine :D |
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The cam covers are back on, and the whole thing should be done this weekend. Its freezing in my shop, so I cant work out there too long. I found a mouse nest in the starter valley. That's been there since I dont know when. But even with that crap in there, the larger drain hole did its job and drained the starter valley. I dont want to pull the starter so I can measure the hole, but the hole isnt much bigger than it originally was. I dont think that drain tube is still there though. It may have been "Lost" when I did this back in the day. However, I remember doing the big hole thing because it wouldnt start once and I wasnt going to go thru that again. Especially after a GM bulletin went out regarding making the damn thing larger. They should have done this at the factory!!!!:icon_boun |
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http://www.zr1netregistry.com/bulletins/923076-1.jpg http://www.zr1netregistry.com/bulletins/923076-2.jpg |
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You guys and gals waste no time and GET ER DONE :cheers::cheers: But then again....that is what ZR1 owners do :sign10: Thanks ZR1ROB :thumbsup: |
Re: Engine Cleaning
Good stuff in the Service Bulletin. Thanks for posting :thumbsup:
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