Engine Bay grease and grime question

[toddness]

I could benefit the wisdom of the collective:

The e30 I recently bought looks great on the outside , though open the bonnet and in addition to a motor covered in grime, there is a measure of grease and grime on the paint inside the hood, inner wheel wells, etc.

I have read the posts about engine cleaning here, though none of the cars are in anywhere near as greasy, nor do they seem to pay attention to the paint.

The forums i've read mention the following solutions for the engine bay.

Soak in auto wash degreasers and power wash - has to be tough on paint
Soak in WD40 - ditto
Soak in Simple Green - I have seen it discolor paint green
Soak in Dawn - gut tells me this is least potent and less damage to paint.
Somewhere along the line I heard diesel on a rag is good as well.
Floorcleaner was mentioned.


I am beginning to clean the engine components and find the source of any leaks, this is not my question.

My question is, what is the best method to clean and recover the engine bay paint ? I do NOT want to repaint at all. I am not looking for a quick clean, but a thorough clean and recovery.

And if any of you have experience cleaning 21 year old cosmoline off paint and engine components - chime in!

Thank you !

[Hochspannung]

Go to bicycle shop and get non aerosol citrus degreaser. Go to town with scrubbing... wire brushes, plastic brushes, soap and water. Degreaser where stuff is stuck. Maybe use a little bit of goo gone as well. It just takes a long time to get all the grime off.

This is one of my old e30's. I wish I had some better pics. Its not the greatest job in the world but it was a big improvement.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/319812_10150817548216910_772223856_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/319812_10150817548226910_479537871_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/543302_10150817571746910_530341909_10117199_159997 2121_n.jpg

[danewilson77]

I wonder if Iron-X would work here?

[Hochspannung]

Whatever the yellowish stuff is ... Cosmoline? It is insanely hard to get off. I know people take off the manifold completely and have it sandblasted.

[brettbimmer]

Whatever the yellowish stuff is ... Cosmoline? It is insanely hard to get off. I know people take off the manifold completely and have it sandblasted.

Yep, Cosmoline that was put on the engine to protect it during it's trip across the pond...that was never properly removed once in the US. Still don't know of any magic cleaner for getting it off, and I have tried a lot of automotive & marine products.

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[brettbimmer]

Successfully used Citrus engine degreaser from Autozone on my old e30 in conjunction with a pressure washer. Specific engine components I used some brake cleaner but be careful with this around paint. Simple Green is very good too, but for dirty e30's, I would try the top ideas first, though be careful leaving anything on the painted surfaces for too long.

Rob (Sockethead) introduced me to Silkolene Pro Prep as a hard surface conditioner, so if I still owned the E30, it would have been given that treatment as well after all was cleaned and reassembled. Note that this is an aerosol spray often used in the dirt bike/motorcycle world, but it works very well under the hood of the car or truck too.

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[brettbimmer]

A few before cleaning:

4404

4405

4406

4407

[brettbimmer]

And a few in-process and after:

4408

4409

4410

4411

4412

4413

4414

4415

[toddness]

That's just gorgeus! I can't wait to dig inl.

[danewilson77]

Damn Brettski. Perfection Armijo!

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[Oli77]

That is cleaner than a baby's butt, kinda like Jesus in corduroy pants!