While your engine bay won’t be seen as often as that flashy paint job, it may be the most important part of your car to keep clean, in order to maintain your vehicle’s mechanical integrity. Engine plastics can break down, dirt and corrosion can threaten mechanical components, and debris can fall into the bay – all that wear and tear can cause your vehicle serious problems. To help you make sure your engine runs smoothly for years to come, we’ve put together this step-by-step breakdown on how to detail your engine bay.
First, it should be said that if you are detailing an antique car, you should be extremely cautious when washing the engine bay. If washing the engine is attempted at all, stick to hand-washing only, and be very careful to control splashes and spills. Any modern car whose engine is in good condition can be safely washed.
Started by blasting loose debris out of the engine bay with compressed air. Follow this up by brushing more stubborn pieces away.
The next step will be degreasing the engine. Take your selected degreasing product and spritz the engine bay with a spray bottle. Make sure to apply the treatment to plastics, rubber, and metal. Follow this up with a stiff-bristled brush to remove dirt and other contaminants. Rinse the degreaser out of the engine bay. This should highlight any remaining grease, allowing you to check your work and go over problem areas again. Fireball recommends our Wheel & Tires mix for this step, which will knock stubborn grease off of exposed surfaces.
If you have an extremely dirty engine, the degreasing process may take a few extra steps. One route you can take is to apply a degreaser, wash, and reapply as needed. If this is necessary, it may be worth investing in a heavier-duty degreaser. High-quality degreasers will take a little longer to work, but will ultimately dissolve the oil base holding the grease together, making it much easier to clean. Be careful when selecting a high-caliber degreaser, as some contain mildly hazardous chemicals. Try looking for an alcohol or ethanol-based solution, like our in-house degreasing blend, Fireball Reborn.
After the degreasing, blanket the engine bay in a layer of Snow Foam. The foam will form to the engine’s shape, cleaning areas that are difficult or impossible for detailers to reach on their own. Rinse the bay out thoroughly after this step.
Once the foam is rinsed away, the metal of the engine should be ready for rust removal. We recommend applying Fireball’s Iron Burn mixture, to strip away any oxidation. Once this is completed, rinse with a powered wash and dry with a compressed air system or towel.
Next, To ensure the engine is primed and ready to bond with the protective coat, take a few minutes to carefully hand-clean and towel dry the engine. To be completely sure your engine is show-room ready, mist the engine bay with a high-end degreaser like Fireball Reborn, then dry off with a towel or compressed air. When the engine is completely dry again, apply your chosen protective product by spraying it into a towel. Gently apply the protective coat by hand. Fireball recommends our Nappa Coat for this step. This coating will give your engine’s exposed surfaces increased resilience and help decrease water retention and grease and dirt build up.
After giving the coating time to bond, double check the exposed areas and the harder to reach surfaces to make sure it’s completely dry and has a nice clean finish. Congrats, your engine is now clean and protected!
