Cleaning my coil pack

[Aurora40]

My coil pack has been sort of stained for a while now. It was very hard to clean on the car, since I don't want to scrub it all up and get soapy crap everywhere. So since I had it off today, I figured I'd clean it up.

I took a toothbrush and some Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner Plus at an 8:1 dilution. It worked quite well. I had to scrub a whole lot, though. I also used a toothpick to clean some grit out of the aluminum heatsink. I was careful not to spray it all down or anything since it's an electronic component. But it was pretty easy to rinse off without soaking it, and it's very well sealed.

It isn't perfect, but it's a lot better. It's presentable and that's all I really want out of an engine. They get dirty too easily for me to care about it being eat-off-of clean.

Half way through:



and all clean:

[JimW]

It took me a few tries to figure out what that top picture was....its your kitchen sink!

Darn it Bob, your engine looks factory clean ...sigh, I guess the weather has improved down where you are to get goin on some good cleaning.

[Aurora40]

Actually, I try to clean it somewhat regularly. It's a lot easier to clean a fairly clean engine than to wait until it's all grungy.

But yeah, that's my sink! I had it off the car anyway which is why I figured I'd clean it. I don't think I'm obssesive enough to take stuff off soley to clean it (except the sight shield).

[stevensolds]

I need to clean my engine cover like that. Its dirty and i dont know what to clean it with. Any ideas?

[scottydl]

stevensolds said:

I need to clean my engine cover like that. Its dirty and i dont know what to clean it with. Any ideas?

Anything non-abrasive (that won't scratch the plastic) should work fine. Simple Green is generally a pretty powerful all-purpose cleaner, but I haven't tried it in this particular situation so don't quote me.

40, your automotive cleaning/conditioning/preserving habits and techniques continue to impress me. Well done! ;D

[Aurora40]

stevensolds said:

I need to clean my engine cover like that. Its dirty and i dont know what to clean it with. Any ideas?

If you mean just the sight shield (since your car doesn't have coil-on-plug ignition), the easiest way to clean it is to remove it first. Then you don't have to worry about products dripping all over the rest of the engine.

I would use an all-purpose cleaner or a degreaser cleaner first to see how that does. Hopefully it'll just need elbow work, and not strong chemicals.

I personally would not use strong chemicals in the engine bay (though if you are removing the thing, you can get away with it). The reason is that it will get everywhere, and it's unlikely you will actually rinse all of it back off. So they will sit in there corroding and discoloring things. Even Simple Green is pretty punchy, and it has corroded the paint off of my metal garage shelves.

I specifically look for products that won't discolor or corrode metal (which also means they probably don't clean as strongly, thus you need to put some elbow grease in it), and I also prefer ones that are biodegradable because that's just the kind of guy I am. This pretty much means I use my old standby and longtime friend, Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner Plus.

Anyway, whatever you use, rinse off the sight shield, spray it down, and hit it with a nylon bristled brush. Then rinse it off and see how it looks.

For cleaning the engine bay in general, it may be better to start a new thread.

[Custom88]

very nice job! I'll probably be doing somethig similar this spring/summer. I always like to keep my engine as clean as possible. it's a sure sign of someone who loves their car. Pretty much everything about your Aurora is stunningly beautiful.

[vojtazbrna]

Now that's what I'm talking about! Let's start a new thread. The spring is here and I really have to do something with it. Aurora40 please post whatever you do and how and if you have some pics too Your cleaning tips absolutely amaze me...so let's clean the most precious part of our babies, yaaaay.

[Aurora40]

vojtazbrna said:

Now that's what I'm talking about! Let's start a new thread. The spring is here and I really have to do something with it. Aurora40 please post whatever you do and how and if you have some pics too Your cleaning tips absolutely amaze me...so let's clean the most precious part of our babies, yaaaay.

Done.