Checked under the hood.... I tried my best to save her [Engine Bay Clean(/Detail?)]

[Bumbleboy92]

So I recently became the owner of my sister's 2014 Camaro 2LS. Already been checking the mods I can do and what not but I realized I hadn't actually popped the hood yet....


Before


We bought the car a year ago in Houston, TX. She took it to Arizona with her roadtrip style and stayed there until May 2018 where she drove back to Houston. The previous owner seemed nice but when we bought it the first real 0-60 induced a gray cloud from the exhaust, but no problems we found.


Now to my attempt of fixing this....


After


This was my first time doing any cleaning on an engine bay for disclosure. I used some cheap stuff from Walmart and O'Rielly (Simple Green APC, loads of MF towels, big wash brush, small detail brush). I tried finding a proper process but it seems everyone has their own personal way to do things. My steps are as follows:

1. Ensure every tank is closed firmly
2. Take off the engine cover
3. Spray APC and scrub
4. Water the engine bay with literally a garden pot (many trips to the sink)
5. Spray APC everywhere in excess amounts
6. Scrub.
7. Scrub with small detail brush in harder to reach places
8. Water down with previous pot method
9. Water down engine cover
10. Whipe away any residue with MF towels

I would also like to say that my timing was pretty bad but I wanted to get it done ASAP, it's been light sprinkling/heavy raining on/off the entire day and will continue to for the week it seems. I did everything in my garage then moved the car out and is currently on for a bit.


Before the process I waited an hour and a half after the engine was turned off but maybe I should've waited longer as I began to see evaporation from the water near the engine, I stopped and waited until that was gone before continuing.


This isn't really a how-to post but me explaining what I did and seeking feedback from the more experienced of the community. One thing I do want to specifically ask is, Simple Green APC has been working but the smell really doesn't settle with me. I hear Adam's APC is used a lot more around here but am unsure whether I should switch. If anyone could put insight in that it would be very appreciated.



TL;DR

Engine bay was this and my attempt to clean it turned to this.

[farm rat]

I use Purple Power that I get at Dollar General. Has no real smell, especially not like SG. It cuts grease, oil and grime very good.

[gringo]

Was the car ever in a front end collision?

The reason I ask is because that little black/yellow warning sticker on the bumper support assembly should be located on the driver's-side, not the passenger side.

[Bumbleboy92]

It was in a ‘Sideswipe’ collision before we bought her, though it wasn’t serious enough to total and kept the clean title. The report still comes up on VIN checks. Should I ask next time at the dealer to move it?

[hrpiii]

Originally Posted by Bumbleboy92

It was in a ‘Sideswipe’ collision before we bought her, though it wasn’t serious enough to total and kept the clean title. The report still comes up on VIN checks. Should I ask next time at the dealer to move it?

for me, I wouldn't worry about it. Some people are a bit nuts about exact stuff, but if you are going to mod it, the focus isn't really going to be on "stock" look now is it.

But props on the cleaning job, that was a bit of an undertaking and it looks awesome. great job there. May even motivate me to get out and do mine a little better for camarofest approaching.

[gringo]

Originally Posted by Bumbleboy92

It was in a ‘Sideswipe’ collision before we bought her, though it wasn’t serious enough to total and kept the clean title. The report still comes up on VIN checks. Should I ask next time at the dealer to move it?

I don't think you can move it. Once you try to peel it up, the adhesive will not be reusable again. You can probably buy another one rather cheaply at the dealer or online and place it in the correct location.

I'm not trying to hassle you over some sticker. These are not Bloomington Gold mid year Corvettes here. However, if I saw something like that at a dealer or at a car show, I'd be wondering if the car was in a collision or had the bumper reinforcement replaced due to the incorrect location of the sticker.

However, since you already know the history of the car and the sticker location is really not bothering you, I'd say leave it alone and just enjoy the car.

[oslouie]

You went all out. When I clean my engine bay, it's just a can of Engine Brite Foam and a garden hose with nozzle. Cleans well every time.