Detailing the Commodore VZ Engine Bay

[adi91]

just a tip, when you remove the 2 plasic covers, you will see the coil pacs, try not to get eny water pressure on them, I washed mine the other week, and got water in no5 started to run sick, with a drive train fault ended up changing plugs, fuel injectors ,all good now

WaoOw....gee thnx for the heads up ma8 (y) ....btw can you plz point out the coil packs?
Btw A big thnx once again

chev badged, leave it as is to hide your shame.

Thnx for looking at the badge and not the post :rofl2:

Cover the alternator, air inlet and avoid applying direct jets of high pressure water onto any connectors (electrical/mechanical). Take your time and if the de-greaser is any good and does the job you could probably get away with just a standard/low pressure garden hose.

Thnx...will so that fou shou...Amma be using Megiuars APC (All Purpose Cleaner), it can be diluted according to the need so that's gonna be helpful for sure

First I will say that is one dust ass engine bay!

Secondly, I detail engine bays all the time and the only thing I ever cover is exposed air filters, or electronics from older cars. Plastic bags work well.
Modern engines are pretty easy to clean, the only thing to remember is not to spray a stream of water near electrical parts or air intakes.

This is what I do after I make sure the engine is cold, or only slightly warm. Never on a hot engine.

What I do is first use a pressure washer and lightly rinse it all down without directly spraying anything. I spray a light degreaser/Soap/Car wash all over the engine and bay, use a bunch of different brushes to agitate the dirt then rinse it off with the pressure washer, once again not directly spraying anything.

Afterwards I also like to use either compressed air or warm filtered air to dry the engine and bay. Makes it so much easier to get water out of all the crevices.
Then just start it up to dry off any extra water.

I also only use a pressure washer and don't use a regular hose as it will spray too much water around the place and could potentially cause electrical shorts.

OUh yeaa ...it has become nasty over the years :spew:

Btw thnx for all the info...will keep in mind everything you said btw what about the "coil packs" as said by the other ma8 & alternator? :\

The Number 3 hole has a bolt way down there same as the hole back far right. If you take those 2 bolts and the 4 large ones in the middle ( Leave the other 2 alone )you can take the intake off without needing to change the intake gaskets.

:idea3: MYSTERY...solved thnx for tht

When I did mine I just used most of a can of degreaser, then washed it off with the garden hose. It'd never been cleaned before and even the really dirty bits come good. I also used tyre shine on the radiator and engine covers, and other spots, came up really well. Only thing I covered was the air intake, had no problems after.

I'm putting 25mm manifold insulators on soon and so I've removed the engine covers and was wondering about getting anything too wet in there. After reading this it doesn't look like ive got anything to worry about.

Yeas...thats true u need to have a good de-greaser for sure, am gonna be using Megiuars APC (All Purpose Cleaner), it can be diluted according to the need so that's gonna be helpful for sure...hey ma8 me too :yahoo: ...actually I ordered a MACE CAI and 12mm manifold insulators so am gonna be installing those after am done with the engine bay

 

[diysv6]

My alloytec cleaning process.

The VZ engine and transmission cabling has electrical connectors just about everywhere. I use a pressure pack degreaser, small paint brushes, e.g. 15mm and 25mm, and a gentle rinse from a garden hose.
If you can dry with compressed air a gentle air flow will slowly shift excess water.

I repeat the cleaning process rather then try to get all of the grime off in one cleaning session. Let it dry and have another go at it if you have the time.

If you force water from a pressure washer into the connectors then any dust present will make a mud pie and maybe cause corrosion failure down the track.
If you use too much pressure from an air compressor you could force water into the connectors, with the same mud pie problems down the track.

I've noticed that some of the various gaskets/seals on the Holden engine's connectors can distort if a previous person has not seated the connector properly. This can allow water and dust entry later down the track, maybe when you are cleaning it.

The problem with moisture is that it is a solid, then becomes a vapour when hot, then resettles on cooling, maybe in a more sensitive place in the multi-pin connectors.

Clean it carefully and gently.

 

[sleepa]

OUh yeaa ...it has become nasty over the years :spew:

Btw thnx for all the info...will keep in mind everything you said btw what about the "coil packs" as said by the other ma8 & alternator? :\

I've never covered either, but I still would take care around them. Don't go spraying directly onto the coil packs, spark plugs leads, etc.

Most if not all of the connectors are waterproof if they are in good condition, they could always be brittle and fall apart due to age for example so it is always a good idea to be careful around them. When I clean it, I tend to spray across the engine on an angle if that makes sense so most of the water doesn't actually hit the part I'm cleaning. It is still plenty to rinse off though.

And a good APC is all I use unless it has a buildup of grease or oil, then out comes a concoction of my own creation based on industrial strength degreaser and some other things... works very well.

 

[aussieakito]

Overtime i finish working on a car at work i wash the engine bay, I've done PLENTY i mean well in the hundreds of alloytecs and I've never covered a thing, just don't point the hose at the ECU, you can hit the abs and such just don't keep it on there for too long.
Don't get degreaser on the drive belt as it will squeal.
That hole on the top is normal.

 

[gungazza]

So how did it turn out

 

[adi91]

Sorry guys I've had been REALLLLYYYY BUZYY lately, the cleaning experience went well

However I'm still not satisfied with some of the areas as they still have dirt on them, I think I'll have to harden the APC a little more next time because no matter how much APC I used this type of dirt wouldn't come off, (pics attached)

Here you go,

THE ENGINE

THE DIRT

 

[commodore665]

I used a tooth brush and a bucket of car wash soap to do the fiddly bits , then wiped dry , try mothers natural black detailer on the black parts ,

 

[greenacc]

I often use an aerosol can of interior fabric cleaner on the engine bay, just the cheap stuff from super cheep and it works great. Just spray lightly and wipe off the dirt with a rag. It's foaming white spray that works a lot like so easy does on tyres.
You can clean your engine bay about 5 times from 1 can if used sparingly as a bit goes a long way.

 

[adi91]

I often use an aerosol can of interior fabric cleaner on the engine bay, just the cheap stuff from super cheep and it works great. Just spray lightly and wipe off the dirt with a rag. It's foaming white spray that works a lot like so easy does on tyres.
You can clean your engine bay about 5 times from 1 can if used sparingly as a bit goes a long way.

Hmm...seems LEGIT...I guess am gonna try tht on these areas

Cheers m8

 

[greenacc]

Give it a go mate.