cleaning a 325i sport engine

[dimebag_from_hell]

is it a good idea washing my 325i engine with a power washer, you know just lifting the bonnet, and power washing it. might sound like a stupid question. its dirty looking and i want it looking as mint as possible.

how should i go about doing this?

[e36boy]

Just do it, But be careful of your electrics, And leave your engine running as you do it.

[alan325i]

Just cover your fuse box etc with a plastic bag first, done it loads of times to other makes of cars without a problem, but as e36boy says, keep engine running

[Ant]

keep engine running

totally, but make sure you dont jetwash the AFM intake

had a couple suck water in through leaky injector O-rings too, be warned dude !

[dimebag_from_hell]

ummm maybe am better not power washing her. its just the car is so mint and the engine just looks dirty, might just use a sponge? what woul dbe the best thing to use to get the engine shinning?

[c76jon]

it wasnt dirty when i sold it!!!

nice weak mixture of traffic film remover

it will do the hard work for you

so ...was it what i said it was???

jon

[dimebag_from_hell]

engine just dirty, just wasnt cleaned by owner, absolutley stunning mate!!!!! the sound of that car is just pure style, interior is mint, few dents sand scratch's on the alloys but not hard to repair and barley noticible. we got stopped at the boat, just so they could look at the car, even got us to rev the engine they were very impressed. the car is locked up at the moment in a secure garage with a camera out the front, you get alot of looks when driving this sort of motor and in northern ireland i am very carefull. i saved for this car for 3 years! am 19 now like, stopped going to pubs, worked on building site son saturdays when i wasnt at school and during summer worked non-stop on site. well worth it mate!! its just a pleasure to drive, handling is amazing!! My dad was so impressed and he isn't a fan of bmw's, should of seen him driving it down the m25, he was like a kid at christmas!

any tips on keeping this car mint jon? i am going to store it away until the start of summer, then i will be finished college and have the whole hopefully rain free summer to enjoy this!

ps. thanks for answering my pm's about the sport, i feel very lucky to have a car like this and i am going to look after it!


regards

[tonyppe]

what about spraying it with Jizer?

i used this stuff on my alloys once and they were shiney for months!

[c76jon]

the wheels were mint i guess hes caught them

the engine on that car is superb

you dont find them like that very often.everything has been done to that car..........properly

zaino is the way to go as far as paintwork is concerned.

jon

[dimebag_from_hell]

zaino polish or what?

[gilb]

get the engine hot and use a hot water pressure washer that way as soon as the waters hit most places its evaporated

[H-M3]

so Jon you have sold the beast then?

[c76jon]

so Jon you have sold the beast then?

no.this was my 325i sport that i owned a couple odf years back.

i will email you tonight as iam at home now and i have access to my pc as opposed laptop which means i have access to my pictures

john

[MadE30mike]

Any1 got any good ideas for cleaning the engine bay then?

Power wash? yes or no?

Or good old elbow greece

[e30bemer]

yeah cover all electrics keep engine running, but before that spray with some de greaser, as some of the water might just run off the dirt!

so give a good soaking with gunk before

[dobbie82]

What about steam cleaning? I used one to clean a rocker cover while it was off the car, but havent tried while on the car!

[dimebag_from_hell]

i think am just going to use a toothbrush later on and see how it goes.......anyone tried this?

[dobbie82]

what is it thats dirty? the rocker cover or the actual block?

[dimebag_from_hell]

the block of my 325isport and the rockcover, everything is dirty. iam going out in about 2 hours to sort something out, at least get a bit done without powerwashing

any tips? tricks?

[Cloggy Saint]

There's no substitute for a can of engine cleaner, wire wool and elbow grease. My engine bay looks almost as new after removing just about every clamp, bracket etc and giving it a good buff. Tedious work but well worth the effort.

[dimebag_from_hell]

am not removing anything, dont want to fuck anything up, no mechanical expert mate, 19 and still learning, id rather just get it looking as good as possible without removing anything

[Cloggy Saint]

I'm not talking about stripping the engine or anything, just things like the coil bracket, a/c pipes, grill clips, bonnet catches etc etc

[e30bemer]

whats that??

gotta be a weekends work!

[Cloggy Saint]

I've been spreading it out since I had the car, so it's taken 4 years of occasional work, well worth it though!

[e30bemer]

could be wortha go!
go and invest in some gunk