cleaning an alpine white engine bay??

[bobski]

i know its bound to have been asked before but i cant find it in the search so.....
my engine bay is covered in a thick yellow coating all around the paintwork/underside of bonnet / hinge/ turrets etc,
i,ve tried using my big diesel pressure washer with degreaser and it wont touch it, even polish / thinners no good. any ideas?? only a paint scraper will fetch it off and i cant do that as its so fiddly and it took me 2 hours to do a 4inch by 2 inch stretch!

[octanejunkie]

That'll be engine lacquer. Nasty stuff often used by dealers to spruce up an engine bay. Looks great for a while, but after a period of time it goes all yellow and opaque. Its a bitch to get off. Thinners or WD40 with wire wool is what i've always used. Its a slow laborious process...
I'm not aware of anything that will shift it easily without the possibility of damaging the paint beneath.

[Alex]

A cheap £20 steam cleaner with a brush end and a bit of patience

not really the best pics but its all i have

Before



After with rocker and inlet painted, the passanger side was only half done, this was 18 month ago and still is only half done the steam cleaner broke

[bobski]

see thats what i dont understand a few people have said a steam cleaner but the great big karcher industrial diesel steamer i use with adjustable heat and pressure still wont shift it full wack! and thats from my dads garage which they use to steam oil off engines etc, i end up soaked at same time and a wire brush wont even scratch it

[Alex]

it only works if it has a brush type end that you can rub in while the steam is coming out

[bobski]

i,ll have to get a scrubber on it then i reckon

[svenga]

Them pictures dont do Alex's bay justice.. When i first saw it i thought woohh i just need to pull my finger out & follow the example.. meh.. will when i get my new one

[B15NAC]

yea i have a white IS and mine is yellow to, so that is the only proper way use a steam cleaner?

[LagunaE30]

funny this came up, im doing an engine conversion and thought i'd spruce up my bay as well.
basically what i've done is used a tub of white spirit with a cloth, lots of elbow grease and the use of one of them green and yellow sponges your mam uses to do the washing up with.
the yellow stuff came off with a lot of persuasion, and i used a pressure washer to clean off a lot of the grime and muck.mind you my engine is out so i was able to actually jump in the bay, sitting on the subframe and clean thoroughly,it's looking a 100 times better and i cant wait for the engine to go in to see how it all looks.
i'm still not 100 percent pleased with it so a few extra hours tomorrow and a little ring around to see which one of my mates has got a steam washer should have it even better.

has anyone added any laquer as well to bring the shine back up????

ps. mines also alpine white

[jon-m42]

u can try t cut scratch remover beware this is ultra strong stuff and would take of first layer of laccure.. someone here would confirm this works but apply treatment after use if used.

[B15NAC]

what about nail varnish remover?

[monkey]

what about nail varnish remover?

Niel you use alot of that do you ??????????

[B15NAC]

Yea dont you?:-) Im going to get some an try i think it may work i used some stuff today called targar it has helped but now ive started i got to finish an have a nice shiney engine bay

[bobski]

Tried t cut and farecla they won't even touch it nor thinners only a paint scraper will with hard scraping and that,ll definitely take paint off if I,m not careful. I,ve just had an engine swap so should,ve done it then but wen someone else is swapping it for you in a day you don't really get chance...

[B15NAC]

i know its mad but the best way i just tryed it is to use a brillo pad and sum thinners! it does work you can feel when the yellow has come off and then use t cut and its come up a treat

[bss325i]

That'll be engine lacquer. Nasty stuff often used by dealers to spruce up an engine bay. Looks great for a while, but after a period of time it goes all yellow and opaque. Its a bitch to get off. Thinners or WD40 with wire wool is what i've always used. Its a slow laborious process...
I'm not aware of anything that will shift it easily without the possibility of damaging the paint beneath.

Its actually a protective wax coating applied at the factory.

Some cars are absolutely covered in it and other had it applied sparingly.

Thiners and an abrasive pad will removed it but the paint finish below will go dull. Cutting compound (G3, t-cut etc) will bring it back though.

[bobski]

It's official after 5 hours of scrubbing with an abrasive pad and thinners I,ve given up after just about a turret half done and will just have to live with it under there, until I can afford to pay someone else. It's not like it's just a little bit either the bays caked in it, round the bonnet hinge etc. About a weeks work if you can stick it...... I,ll put pics up tomo.....

[bss325i]

Bummer. I was lucky to only have a little.

[bobski]

heres a taster of white lies beneath the bonnet...........





and heres the tiny bit that took so long i also did a bit by the airbox with no knuckles at the end of it and cut hands



thinking of dropping the lump out, cleaning it up, rubbing it down and respray under there as it lets the car down really. But where does it all end being my daily as well????



all ideas welcome....

[bss325i]

Strip the bay other than just the block and head and you will end up with something like this,



And with a bit of hard work you will end up with something like this!

[e30mtec]

is that ur whitebeemer bobski?

[bobski]

Yes matey it is.