Where do i start
Discussion
I am the very, very proud and happy owner of a TVR Chimaera. It is neither the cheapest or most expensive car that is talked about on this site but I have always wanted one (well I have always wanted a D type jag or Aston Martin DBR1 but lets get real).
So having realised a dream I now want to let the car know how i feel by cleaning the engine bay. But i mena really clean it, like you see in Practical classic and the like. I doubt that I wil ever be able to reach or maintain concors standard but i want to give it a real go.
Please assume no knowledge, just a willingness to learn and a sincere gratitude for any advice given.
thanks
m
So having realised a dream I now want to let the car know how i feel by cleaning the engine bay. But i mena really clean it, like you see in Practical classic and the like. I doubt that I wil ever be able to reach or maintain concors standard but i want to give it a real go.
Please assume no knowledge, just a willingness to learn and a sincere gratitude for any advice given.
thanks
m
Well I dont claim to be an expert only having done it once.
First off: Have your engine steam cleaned. This should remove a lot of the crud which has accumalated. Remove any grease or oily residues with with Engine degreaser. I used autoglym but their a many diffrents ones out there as either aerosol, liquid or gel. Clean up the paintwork just as you would do on the rest of the boywork. For plastic like the washer bottle, break fluid resevoir I used a plastic cleaner (Autoglym again). This didnt work too well and I ended up replacaing a couple items with new ones.
To make things realy stand out you can repaint the rocker covers and fit stainless steel bolts or even fit stainless steel or chromed rocker covers if available. You could also replace your coolant hoses with stainless steel braided items. I would ask on the TVR forum to find out whats available.
First off: Have your engine steam cleaned. This should remove a lot of the crud which has accumalated. Remove any grease or oily residues with with Engine degreaser. I used autoglym but their a many diffrents ones out there as either aerosol, liquid or gel. Clean up the paintwork just as you would do on the rest of the boywork. For plastic like the washer bottle, break fluid resevoir I used a plastic cleaner (Autoglym again). This didnt work too well and I ended up replacaing a couple items with new ones.
To make things realy stand out you can repaint the rocker covers and fit stainless steel bolts or even fit stainless steel or chromed rocker covers if available. You could also replace your coolant hoses with stainless steel braided items. I would ask on the TVR forum to find out whats available.
Have a look round for the various electrical and electronic modules under the bonnet, and make sure that none of them get steam cleaned. Otherwise you can introduce all sorts of faults. Probably better just to use soapy water and a brush to get rid of the oil and gunge and then presumably some sort of polish? Where's Mr. Sheen when you need him!
Yeah, I would not go with a "professional" steam clean, most likely the guy you would get works more on bulldozers than cars.
Firstly, do the work somewhere that it won't be a disaster if the car won't start after you clean it.
Second, try something like S100 or similar, but keep it away from the alternator, start with a stone cold engine (I know warm is easier to clean but avoid the thermal shock thing and do it cold) Spray a little, brush a little with a parts cleaning brush or even a paintbrush, rinse. I like to use my Karcher washer with the pressure turned down. If you can use warm/hot water it does a lot better on grease. Be sure you know what you are spraying on, don't "drown" any electrical components. If you are toally new to this see if you can get an experienced mate to come and supervise/help.
Don't try to blitz all the grime on the first go. Be patient.
Afterwards, if you have compressed air, gently blow dry, or use any means of circulating some air.
If the car is balky about starting, WD-40 is helpful sprayed on the ignition components. If it's seriously balky, you probably wet some ignition components, when you dry them out all should be well. Going back to my first point, at worst push back into the garage, leave a fan blowing through the engine bay for a few hours/overnight and you will probably find it starts fine after that. Resolve that you won't panic if the car fails to start after the "shampoo", else don't do it.
Once you get it started, if possible go for a good drive, to make sure you bring along the WD-40 and whatever tools you may need to pull off the distributor cap, any water that got into the dist. will tend to get on the underside of the cap, so if it cuts out find a place to stop, pull the cap and dry it out inside, maybe spray some WD on the ignition wires.
BTW first-class ignition wires will work OK when wet, old cheap ones won't. Do yourself a favor and take a look under the hood with the engine running at night. If you see sparks all over, corona discharge, etc, you need new and/or better wires, tend to that before trying to wash. Will save you some trouble.
Don't do what I did as a lad - drown your ignition at a public car wash and then have to call for help!!
HTH
Firstly, do the work somewhere that it won't be a disaster if the car won't start after you clean it.
Second, try something like S100 or similar, but keep it away from the alternator, start with a stone cold engine (I know warm is easier to clean but avoid the thermal shock thing and do it cold) Spray a little, brush a little with a parts cleaning brush or even a paintbrush, rinse. I like to use my Karcher washer with the pressure turned down. If you can use warm/hot water it does a lot better on grease. Be sure you know what you are spraying on, don't "drown" any electrical components. If you are toally new to this see if you can get an experienced mate to come and supervise/help.
Don't try to blitz all the grime on the first go. Be patient.
Afterwards, if you have compressed air, gently blow dry, or use any means of circulating some air.
If the car is balky about starting, WD-40 is helpful sprayed on the ignition components. If it's seriously balky, you probably wet some ignition components, when you dry them out all should be well. Going back to my first point, at worst push back into the garage, leave a fan blowing through the engine bay for a few hours/overnight and you will probably find it starts fine after that. Resolve that you won't panic if the car fails to start after the "shampoo", else don't do it.
Once you get it started, if possible go for a good drive, to make sure you bring along the WD-40 and whatever tools you may need to pull off the distributor cap, any water that got into the dist. will tend to get on the underside of the cap, so if it cuts out find a place to stop, pull the cap and dry it out inside, maybe spray some WD on the ignition wires.
BTW first-class ignition wires will work OK when wet, old cheap ones won't. Do yourself a favor and take a look under the hood with the engine running at night. If you see sparks all over, corona discharge, etc, you need new and/or better wires, tend to that before trying to wash. Will save you some trouble.
Don't do what I did as a lad - drown your ignition at a public car wash and then have to call for help!!
HTH
Just wanted to say thanks to you all but in particular to you Mitch that is the sort of 'step by step, assuming nothing' response that I was hoping for.
I particularly appreciate the pre and post wash advice, thankfully the TVR isn't my only means of transport so it wouldn't be a drama if it didn't start immediatley but I really enjoy learning to do things right. Sadly, having moved around a fair bit I haven't had the opportunity to find a mate that is also into this sort of thing that could lend a hand and offer advice; that is why the advice offered here is so well received.
Right then, time to give it a go! I may be back!!!
thanks again to all for taking the time to reply.
Mike
I particularly appreciate the pre and post wash advice, thankfully the TVR isn't my only means of transport so it wouldn't be a drama if it didn't start immediatley but I really enjoy learning to do things right. Sadly, having moved around a fair bit I haven't had the opportunity to find a mate that is also into this sort of thing that could lend a hand and offer advice; that is why the advice offered here is so well received.
Right then, time to give it a go! I may be back!!!
thanks again to all for taking the time to reply.
Mike
LOL I am glad to be of some service. I forgot to add that the basis for my discussion was the first time I really cleaned an engine, it was on my parents 71 Chevy Impala, I did it at a high-pressure car wash about 12 or 15 miles from home, got enough water into the distributor that it wouldn't start.
An older cousin was dispatched, he popped the distributor cap off, wiped out the water, that sorted it.
I was highly embarrassed! But at least I learned from the mistake.
I still have that car, probably worth now't to any but me.
An older cousin was dispatched, he popped the distributor cap off, wiped out the water, that sorted it.
I was highly embarrassed! But at least I learned from the mistake.
I still have that car, probably worth now't to any but me.
In the very early eighties a then mate (who's a mechanic) agreed to tidy up a friends company cars and to help him sell them, instead of the p155 poor trade-in that they'd been offered. One of the cars was a V12 jag which had some minor oil leaks (a little power steering and a little engine oil leak). We took the car to a jet wash and cleaned the engine, sprayed duck oil over the electrics and started it up on 5...6...7. number 8 (we think) came in just as we drive off the forecourt. A mile along the road we came to some traffic lights. We sat on red reving this popping and banging beast of an engine while an elderly lady in a fiat 127 (powder blue IIRC) behind us, ducked and whinced with every backfire. The lights change and the throttle was given the lead boot.... Suddenly it cleared and fishtailed up the road in tyresmoke fog........It was quick.
Great fun.
Great fun.
Wonderful stories!
I was in my local garage the other day feulling up and noticed a group of what i gues were 12 and 13 year old boys admiring the TVR as I was filling it. I went in to pay and niticed that they got a bit closer and were giving it a thorough inspection.
I strode out on to the forecourt, full of pride, and as i walked upto the car they came over to it. Assuming that they didn't know what it was I said to them, "Its a TVR, hand made here in England", they looked at me as if I was stupid and one of them said confidently, "yeah we know he was just saying that it would go better with the speed six engine but I said that nothing beats the sound ov the V8 even if it is only the 4 litre". My face must have been a picture, just my luck to come across a bunch of miniature car spotters. I had to ask them how they knew it was the 4 litre, should have known better really! the look of derision said it all as they further demonstrated their knowledge by telling me that the absense of either a 450 or 500 badge at the back was the give away.
I burst out laughing and was about to offer to give them a spin in the car when i realised that at 40 i would probably look like a dirty old man to them.
It was a great lesson in prejudice and stereotyping for me though!!
m
I was in my local garage the other day feulling up and noticed a group of what i gues were 12 and 13 year old boys admiring the TVR as I was filling it. I went in to pay and niticed that they got a bit closer and were giving it a thorough inspection.
I strode out on to the forecourt, full of pride, and as i walked upto the car they came over to it. Assuming that they didn't know what it was I said to them, "Its a TVR, hand made here in England", they looked at me as if I was stupid and one of them said confidently, "yeah we know he was just saying that it would go better with the speed six engine but I said that nothing beats the sound ov the V8 even if it is only the 4 litre". My face must have been a picture, just my luck to come across a bunch of miniature car spotters. I had to ask them how they knew it was the 4 litre, should have known better really! the look of derision said it all as they further demonstrated their knowledge by telling me that the absense of either a 450 or 500 badge at the back was the give away.
I burst out laughing and was about to offer to give them a spin in the car when i realised that at 40 i would probably look like a dirty old man to them.
It was a great lesson in prejudice and stereotyping for me though!!
m
I too enjoy cleaning the engine bay. Haven't owned the Chim long enough yet but it will kick in fairly soon. On the last car I used Autosol on the metals..replaced the hose clips with stainless ones along with bolts. Never steam cleaned it as I thought this would be a bad idea..??! Got the radiator refurbished recently so that was a good start... all good fun, not sure my lady understands it though
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