How to Degrease an Engine for Paint
An engine must be completely degreased for paint to adhere to the metal parts without flaking off soon after painting. Degreasing an engine is done in phases. Degrease before removing parts so the degreaser can work on a warm engine for better results. Remove parts before painting, and clean the engine a second time after removing parts.
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Things You'll Need
- Plastic bag
- Waterproof tape
- Degreaser
- Soft wire brush
- Hose with jet stream nozzle or pressure washer
- Nylon scouring pads
- Camera
- Assorted screwdrivers
- Assorted wrenches
- Zip-type plastic bags
- Paper
- Pen
Instructions
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1
Run the engine long enough for the engine to get warm but not hot. Turn off the engine.
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2
Cover the air intake duct with a piece of plastic bag, and tape the plastic bag securely to the intake duct to prevent water from entering the opening. This duct resembles a snorkel coming out of the air intake box. If you are not sure what you are looking for, just look for something that looks like a stiff hose with an open or screened end, and cover it with plastic.
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3
Cover the distributor cap with plastic. The distributor cap has a number of thick, rubberized wires coming out of it and leading to the spark plugs. The distributor cap, if your car has one, is likely heavy-duty plastic and round. Tape the plastic securely in place. If your car has a four-cylinder motor, the distributor cap will have five wires. A six-cylinder distributor has seven wires, an eight-cylinder has nine wires.
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4
Look for any other parts that appear as though being saturated might cause problems. Things with open coils, wire connections or obvious electronics are examples of things to avoid saturating with a jet of water. Cover these parts with plastic.
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5
Spray the engine with an automotive degreaser. Avoid hoses and wires. The degreaser may soften the rubber or pliable plastic. Allow the degreaser to penetrate the grease, oil and crud on the engine for about 15 minutes.
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6
Use a soft wire brush to loosen the thick areas of grease and grime on the engine and attached parts before rinsing off the degreaser.
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7
Rinse the degreaser off the engine with a strong water stream from a hose with a jet nozzle or power washer.
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8
Inspect the engine compartment and spot-clean sections that require more scrubbing. Use a nylon scouring pad for areas that the wire brush can't reach.
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9
Use a camera to take pictures of the entire engine compartment before removing any parts. This really helps when putting it all back together, especially for DIYers who are not familiar with all the parts.
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10
Remove the battery, battery tray and cables. Store these parts together.
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11
Remove hoses and clamps and store each hose with its clamp in separate zip-type bags. Write down the location of each and put the information in the bag with the parts.
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12
Remove belts, write a detailed location for each, and store in separate zip-type bags.
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13
Remove wires, but leave the wires attached to the distributor cap. Write a detailed note that explains the exact location each wire was disconnected from, taped to the wire, and store the cap and wires in a zip-type bag.
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14
Spot-clean all areas that still have grease or grime remaining. Clean with the wire brush or nylon scouring pad. Soak the area with a little degreaser and rinse after cleaning.
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15
Scrub off all scale or flakes from the engine block with the wire brush and nylon scouring pad.
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16
Allow the engine to dry before painting.
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Tips & Warnings
Plan this project for a warm day for your comfort.
The engine should be warm, not hot, because the metal parts can crack when the cold water hits them, and hot parts could melt the plastic you use to cover the distributor, the intake and other parts.
References
- Photo Credit american v8 engine image by kenmo from Fotolia.com
