My LS1 is so dirty and needs to be cleaned(exterior)!! Any one done it before and if so what do I need to do. Thanks for any feed back.

 

i have never cleaned my car but i imagine others may have... actually prolly not... so good luck

i assume you can do it this way but i am not sure sure since i have never tested it

you need to get water... spray the bastard

get a mitt use some soap and soap the bastard

wash the soap off... do it on more time

get a silicon blade to whipe the beads off... go threw with 3 microfiber cloths and get the left over water

by some detailing spray (mothers is what i use) and use it to get the water spots off

whipe off your wheels with a cloth to get the dust off

then spray with the same detailing spray and shine the bastards

then wax your whole car with some sort of liquid wax and BAM! your done...

i do it in 2 days because i get tired after the detailing spray

 

You're talking about the actual engine right? I just took a garden hose and some engine de-greaser, then dried out where water collected, and used a silicon based detail spray for the intake and other plastic parts.

 

I'm not sure shoving a garden hose in there is a good idea? Who knows where water ends up. To clean it, I'm sure you have to do it all by hand. Probably a horribly tedious job.

 

Don't spray your engine with a hose, it's a bad idea.

Just get a damp towel clean it that way, it'll get into almost every nook and cranny without tearing your hands up.

 

i've hosed my engine off a dozen times. i don't really SPRAY it...more like just rinse it off with an open hose.

i'm obviously carefull around the computer and such...but most things are comfortable with water. it's not like the Opti in the LT1

 

Use common sense.

Don't spray the PCM area.
Don't use high pressure around the injectors or fuse boxes.
Don't use degreaser on any stickers.
Don't use simple green on any aluminum components for any longer than the time it takes to remove stuck on dirt. Rinse within 10 mins.
Run the car after rinsing to dry up the water that WILL pool up around the knock sensors under the intake.
Avoid using degreaser on the actual belts.
Avoid putting any kind of engine dressing on the belts.
Avoid using high pressure/cleaning compounds/dressings on areas like the ALTERNATOR, compressor and PCM.

I got lazy and used 1 step foaming tire cleaner from costco to dress up my engine. Used a towel to wipe up excess. All hoses and plastics look like I just got it from the factory. Used caution though, let most of it air out over a few hours, then drove car to "burn off" the remaining residue that couldn't be removed with a towel.

 

Yes my engine!

 

Damp towel and/or plastic shine.

 

nice. thanks for the advice everyone.

 

I'm a little paranoid and use plastic bags to cover computer, sensors, etc.

 

my b i tghought you were talking about the normal car... i was going to call you an idiot, but now i feel like one

 

Its alright we all have our moments. No biggy, thanks for your input anyways.

 

My '01 silverado had been powerwashed many many many many many many many times. The little 5.3L was as clean as the rest of the truck ALWAYS. I always went to the ultra high pressure bay which would peel the decals off the box if you wanted to. After 5 years and 75,000 miles my knock sensor had went bad because the hole it was in was totally full of water Other than that NO PROBLEMS

Just my .02 cents, I wouldn't worry about degreaser and a garden hose. Just don't do it with the engine hot.

 

Be careful, but use compressed air to get all the dust lossen up and use windex, it works awesome... spray motor with the windex and use like an old shirt that will not leave alot of lint!

Mark