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XJ-S Engine Detailing Tips

Wayne Estrada's Tips on XJ-S Engine Cleaning

This article is generic to all cars, but there are some specific tricks that are applicable to XJ-S owners and our beloved V-12 engines. If interested read on. Otherwise Hit "Back"--you have to be a true car nut to go through this much trouble on any engine.

As you know, the under-hood of any V-12 XJ-S prior to 1995 is a mess with numerous hoses, fuel rails, throttle linkage, wire harnesses, etc. In its natural state, the V-12 is not a very attractive looking engine-- Impressive yes, Attractive no. But, with a little help, the engine can be cleaned up and detailed to an impressive degree. At car shows, people often tell me "what a beautiful engine". Now, you too can have an equally impressive and clean engine compartment with a little help. All that is needed is time, a willingness to get dirty, and some tips to give the XJ-S engine some serious help.

XJ-S Engine Compartment
 

Index

Step 1--Washing the Engine Compartment
Step 2--Degreasing the Engine
Step 3--Waxing the Metal Parts
Step 4--Polishing the Metal
Step 5--Finishing Off Luster


Step 1--Washing the engine, hood, and bay (Index)
An engine should always be cleaned either cold or very luke warm; NEVER hot. You will need two or more small (e.g. 4" x 4") car-wash brushes you can buy at any auto care store. They should not be too big so you can get it down into all those crevices. Some of the brushes (in the first stage of a really dirty engine) are going to get complete mucked-up, so you'll probably wind up using them once and then throwing them away.

We'll start from the top down, using one of my all time favorite cleaners and degreasers, Dawn dishwashing detergent. This stuff is superb at degreasing chicken fat or 15/50W baked-on oil. I prefer it to Simple Green and other cleansers because it seems to do a better job of separating grease from metal and (ladies are you listening) it's easier on your hands and not irritating.

In addition to the engine, the inside of your hood is also dirty. Start with a bucket of hot water with generous amount of Dawn. Spray down the inside of the hood/bonnet and start brushing on the suds. On severely built-up oily areas, use a brush, but once the big hunks of oil or grease are gone, use a sponge. It's easy to miss some of the dirt; you can tell if you can because all the paint is shiny, just like the body. Rinse, and if still dirty, repeat. We'll get to polishing the paint work later.

A particular problem area on the inside of the bonnet (hood for us Yanks) is right above the fan. This is painted metal just in front of where the inside hood insulation ends. Instead of brushing off the grease, you might want to first scrape the oil off of the underside of the bonnet here with a piece of cardboard and lots of paper towels as it may be built up with over 1/4" of crud. If you don't, the residue of this mess will get all over the front of the radiator and top of engine--creating even more of a mess--before you start cleaning.

Now start on the engine. You should cover your distributor and fuel system electricals with a plastic bag first. (Note: personally, I have not done this and have not had any ill effects, but this is my legal safety, SOP disclaimer). Use a strong "mist" spray and get everything wet, and start scrubbing vigorously everywhere. Take a little care around electrical connectors, using the sponge and holding them in your hands to get them clean. Don't miss where the bonnet closes to the body, the firewall, the black plate over the top of the radiator, and the inside painted wheel wells. The area in front of the radiator behind the grill and the radiator itself is also dirty, so don't forget those too. Next start on the fuel rails area, letting plenty of suds go into the vee of the engine. Vigorously scrub the cam covers as best you can ( a sponge and some long skinny fingers can just fit under the intake plenums. The air cleaners are oily all over, especially on the inside and bottom. Keep in mind that if you have a lot of dirt and grease, your water will be getting dirty fast. The key is do not wash parts with greasy water ...you'll only spread the dirt around. Dump the water when its starts to get dirty and refill with hot water and Dawn. The more frequently you change the water and refill with soap, the better the results. It may not all come off the first time, but this is still stage 1.

The last part is the fan area and the front of the engine. This will be the dirtiest part, and the Dawn will only make a dent in it but not do the whole job (hey, its not perfect). That takes us to the next step.

Step 2--Degreasing the engine (Index)
Steam cleaning is an alternative, but I have found from experience it can damage pipes, seals, etc. This is only for the really neglected engine that is coated with muck as only a first step. What it needs is a good cleaning. There are a lot of engine degreasers on the market. In the USA, "Gunk" is the traditional favorite, but not mine. There are also lots of "foamy" cleaners. In my opinion, these don't do the job, and actually manage to leave an even film of dirt and grease over everything, so I recommend avoiding them.

The best engine degreasing product I have found is called "Gumout [brand] Steam Premium Xtra Duty Cleaner Degreaser". It's in a black can with shiny lettering and is a spray on liquid. Spray it generously on all of the greasy parts that the dawn did not get and let sit for 15-20 minutes, then hose it off. The first time, it won't get everything, but it's a start. At this point, try attacking what's left with a fresh bucket of hot Dawn suds and a brush that isn't too dirty. Remember, you may have to sacrifice a few of these brushes to the car gods to pay homage to your first attempt at baptizing this baby. Be sure to spray in between the vee, on the cam covers and down below the heat shields too. There is certainly some sediment on the chassis rails on the sides of the engine too. If you can get underneath the car, get the oil pan, lower block and spray up towards the timing, chain and front of the engine. You can NOT get it all from the top. I've tried and failed. Repeat this process of Gumout Degreaser spray and Dawn. A few small sponges (also to be sacrificed) will get into places where the brushes won't. [One question I have often been asked is why not apply the degreaser first, then the Dawn and hot water. You can, but you'll use three times more degreaser; it's a matter of saving a little money. If you want, reverse steps 1 & 2.]

Did I tell you to wear old clothes? If you did this right, you should be pretty dirty by now. The good news, is that the cleaner it gets, the easier it gets. Keep changing water, grasshopper. The Gumout Engine Degreaser also works great on cleaning the fan blades. By this point, you can spot spray the degreaser on trouble spots, then wash off with either a high speed water spray, and/or Dawn and a sponge. Hard to get places like the cam covers and lower front of the engine can ultimately be reached painstakingly by hand. By Jove, there is a lot of plumbing underneath this hood! The vee in the engine and back of the block will have oil deposits on them. Use the same routine as before, and do not be afraid to use the hose aggressively to wash all this stuff away.

An important warning here-- avoid spraying directly on the cam cover edges, distributor, or coils. Other XJ-S owners have reported leaking cam cover gaskets or cars that would not start if water is sprayed carelessly.

Your block will come up a pretty silvery color underneath all that dirt. There are also numerous electrical connector plugs that are coated with varying degrees of oil. Spray the degreaser on them too and rinse and wipe by hand with soap and water until they come clean. I have never had a problem getting them wet (yet...again, flame mode off, results may vary, etc). Wipe the wires down with the sponge and Dawn suds and dry with a clean rag. Now we know what people talk about when other owners refer to the "Brown-Green Wire, etc." Yes! All the wires are not really black! It also aids in maintenance and debugging too. You'll find that most of the electrical connectors are an off yellow color.

Don't forget all those black water and vac hoses; they hide dirt really well. Scrub all the way around each hose with Dawn until there is no more black stuff on the sponge and wipe them off with a towel. Later, will spiff them up a bit with another trick to make them look even better, but not yet.

At this point, you may have spent 3 or more hours (I have...I'm a perfectionist) and might be pretty pooped. Rome was not built in a day, so you may have to repeat this again some other time. My car was a very clean one owner car, and it took quite a while to get it to its present state, so be patient. Also, If you have access to an air hose, blow as much water off the engine you can at this point to prevent any rust from forming on any steel parts. [Note: another alternative--after drying off the engine, start it up and let it idle for ten or so minutes to evaporate any left over water. Water will collect around the spark plug holes, and in removing mine, found rest around the threads. This will also help prevent rust from forming on other parts to a degree (however using water on the engine will create rust you never had before--it's a tradeoff so deal with it!) You may choose to run the engine after the next step so you'll be working on a cold engine bay.

Step 3--Waxing the Paint Work (Index)
Once the big gunk is cleaned up, you can start on polishing all of the painted surfaces. This includes the inside of the hood (bonnet for you Brits--equal time here ;-), the inside of the wheel wells, the top of the radiator and the air cleaners. Don't forget the trough by the windshield. No its not dull there really is shiny paint underneath the dirt. In the Exterior Tips Page I mentioned a cleaner-wax from Meguiars in a burgundy bottle. This is an excellent way to get a nice luster on all this paint-work. Simply use the same routine from before, but I'd recommend a clean old rag (not a sponge) when applying the Cleaner Wax. There will still be a surprising amount of oily stuff left, even after the Dawn attack. Clean a little at a time and keep using clean old rags. Your rags will get dirty fast, and like with the water don't use dirty rags; it just spreads the dirt around. Wipe off the wax with an old clean terry cloth or other lint free towel. You'll be amazed at how good the paint-work actually looks under this hood.

Although it is a back ache waiting to happen, the painted surfaces on the underside of the front of the hood and the flat the metal tray in front of the radiator and X-cross support bars in front of the radiator also respond beautifully to all this TLC. Yeah, I know, some of this is not easily viewable to the casual looker, but its pride of ownership, time with the Jag, etc. If you really get into it, you'll notice the struts, hinges and inside of the grill are funky too. Use the Meguiars cleaner and spray (see next), and your arthritic fingers and scraped knuckles to make it look better that you could ever believe. Meguiars also makes a spray product called "Final Inspection #34". After going over all these painted parts, give all these surfaces a squirt of this. It's great for getting the white wax residue off and actually adds a little more shine and extra protection. Just when you thought we were done, the fun is just really beginning.

Step 4- Polishing the Metal (Index)
There are a lot of metal parts that can be shined up nicely, if you want to take the time and trouble. Notice all those dull gold-colored pipes, including the fuel rails, throttle linkage, intake manifold and crossover pipes and miscellaneous water and emission pipes? They are actually "fine sterling silver", waiting to be discovered, and can look like chrome if you are VERY PATIENT and have the right equipment! You will need at minimum the following polishes:

  • Mother 's Mag and Aluminium Polish
  • Eagle One Never Dull Wadding Polish (a cotton type material in a round black can good for shining hard to get to parts with your fingers)
  • Brasso
  • "Chrome-Magic" and "Alu-Magic" (both available from British Auto USA)

If you are really serious and are willing to remove parts off of the engine, you will also need a bench polisher, various buffing wheels and the appropriate metal polishing compounds. In the USA, contact the Eastwood Company on the web at http://www.eastwoodco.com or 1-800-345-1178. They sell all kinds of car restoration equipment. There are many easily removable pipes on the V12. The most obvious is the large diameter A-B bank crossover at the back of the engine. The polishes will improve the appearance to a great degree (with a LOT of elbow grease), but these and all other pipes beg removal and using the bench polisher. I can't describe all the steps to polish bare metal here (metal polishing is an article in itself) but with the appropriate cutter cleaner, mid-buffing compound, and finishing polish, the surface of these metals will come out looking like they were chromed. You can do the same for the thin pipes over the top of the engine, the pipes on the top of the radiator, and some other pipes buried at the front of the engine etc. Be forewarned, we are talking about hours of work on the buffing wheel here. In addition, all the of the bolts, brackets, clamps, and screws under the hood that shine up nicely too. They are a real pain to remove, polish, replace, but its that little eye for detail that makes it all look good.

I'd recommend buying a clear lacquer and spraying all the small parts (dry thoroughly) before replacing, otherwise they will get dull next time you wash the engine. Again, Eastwood has a fabulous new product they introduced in Spring 2000 that is heat resistant up to around 300 degrees F. When applied properly, once a part is cleaned, shined, polished, and hi-temp lacquered, you'll never have to redo the part again. Personally, I like the look (and doing the work of) shining the pipes up by hand. It is a lot more maintenance, but your metal will be brighter and more impressive than if you apply a lacquer.

At this point for even more intensive detailing, you may choose to remove the air cleaners. This will let you polish the heat shields and get to the aluminum pieces that run from down from the firewall to the frame rails on the side of the engine. Believe it or not, those pieces shine up beautifully, if you can get your over 40, arthritic fingers scrubbing in between all those brake lines, etc. there is a lot of metal that will shine up beautifully. There is also a pipe that runs behind the air cleaners next to the block (this is the water return pipe from the back of the block). Use the Mother's cleaner on that and goop it on. You can spend a lot of time on all these hidden pieces. This also gives a good angle to spray more engine degreaser on the lower block. Use the Wadding Polish on the fuel rails and throttle linkage. These shine up nicely too. If you take them off the car and do the buffer thing on them, they could be equally beautiful (careful on the adjustments for the throttle linkage). And for the truly dedicated, the air pipe emissions tubing can get beautiful, but this is a lot of work and takes patience.

The intake manifold will benefit with a rub down with the Wadding Polish. It's a very porous piece of cast aluminum, so unless you were to take them off the engine and sand and polish smooth the surface, it won't get too much better than original. Painting heat resistant black paint in between the ribbing of the intake manifold makes a dramatic statement. Use the Meguiars Cleaner/Wax to clean and shine the air filter cases.

Step 5--Finishing Off Luster (Index)
At this point, everything should be clean and neat, and a lot of the metal work shiny. The finishing touches are easy. The same silicon spray I use on the tires (Snap [brand] Silicone Tire Spray--now a Pennzoil product) works great everywhere on the engine. Use it on the hoses and use it to put a little extra luster on some of the black metal painted surfaces like the plumbing at the front of the engine, the radiator plate, the cam covers. etc. Wipe the metal pieces off with a lint free rag and buff the surfaces by hand. Put it on the electrical wires and hydraulic lines to shine them up too also wipe those down for best results. For extra luster on rubber hoses, I like to dress them for car shows with STP Tire shine. That puts a nice sheen on the hoses, but it does tend to collect dust and grime. That's why its not a good idea to use it on a weekly basis.

Once again, after finishing, please start your engine and get any residual water to heat-dry off of the engine. This is especially true around the spark plugs. In removing my plugs, there was some rust around them. Nothing that penetrating oil could not solve. So don't make my mistake and let the engine sit "wet" after cleaning it!

Well, we made it! This is the longest and most detailed of the detailing tips pages, and if you made it this far, you are either
a) Really pissed off you read such a stupid article
b) Never knew there was anybody that crazy about car detailing or
c) Actually got something from it

In any case, I hope all of you that read this far enjoyed it.

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