Engine cleaning and painting, in situ!

[andythilo]

Any advise for doing this? To take the engine out is gonna be a PITA and for just a clean and paint, too expensive.

So, whats the best way to do it? Disconnect, label and cover all electrics? Remove alternator?, anything to cover?

What about actual cleaning, any advise on best stuff to use?

Thanks

 

[tcm]

Um, just a cosmetic exercise right? Only problem with painting engines is that the motors can look "dodgy" afterwards unless there's no trace of the painting. I assume it's just to cheer things up, and it's a separate issue anyway.

I'd clean with industrial wipes to start with, all around and below engine as well, and wipe biggish surfaces with summink like white spirit on decent paper wipes, perhaps acetone if it doesn't get clean. Depending on the paint, acetone will drag so it may have to be just whte spirit.

Then mask absolutely EVERYTHING - less paint around is better than having any overspray that doesn't look original etc. Especially mask anything like serial number plates else it looks *really* dodgy! I wouldn't disconnect things at all - just masking and more masking. Great big lumps of newspaper below the engine, anything not already painted with engine paint gets masked. If the job takes 2 hours spend an hour and 50 minutes masking. Then 5 minutes shaking the can and 5 minutes spraying, then shut the boat and leave for a couple of hours. The 3m blue tape is loads more expensive and loads better.

 

[SAMYL]

For years I've just used parraffin (28sec central heating oil similar) and clean it all over with a stiff paint brush to remove oily/dirt deposits and then hose with cold water from the tap, the higher the pressure the better.
Let the engine or engine parts dry and if possible warm them slightly before spraying with your chosen paint.
The parraffin leaves a very clean surface whereas if you use Gunk it will leave a greyish haze which you still have to remove.
Obviously you do the above after masking etc.
It has worked for me all my life.

 

[DogWatch]

Um, just a cosmetic exercise right? Only problem with painting engines is that the motors can look "dodgy" afterwards unless there's no trace of the painting. I assume it's just to cheer things up, and it's a separate issue anyway.

I'd clean with industrial wipes to start with, all around and below engine as well, and wipe biggish surfaces with summink like white spirit on decent paper wipes, perhaps acetone if it doesn't get clean. Depending on the paint, acetone will drag so it may have to be just whte spirit.

Then mask absolutely EVERYTHING - less paint around is better than having any overspray that doesn't look original etc. Especially mask anything like serial number plates else it looks *really* dodgy! I wouldn't disconnect things at all - just masking and more masking. Great big lumps of newspaper below the engine, anything not already painted with engine paint gets masked. If the job takes 2 hours spend an hour and 50 minutes masking. Then 5 minutes shaking the can and 5 minutes spraying, then shut the boat and leave for a couple of hours. The 3m blue tape is loads more expensive and loads better.

Whilst I don't disagree completely, either you want a new look or the ability to see a new oil leak on an old engine. I would strive to do as neat and pro looking job as I could, but at the end of the day, light-bright paint on engines also has functionality.

TCM is a self confessed engine stroker and gazer, which is fine, but not for all of us.

 

[andythilo]

Yeah this is not an exercise to make it look like new. It's a 60's engine in a bilge that hasn't been cleaned for decades and the engine virtually free of paint and looking tired.

So all I want to do is to freshen her up a little, make her look and smell less 'industrial'.

 

[moluag]

Yeah this is not an exercise to make it look like new. It's a 60's engine in a bilge that hasn't been cleaned for decades and the engine virtually free of paint and looking tired.

So all I want to do is to freshen her up a little, make her look and smell less 'industrial'.

I hired a guy with industrial mobile steam cleaning equipment,he made a fantastic job,cleaned the bilges,engine compartment and engine made it look like new i then painted the bilges and engine he also did my van at the same time.10 years on i am repeating the process as the engine is out for rebuilding and i can get to the engine compatment easily.not having steam cleaning done cos there isnt anyone to do it in Argyll