Scion tC Engine Detail 40+ Pics!!!!
 

So it has been a long time since I have been on Scionlife. Got out of the scene for awhile but recently the urge has been coming back. With the urge, I also picked up a side hobby of auto deatailing. Just starting out so I haven't perfected everything yet but I will get better. I decided to start with the engine since that was the area that I had always neglected. I think it has been about 2 years since the engine even got touched for a quick wipe so there was tons of build up. Dirt and dust from the Arizona climate, oil, grease and grime build up was apparent all over the engine bay. I knew I would have some work ahead of me. So here is my first experience with engine detailing. Let me know what you guys think.

The dirty engine bay. Tons of build up over the last 2 years.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7781483_n.jpg

Close up shot of the engine.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7508566_n.jpg

Air intake box and battery. Dirt everywhere and pay close attention to the intake.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4667659_n.jpg

Fluid containers.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7325246_n.jpg

Up close shot of the grease and dirt.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6066539_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1227998_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5321225_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6961287_n.jpg

Battery up close and personal.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7328395_n.jpg

Drive side shot.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6306593_n.jpg

Dirty sticker on battery.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5833504_n.jpg

The tools of the trade that I will be using.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...18_55792_n.jpg

Prepping the engine bay. I applied cling wrap to the alternator. This was the only item that I actually prevented moisture from entering as a precautionary measure. Others might do it to aftermarket intake filters and other items of the sort.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6782009_n.jpg

Engine bay shot again before the rinse.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3991211_n.jpg

Hosing down the hood, front bumper, headlights, front fenders and windshield so that when the degreaser and cleaner is applied, it will not adhere to dry paint and potentially damage the paint.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8100599_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2664892_n.jpg

Hood re-opened for light pressure spray from the hose.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2175644_n.jpg

I recommend not using full pressure because of the wiring and electrical that is involved. Also, do not spray directly at the areas that were prepped for the engine detailing.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7786147_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3074982_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5731180_n.jpg

Time to apply the degreaser/cleaner. I also wore gloves too so that the chemicals do not get on my hands. Spray and get everything covered as best as you can. Try to avoid wiring and other electrical components.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...3_818185_n.jpg

Scrub areas that require in depth cleaning. Use small brushes, qtips if necessay to get into the crevices.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5688614_n.jpg

After the scrubbing, which shouldn't take too long depending on how dirty she is :rofl:, using light pressure again, spray down the engine bay.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3960723_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7684434_n.jpg

Its looking good already but it can still look even better.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4623861_n.jpg

Personal with the battery again.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1270502_n.jpg

Close up with the stock intake box.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6168056_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7164362_n.jpg

Remember this shot from before, look how clean it is now.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6529861_n.jpg

Passenger side shot of the engine.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4679834_n.jpg

Angled engine shot.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3561247_n.jpg

Also time to remove the cling wrap so that the drying can occur.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...6_664097_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7390148_n.jpg

Fuse box.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...8_183842_n.jpg

Freshly cleaned sticker.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3385720_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...0_111459_n.jpg

For the drying time, I started by closing the hood and starting the engine. It ran for about 5 minutes to assist in the drying process.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2211225_n.jpg

Then I busted out the good old craftsman leaf blower. This will really sped up the drying process and its great for drying cars without leaving surface scratches.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4493513_n.jpg

Hood is re-opened and as you can see, its starting to dry up.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6905303_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8117535_n.jpg

Leaf blower here to finish the job.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3585874_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...7_829242_n.jpg

Pretty much all dried and cleaned. From the looks of the intake, the effects from the dirt and buildup of the last 2 years is apparent. Its discolored but I got something for that.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4055942_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...60_43171_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3926507_n.jpg

CD2 Engine detailer, like tire shine for the wheels, except for the engine bay. Apply liberally in all areas that you can reach. Again, avoid the alternator and areas of wiring.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4480737_n.jpg

This is what it looked like after 2 coats.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6345534_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...4_796875_n.jpg

Like butter! :love::love:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4045536_n.jpg

You can even see my reflection in the black plastic now.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1302553_n.jpg

Angled shot.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3722731_n.jpg

Driver side shot.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6904867_n.jpg

Battery after the application was applied.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9_959338_n.jpg

Fuse box again.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4441550_n.jpg

The fluid containers never looked so good!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...1_651071_n.jpg

The words are now visible.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3170910_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3119943_n.jpg

This is what it looked like 10 minutes after the application. You can also close the hood and start the engine to speed up the curing process.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7959008_n.jpg

After the engine was running, I also used a regular shop towel to wipe off the excess.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9_426218_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1705678_n.jpg

Check out the battery sticker now!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3011084_n.jpg

The finished product. Like the first day it rolled off the lot.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3723542_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...83_16852_n.jpg

The intake's color is back the way it should look.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7545492_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1534402_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1416345_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7081403_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5657486_n.jpg

So clean! No more build up.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2593286_n.jpg

The money shot!:biggrin:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5373236_n.jpg

Enjoy folks. I will also be posting more threads around auto detailing when I get time too. Up next will probably be wheel well and wheel detailing. keep a look out and thanks for reading.

Wow! That looks much, much better! I think you need to apply the same process to your leaf blower lol.

Rough cost of materials and time involved?

Materials total was less than $20. Time involved with taking pics was about an hour. So if I eliminated that, probably about 30 minutes.

wow. that was one dirty engine. but the outcome was GREAT!

Holy sh*t you drive on dirt roads or something?

LOL, the Arizona climate. We get dirt and dust everywhere.

Thanks! My engine bay looks similar. I know what I'll be doing this weekend... lol

wow, great job!!

just an fyi, i stay away from those engine bay "shine" products as ive noticed they tend to attract even more dust and dirt next time you clean the engine, and i just personally dont like a shiny engine bay, i like the clean matte look. although im sure i would have used some on the intake tube, that thing was god-aweful!!! lol

again, great job!

wow! looks really nice. i need to do this asap!

yeah, I wiped the excess down afterwards for just the really clean look with a shop towel. Most detailers go for the same clean matte look too. It was bad man, had to clean it. :biggrin:

yeah, I recommend this to anyone for a clean engine bay. I only charge $10 bucks for the locals here if they dont want to get their hands dirty.

I used pledge on my plastic and rubber in the engine bay

wow that's a huge improvement!

^Thanks.

came out real nice, we use that same exact cleaner/degreaser at the shop works great

HOLY CRAP THAT IS DIRTY

wow, amazing job getting it dirty and then clean again haha!

:clap:
That's pretty much night and day.

:rofl:

thank you ,I will do it the next week