Simple Green Extreme

[BadMofo]

Ok, so as you may or may not have read, I posted a thread in the "Detailing your ride" section about wanting to clean out my engine bay. I chose Simple Green Extreme Aircraft & Precision Cleaner for the job. I've heard great things about Simple Green in the past, but I always heard that if you're not careful, it can corrode some parts... and needless to say, I didn't want that. In comes "Extreme" Simple Green. It's made for use in aircraft applications, and according to the product's web page, it's "a breakthrough water-based formula that cleans engines, aircraft, vehicles, metals, plastics, high-tech alloys, and parts."

"This non-corrosive, low-foaming cleaner/ degreaser does not contain reagents that oxidize finishes, cause rust or degrade elastic materials such as rubber or vinyl-but protects the life of hoses, seals, gaskets, paint finishes and other hard surfaces plus rinses residue-free for ease of use and protection of structures and finishes."

It's a little bit pricier than some of the alternatives (about $16-18 for a 32 ounce bottle of it, but I found mine on ebay for around $11 I think), but I think it is worth the cost. You can dillute it down to a 3:1 water to solvent mixture if you'd like, I dilluted mine down 1:1 because my bay was attrocious.

For my first cleaning, I simply sprayed it on, let it sit a few minutes, and then rinsed it down. I repeated this a few times (3 or 4 times) until I got what I wanted. Next weekend I am going to do it again and this time I'll actually scrub too, but today I was lazy and just sprayed and rinsed.

When you do this, you may want to cover your alternator, distributor, starter, and fuse panel with a plastic bag or something, or at least be careful to keep your spray away from these places as much as possible. (I personally didn't cover them up, I just made sure they were plenty dry again before running my car).

Ok, so now that my review is completed, check out the before and after pictures!



Before:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3026.jpg



After:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3028.jpg


Look at the difference... On the intake manifold and suspension mounts especially... unbelievable considering I didn't scrub at all.



Intake manifold close-up before:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3024.jpg



Intake manifold close-up after:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3029.jpg


AMAZING difference. Notice the body right behind the intake manifold. Look how much brighter it is after a spray and rinse!



Front of engine head close-up before:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3025.jpg



After:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3033.jpg




Before:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3023.jpg



After:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3034.jpg


Wow... awesome results!

And now my personally favorites (other than the intake manifold)... the fluid resevoirs. I didn't take before pics, but you can imagine how dirty they were by looking at my OTHER before pics.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3031.jpg


http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3030.jpg






And one more of that shiny intake manifold!
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/millman12345/100_3032.jpg



Overall... this is an AWESOME product, I can't wait to see the difference next week when I actually scrub!

[DRBagabundo]

Wow, HUGE difference, where'd you get it at, I always seem to only find the regular SG

[BadMofo]

Do a google products search for it, it's about 16 dollars from most places for a 32 oz bottle of it. You can also get gallon buckets of it. I got mine on ebay from a aircraft supplier for like 11 or 12 dollars I believe.

Edit:

Here is the link to the specific ebay store that I got mine from.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/32-oz-Extreme-Aircraft-Simple-Green-Cleaner_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26440QQihZ009QQ itemZ190137673924QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

I saw there's a guy on there who sells it even cheaper... but I don't know if I trust him because of how cheap it is, and I believe he only has like a 8 or 9 feedback rating.

[Prelude13]

Very nice job.

[Si Speed]

I use that Purple cleaner, whatever it's called, but it's basically the same thing. It works wonders. I buy it by the gallon.

[hojemwod]

did you use a pressure washer or a hose to rinse? do you think a pressure washer would be ok to use?

[mizlude]

did you use a pressure washer or a hose to rinse? do you think a pressure washer would be ok to use?

yes you can but make sure your car is running when you do it

[Si Speed]

I don't run my car when I clean it with the pressure washer. I just put bags over my dizzy and intake filter.

[hojemwod]

found a pretty good deal on it here...$10 for 32 Oz, $18 for a gallon with cheap shipping, at least to my house
http://www.skygeek.com/13412.html

[Miasma133]

Very nice results! I think that I will have to give that stuff a try.

[CHILLZ_VTEC]

so if i am understanding this correctly, you just spray the "simple green" on the desired parts to clean(for me the whole engine bay area), and then rinse it off with a hose or pressure washer???? what precautions should be taken so water wont get get in the engine???

[BadMofo]

as long as your motor isn't running, and you're not spraying water into your intake system, you're not gonna get water inside the motor. All you have to be careful about is the electronics. Try to keep the bulk of the water away from your under hood fuses, distributor, alternator, basically anything electrical. Try not to get water under the spark plug cover and down into the spark plug chambers.... that would also not be good.

[el_cuco]

I was always unsure what was an effective way to clean the engine, i've used walmarts engine degreaser which foams up but it wouldnt really remove things that were caked on unless you used a brush. I think i will have to try this next time around :-)

[v8h8]

Looks good....Ive been detailing cars for years using the standard simple green. It works great for wheels too. Now you just need some tire shind on those rubber hoses and your engine bay with have BLING!!