An Auto Engine Overhaul Keep It Clean Under The Hood

Removing an auto engine can be one of the most difficult if not troublesome as well as potentially dangerous phases or parts of the whole process of rebuilding your vehicles automotive motor.

The degree of difficulty becomes compounded when it comes the reverse procedure - when it comes to the time period when it comes to install that auto's motor back under the hood of the vehicle. You must well remember how everything goes back together under the hood or bonnet of your means of transport otherwise you will not be able to start up that car, truck, van or SUV to drive down those streets, roads, highways and byways. Hence it is essential that you develop and maintain a careful as well as orderly set of procedures in regards to the removal process to help the whole rebuilding or upgrade process go easily and smoothly without hitch.

There are a number of preliminary steps that should be taken before the automotive engine can be removed and the work started on the vehicle.

First of all locating a place to do the work is extremely important. Adequate work space along with storage space for that vehicle or even set of vehicles, if you are providing for parts cars, is needed. If a shop or garage is not available, then at the very least then a flat, level, clean work surface made of concrete or cement is required. If it turns out in your searches and travels that the only surface available is asphalt, then be sure to remember that most jack stands will tend to sink into your asphalt when it comes time to support an extreme amount of weight especially when it comes time to support heavier sets and types of vehicles - be it SUV's, older well made heavier vintage cars and of course trucks and busses.

Cleaning the power plant compartment and the engine before beginning the whole removal process and procedure will help to keep your tools and tool chest clean and even well and better organized. Often automotive professionals themselves and those in the trade will suggest and recommend to novice mechanics that the best method and methods for cleaning both the engine and engine compartments is to have them steam cleaned themselves by a professional automobile "detail" shop. As an alternate method most often used by home mechanics is to have the engine itself degreased. You can easily purchase a can of engine degreaser - say at your local Canadian tire store or other big box automotive parts outlet. If the motor and other power train components have an extraordinary amount of dirt, grime and grease you might want to consider purchasing two cans. Why have to drive back to the parts store unnecessarily? There are more than one brand or type of engine cleaner and degreaser to choose from , the best advice here by experienced mechanics and car industry professionals is to be sure that the label of the cleaning product specifically designates the product as an "engine degreaser" not a brake or other type of cleanser.

Before the vehicle is dissembled itself, you can drive the vehicle over to a self service car wash or alternate where you can find high pressure cleaning equipment as well as proper drainage for the dirty water left over from engine compartment degreasing. Make sure that the trip over to the car wash has allowed the engine to heat up to normal operating temperatures to allow the degreaser solution to do its work in softening up and removing the long baked on dirt , grease and engine compartment grime. You can use a few old rags as well as plastic bags to cover areas that you do not want to get wet - for example electrical components as well as distributors and electric coils in older vintage cars and vehicles. Of course this will help the engine to start, and you drive away easily and without fuss after the whole cleaning process are over.

It's always easiest to work on a clean engine both before, during an engine overhaul as well as the whole process of putting the motor and its automotive components back to the condition where it can be simply driven away - back to automotive owner or car lot where it came from.