How to use a Degreaser to clean your engine compartment - BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser Review

[Mike Phillips]

How to use a Degreaser to clean your engine compartment - BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser Review



BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser





From the AG Store page


BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser uses proprietary ingredients to quickly dissolve and remove even the toughest grease and grime from heavily contaminated areas - including engine compartments, undercarriages, and wheel wells. Super Degreaser is highly concentrated and can be diluted accordingly for your use. This phosphate and residue free formula is biodegradable and safe for use in all environments.

BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser features:

• Fast-acting
• Dissolves tough grease and grime
• Highly concentrated formula
• Phosphate free

The above reads good. I'm not a chemist and instead of trying to become a chemist I trust the company that makes the product has a chemist that actually knows what the are doing. Like John Dillon once told me, focus on the performance of the product, not the ingredients in the bottle.

No mock-up here folks...
The ONLY way to write a REAL review for a product like this is to actually use it and if I'm going to take the time to use it I might as well show everyone how to use it at the same time. So here's my how-to article and at the end I'll tell you what I think.


Mix proper dilution

The BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser is a concentrate so before you can use it you need to mix it to the proper dilution for whatever it is you want to clean.

Dillution levels

1:4 Heavy Degreasing
1:10 Moderate Degreasing
1:15 Light Degreasing

I'm going to mix for heavy degreasing. The pour-off bottle olds 30 ounces. 1:4 means a total of 5 parts. 30 divided by 5 equals 5 parts of 6 ounces. This means I need 5 ounces of cleaner and 35 ounces of water.


Here I eyed-up 5 ounces....




I was close at 4 ounces. Good enough, the grime in the engine won't care...




Then I added water till I hit 30 ounces of product.




Mixed and ready to go... to do this type of stuff it helps to have a funnel.





Victim = Co-workers Camaro
I borrowed a Camaro from one of the guys here at work. Promised him nothing would go wrong. wink/wink





Here's the motor and engine compartment - doesn't look like it's ever been cleaned.





















Step 1: Blow out all loose dirt and debris










Step 2: Spray BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser to painted portions on underneath of hood.

I always start up high and then work down. If you clean the motor first and then clean the inside of the hood you'll have grime loosened by the degreaser dripping down on a clean engine, same goes for when you rinse, you'll be rinsing grime onto a clean motor so start high and then go low.










Step 3: Agitate degreaser wit ha brush.

I like to use a fenderwell brush for the inside of the hood as it makes it easy to reach the middle back of the hood.
















Step 4: Rinse inside of hood

My Technique: What I teach I all my detailing class is the VALUE of a water sprayer with a SHOWER setting. The idea being to loosen grease and grime with a degreaser and using a brush and elbow grease and with this approach a SHOWER setting is all you need to flush away the gunk. The technique I don't like, use or teach is high pressure, either from a sprayer or a pressure washer. The reason why is you risk forcing water into places that it can cause problems and who needs problems? Find your own way, this is what works for me.











Done - Inside of hood is spotlessly clean.






On Autogeek.com


NOTE: This is a CONCENTRATE and should be diluted accordingly


BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser - 32 ounce

BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser 128 oz.

[Mike Phillips]

Continued....


Next we tackle the engine compartment but FIRST spray the paint surrounding the engine compartment with water and then keep it wet until the final rinse. The reason why is it's simply a good practice to not let any degreaser get onto dry paint and then dry on the paint as this can stain the paint. The BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser is very safe and probably wouldn't stain the paint but most degreaser will and for this reason it's a GOOD IDEA to have this as a BEST PRACTICE for yourself. You can also use car wash soap from a bucket to get and keep the surrounding paint wet or even tape off the surrounding paint using plastic drop cloths.


Spray down surrounding paint and keep it wet until the final rinse....













Step 5: Spray degreaser over the engine compartment

Mike's technique tip
IF the engine compartment is REALLY grimy - divide the engine compartment into smaller sections and work section by section.

















Step 6: Using a variety of brushes - scrub BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser to work into grimy surfaces and break-up the grime.

Speedmaster Wheel Brush is a must-have brush for engine cleaning



















Wheel Woolies Black Boar's Hair Wheel Brush is a must-have brush for engine cleaning























RaggTopp Haartz Convertible Top Brush can come in real handing for engine cleaning BUT be sure to mark it like I have so you NEVER use it on a convertible top.



















Step 7: Rinse engine compartment using a sprayer with a shower setting to be safe

















On Autogeek.com


NOTE: This is a CONCENTRATE and should be diluted accordingly


BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser - 32 ounce

BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser 128 oz.

[Mike Phillips]

Continued......




Step 8: Blast all loose water out of cracks, crevices and electrical connections

Mike's Technique Tip
Million ways to skin a cat but everyone should own a Metrovac Sidekick. It's lightweight and POWERFUL. Works perfect for blowing water out of engine compartments.






























And here's a spotlessly clean engine!





























My SECRET TECHNIQUE
Before starting the engine - I cross my fingers. Has worked every time. I've never seen a "Check Engine Light" come on after I've cleaned someone else's engine compartment - knock on wood or plastic, or steel.

Fingers crossed






Key into ignition....






Success! No Check Engine Light and just as good, the engine is purring like a kitten!

[Mike Phillips]

Continued.....


Optional Step

Apply dressing to all plastic surfaces. For this I'll use the BLACKFIRE Multi-Surface Dressing Concentrate only I like to use it full strength.




See how the right hand side looks darker and richer?














Mike's Technique Tip
Use a brush to agitate the dressing into tight areas and then blow out any excess. For this I'll use the RaggTopp/Haartz convertible top brush but first I rinse out all the degreaser. After rinsing out the degreaser I'll then blow dry it using the Metrovac SideKick, this way it's clean and dry and perfect for spreading the dressing.




















Next blow out any excess....


















Last but not least, wipe all painted surfaces with a spray detailer to add some shine and protection.










Here's the finished results outside....





Next I put the hood down and run the motor a SECOND TIME - this will burn off any dressing that landed on the engine or exhaust.






Working smarter instead of harder....

While the engine is warming up and baking off any residual cleaner or dressing, now is the PERFECT time to rinse out my brushes. They already have a cleaner on them, (the Super Degreaser), so spraying with water easily cleans them up and then they will be ready to use for my co-workers here at Autogeek - not a greasy mess.


Rinse brushes















On Autogeek.com


NOTE: This is a CONCENTRATE and should be diluted accordingly


BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser - 32 ounce

BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser 128 oz.

[Mike Phillips]

Continued....



It was kind of hard to see just how nice the engine compartment looked after cleaning and dressing so I moved the Camaro inside and took a few more pictures.


Beauty shots inside garage











Product showcase






And here's everything I used...







Review
First - most super degreasers are nasty. They smell bad, dry fast and leave a white residue all over the place, (that's the phosphates I believe), not so with this new super degreaser. I did not detect a foul odor but then I also didn't lift the concentrate in the bottle to my nose and take a deep whiff. The engine compartment on this Camaro was surprisingly grimy and at 4:1 the BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser simply peeled the grease and grime off with hardly any scrubbing on my part. Just as important the residues rinsed off easily and completely.

I was genuinely impressed with the performance of this product. I would recommend it to first time engine detailers and pros alike.


The links for this product are below and if you want any of the cool tools I use and endorse, simply call customer care here at Autogeek and CITE this thread. They should know about it and looking at the picture above will help them to get you exactly what you want.


1-800-869-3011



On Autogeek.com


NOTE: This is a CONCENTRATE and should be diluted accordingly


BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser - 32 ounce

BLACKFIRE Super Degreaser 128 oz.

[Mike Phillips]

I renamed this thread because it's more of a step-by-step how-to article than a review.

Lots of tips and techniques included...

[mk9750]

Love the idea of a Speedmaster Wheel Brush! Never thought about that. I've been using a dedicated large head detailing brush, and although it does OK, I've always struggles with places "just out of reach". This will solve THAT problem!

I learned on my own working from top down. My wife wanted to know why the back collar of one of my shirts was discolored. Apparently, the degreaser I use doesn't get along with modern day polo shirts! And, of course, I had to redo the lower part, as well.

[Bruno Soares]

Wow, I can't believe I never thought about using my sidekick to dry my brushes! I always wash them and shake as good as possible but put them away on a rack still wet and let air dry. I use the sidekick on the car anyways so might as well blow dry the brushes. Thanks for the idea

[rlmccarty2000]

Very nice how-to article Mike. Thank you for your patience in recording all the steps for posterity.

I’m not a fan of the Speedmaster on wheels due to the blow back when you pull it out from wheel face, maybe I can get some use out of it on engines. I like to use the Wheel Woolies in all the sizes to get into all the crevices. The brush to apply the dressing is a good idea. I usually just mist 303 Aerospace Protectant everywhere and followup with a microfiber towel to remove the excess.

I always take the time after engine cleaning to replace the grease on the hinges and locks and put some on the battery posts to discourage oxidation/corrosion. Good time to inspect the battery cables for tightness also.

[SWETM]

Nice review/ how to article! And a lot of great tips and techniques I will be useing myself next engine cleaning. Seems like I will have to look at the side-kick some more. It's seems very handy for a lot of places.

/ Tony