Gday guys,

I'm keen on giving the engine etc a good clean. I'm thinking about painting it with VHT. I've read quite a lot about the process etc. I'm leaving the engine in, and am going to tape the shit out of it. My question is, if I hit the engine etc with a good dose of degreaser, is there any probs with hitting it with a gurney ( pressure washer).its just a cheap,smaller one from Bunnings,not a massive beast that will peel paint. If I pike on the painting, I'm still keen to give it all a big clean up anyway. Any ideas, or dos and donts would be much appreciated.cheers

If its any help I bought a hand held steam cleaner from Kmart so I could clean an engine before painting it cost me 25 bucks and did a mint job
was well worth is as I use it to clean wheels and spokes without any stress brinks shit up like new and no nasty chemical residue
once your done with it use can clean the BBQ and even the extraction fan filters in the kitchen or the misses can anyways

Sounds ok. I've read an equal amount of "don't do its" and " go for its". I think a fair bit of common sense is involved. I don't know...

after a recent trip to Coolangatta with showers every,,well long enough to dry out then get hit with another the road grim came straight up of the road having been so dry all the oil and shit that leeches out the bitumen I did what I normally do not do and I gave the motor an extensive detail with a week brew of Morning Fresh dish washing liquid  and a few little brushes and pipe cleaners and then give it a hit with the stuff Harley sell engine brightner she come up good.  2007 FXSTC

I would not use degreaser it will oxidez things,,(send things milky)  Morning Fresh also has a lot of acid in it believe it or not. if you use either don't leave it on to long before rinseing.

cheers Jimmy

Give it a dose of truch wash mixed 50/50 then pressure washer but not to close

Some good Advice guys, much appreciated.

The only thing I use on my bikes and cars and have done for long time now is degreaser I like the super cheap export stuff
It's mostly kero Works great is cheap and buy it in bulk when thay have there specials don't use dishwashing liquid it
Has salts in it which promotes rust apparently so not recommend but in saying that That's what Harley say to use
When washing there denim paint apparently other wise you can make it shine And I use vht wrinkle black paint for the
Engine and bits can't say I've ever done in in the frame though good luck

The only thing with the vht paint when done right I have found it takes a few days before its dry and even than still soft till the engine has been hot If I was in a rush I would maybe bake any smaller parts in the oven when the wife's not home lol

Can't say that I have ever etch primed any motor Using engine paints Just a degrease than before I paint a wipe down with thinners on a rag

Get a 400 wide paint brush , cut the bristles half off, get some CT18 truck wash from supercheap, mix it 3/4 CT18 and 1/4 water paint it on and scrub it, make sure you leave it on over night , next day with the brush wet scrub it again, leave for another few hours and hose off or pressure clean , will bring it up like new and ready to paint

That should be 40mm wide brush

I thought ct18 left a residue behind.I have always used that export degreaser and a low pressure gherni never had an issue and i've painted quite a few engines in the frame on a lot of different bikes. But if it has kerosene in it I would have thought that would leave a residue behind as well.Ct18 Is great for removing the dirt mud stains that degreaser won't shift .

Thanks mate, I saw the smaller wire brushes at the shop on Wed. Would you recommend these?

Yes a wire brush is handy but like any paint job the prep is the most important bit. sand where you can get too.That green masking tape is the shit but you pay for it..And a nice thin piece of flexible cardboard like the backing stuff when you buy something like superglue or sealant etc is very handy when shielding stuff from the paint overspray . Make sure you cover up everywhere you don't want paint .

no matter what you clean your engine with make sure you wipe every where you are going to paint with wax and grease remover, you can buy it from any automotive paint shop and the instructions should be followed, you apply with 1 rag and wipe off with another clean rag, it will remove any residue from cleaning products and any silicone if you have used silicone based products on your bike. silicone is a painters worst enemy

Bunnings sell bags of white rags they come in handy .