Corrosion Engine Compartment

[jwawhite]

I opened the hood the other day to check the ingredients and I noticed that the aluminum engine doodads are fading.

Any suggestions to bring back the luster? I seem to remember Baking Soda as a good cleaner.

 

[killain]

I'm not so sure there's a whole lot you can do about the oxidizing on aluminun parts. There's the rain and moisture and corrosives in the roadway that get sucked up into the engine compartment. I can only think of cleaning the parts and hitting them with a coat of clear heat resistant engine paint? I always did this on my 79 Vettes visible mufflers and tailpipes and it held up really good over the years? Good luck !

 

[schmaltzr]

There is a 'Naval Jelley' specifically made for aluminum. I would just use 000 steel wool (super fine) if you really want to clean it up. It won't be like a polished surface, but it will be close. If you really want to be into it you can always use a Dremmel Motor tool with a ploishing pad and some jewlers rouge/polishing paste to really make it shine. Keeping it that way is the problem. Silicone spray or WD-40 may keep the corrosion down, but it will collect dust and may evaporate under the heat. Liquid wax may help too for a while.

 

[XLR8]

You may find some useful info in this thread by B17Crew in the Care and Detail forum.
Engine Bay Detailing

He's done an awesome job with the engine bay of his C4 including aluminum parts and includes some photos.

Jane Ann