# Quick engine clean, MG ZS



## sargent (Aug 25, 2009)

_Newbie alert - go easy!_

I was quite weary of cleaning my engine, so definatley no pressure washer used!

Used *Autogylm Engine & Machine spray*, then sprayed off with water from a bottle and dried off with some towels.

Didnt go wild i'm afraid, I was pretty much testing the water to make sure I didnt kill anything, so somethings I stayed away from.

But pleased with the results.

Next time, I quite fancy getting some 303, people seem to like it.

Before:










After:


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

That's come up rather well compared to to the pre clean shots  I kinda miss my old ZS


----------



## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

very nice bud great turn around


----------



## liam99 (Dec 29, 2009)

Looks good, I plan on cleaning my engine bay when the weather gets a bit warmer.


----------



## rig-pig (Dec 12, 2009)

looks good m8 im going to hang off for the better weather as well


----------



## Kev T (Jan 12, 2010)

I have got the V6 version, had it from new and it has been great and totally reliable.


----------



## rapala (Jan 18, 2007)

I had a mk 2 ZS 180.loved it.used to handle so well and looked great.just could have done with a bit more power.


----------



## chappo (Jan 7, 2010)

thats not a bad result tbh mate, 

looks alot better.


----------



## woodym3 (Aug 30, 2009)

great results mate. 303 will bring the plastics and rubber up a treat. you wont be dissapointed with it..


----------



## JB052 (Mar 22, 2008)

303 is excellent and seems to last a fair while


----------



## ChrisJD (Apr 15, 2009)

That was rather filthy:doublesho

You can see an immediate improvement. Looks so much better, nice one.

Chris.


----------



## sargent (Aug 25, 2009)

Yeah she was a dirty one. Never cleaned her, not in my time with her anyway 

Was only a bit of a test to make sure nothing would blow up, now i feel a bit more relaxed about, i'll be working at 100% next time. Should be sparkling hehe


----------



## vince (Jan 1, 2009)

Hi Sargent,

A good start.....:thumb:

For any metal pipes and bits and bobs you have rub them down with wire wool and then polish them up with autosol. Some of mine wouldnt clean up no matter what so i ended up painting alot of my engine bits with hyper silver wheel paint over high temp engine paint 

On black plastics i have found that carplan tyre shine from Tesco's works a treat as you can see from the picture below of my engine bay. (Not the foaming stuff but the spray). Its works on your hoses aswell and keep them from drying out.

If you take your time and work from one side to the other then you will be amazed at what a difference you can make.

For the inner wings and under bonnet paint areas, use a polish and then a wax and they come up a treat.

Once its done then you only need to give it a quick once over about once a month 

Have fun


----------



## sargent (Aug 25, 2009)

cheers Vince for the tips
Will do another overhaul soon and post up some pics!


----------



## dubb (Aug 27, 2009)

as regards engine detailing, where do I need to be clingfilming up? all electricals etc? had a slight problem with my fiesta the time before last I cleaned her, think some water got through the bonnet (washer jets gap?) and lead to her being a bugger to start!


----------



## Dunkwho (Jan 23, 2009)

How much time and effort went into that clean? Was it really a spray-and-dwell with the autoglym engine & machine spray followed by a rinse off, or were you at it for hours with brushes and the such? Mine looks in a similar state, frankly it looks like it'll suck hours trying clean everything by hand ...


----------



## sargent (Aug 25, 2009)

To be honest mate, not a lot of time or elbow grease went into it. As I said, I was a bit nervous of making some blow up!

I literally sprayed the Autoglym stuff around a bit, aggitated it a little with a paintbrush, then sprayed off with some water from a bottle and wiped down with a towel.

The worst bit is the underside of the bonnet, which still is grubby.

All in all I did a total rushed job. If i put some proper elbow grease in, I know i can get it a lot better!

There are some parts, that wont come up looking much better though. Damn rover engines!


----------



## j4miejenks (Jun 12, 2009)

sargent said:


> To be honest mate, not a lot of time or elbow grease went into it. As I said, I was a bit nervous of making some blow up!
> 
> I literally sprayed the Autoglym stuff around a bit, aggitated it a little with a paintbrush, then sprayed off with some water from a bottle and wiped down with a towel.
> 
> ...


I'd go easy on the water with a k-series, I proper messed it up last time I did it...all good now though, but i'll never be cleaning under my bonnet again!


----------



## aod (Apr 7, 2009)

Really good work there! I miss my ZS 120, such an amazing drive and the engine was fab – I sold it last year as it’s value had plummeted and got a bit paranoid about HGF!

Just out of interest, once the plastic bits are clean, can you apply NLTG or similar, or are they not very happy with the heat under the bonnet?


----------



## capese21 (May 27, 2008)

Good job on your engine.

It would look much better if you sourced some stainless steel bolts to replace all the rusty ones. Ebay has loads listed. Just a case of undo the old ones and screw in the new ones.

I have used this company they have a good range. Rovers use flange bolts which is a bolt and washer combined. Check the lengths and sizes first though.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/M6-x-12-STAIN..._Material_Nails_Fixing_MJ?hash=item22ff14af78

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/stainlessbolts__W0QQ_armrsZ1


----------



## MHTexPete (Feb 23, 2010)

looks great mate.


----------



## Mad Stuntman (Oct 25, 2009)

Looks good pal :thumb:

I had the 1.8 version of this engine in a landrover freelander.
Nothing but trouble. 2 Head gaskets, No end of water leaks and waterpump failure. Wasnt amused.


----------



## MHTexPete (Feb 23, 2010)

that looks a lot better. i'd be pleased with that result


----------



## sargent (Aug 25, 2009)

Oh yeah, i've had my fair share of problems.
Still, I love the car.


----------

