Please allow me to share my experience on degreasing the engine, just last Sunday. Since it was a nice day-off, I decided to give my sister a visit. She lives just about 30 km from my place, and she has a really big porch/garage that her husband never uses.

I went to the nearby stores and found, after some days of searching, the engine degreaser. Wanted to get Selley's but it's out of stock, so I settled for WaxCo. But brands are not a concern here.

I was so happy when I found the degreaser - "I felt like a monkey with a cell-phone" !!!

And there I went spraying here and there - I WAS careful enough though to not spray onto the electronics parts and all. Needless to say, the engine got most of the attention. What guess the excitement I was in - just a little spray and the whole black dirt got washed away. It was like MAGIC! One particular place was on the engine plate where the words "VOLVO - 20 Valve" were engraved. Since the label said clearly to "wash away excess with jet water", I poured some tap water onto the plate lah. The engine was fantabulously a LOT CLEANER than it was before i started. Well, not as beautifully clean as those photos on the internet, but I was getting there.

To cut the story short, after about 1 and 1/2 hours of spraying and monkeying around, i tried to start the engine. And OH MY GOD!!! Gone were the signature injection ignition sound and the 'vroom' that usually accompanies the crank. Instead, my car sounded like it has difficulty breathing. I went almost hysterical. ARGHHHH!!! What did i do? What did i do? I called the mechanic - his reply was very unsympathetic and as you could guess, "Haiya, you call the numbel (number) on the back of the card i gave you, and ask them to tow it to my workshop lah. I tord (told) you oledi (already) no need to spray water into car. Why you so stabern (stubborn)". And the workshop was about 80kms away! That could easily have set me back by at least RM300.00 bucks, and that's just the towing fees on a holiday. Erg.

Though the car lost power to accelerate, it could still move. So, daringly, I took the extremely slow journey to the corner, where the local mechanics were still open and hard at work. Though they have never handled a Volvo before, I told them to just "air-blow the spark-plugs". After a little explanation of what I did to cause the problem, and also turning a deaf ear to their laughters (these people ARE like this, you know....) they helped me to open the plate upon which the mechanic dude laughed again. There were evident signs of water everywhere under the plate (with the words "Volvo - 20 Valve"). Next, when he popped the plug-cables, he went hysterical again. And I saw clearly why - and I mean, OH MY GOD!!! The Spark-plug holes were filled to the brim with water washed with the degreaser! Two of the five holes were filled to the brim, while three others were like half-way full.

After like 5 minutes of laughter (what seemed to me like eternity), they picked themselves from the floor, and realising that I no longer find it funny, used the Brake Fluid pump to suck all the water out, and air-blew the excess water away.

And guess what? It costed me RM5.00 only. I guess they figured that since they got a great laugh out of the whole episode, it wouldn't be ethical to overcharge.

In the end, I laughed at myself too, especially since I wanted to consider calling the tow-truck in the first place... and the moral of the story is :-
Never get carried away with the degreaser, no matter how easy it seems to execute your desire.

Lesson for me? Stop monkeying around...

Don't feel bad I have seen about 100 of them like that in the 6 years I have worked at the dealer.The best way to clean the top of the engine is with a rag.You can use water on the bottom half of the engine.Just don't use it on the top half.

Thanks. It was a lesson learnt that will be difficult to forget.
:wallbash:

I hear you I did the same thing many years ago with a diffrent car.

Great story loved the read. Feel not alone in you embarrasment, I have done the same thing, not once but, TWICE! Once was not convincing enough as it started an hour later or so, the second time it started I drove for about a km then it died in the middle of the road.... how red was I? I am now a oily rag convertee...

Cheers

Oz

Thanks, dude.

I have since, packed at least a dozen on rags in the cargo-bay for all those unplanned engine cleanings, due to the 'itches' on my hands... ;)

LOL