Hey guys, this weekend I swapped belts and did an oil change on the Z and I noticed a lot of old oil (+dirt) buildup in many areas underneath the Z. As far as I have owned the car I have not noticed any oil drips on the concrete while parked. I do know the engine was swapped by Nissan (by previous owner) due to oil consumption issues. I wanted to know if any of you know the best way to clean all that sludge off the bottom ( obviously with degreaser) so I can pin point a leak ( if there is). Should I take it to a car wash (with under cleaning) or just do it with a hose at home? ( I'm afraid of getting a sensor wet and causing damage so I assume the motor should be hot before washing the underside).

Thanks in advance.

 

use purple power as a degreaser.

I powerwash my diesel truck while running but i dont think thats a good idea on the Z.

I cleaned mine when the motor was out for the Turbo's so i cant really comment on the best way to clean yours.

 

Thanks for the input, a friend told me it would work if I take it to one of those 18wheeler cleaner places to have it washed from underneath. Yeah whenever I have washed the motor I wash it after its been running an its hot ( I still turn it off) so water will evaporate and not drown the sensors or collect in odd places.

 

I had an oil cooler line burst. Thought it was raining but turned out to be oil blowing back up onto my windshield.

I have been researching, but have just basically heard to cover electrical parts with plastic bags.

I'm planning on using purple power...then a garden hose.

I also have a small oil leak....I think it's the timing chain cover. Have heard about an additive for oil that will allow black light to be used to locate leaks.

 

I'd be very careful with that purple power, as undiluted it can be pretty corrosive (very high pH) to metals (bare aluminum and electrical contacts). It's also tough on painted surfaces. Simple Green isn't as strong, but doesn't present that risk.

 

You could spray degreaser over the bottom of your Z . Place a lawn sprinkler in your driveway and drive back and forth over the sprinkler several times. That does a really nice job cleaning the underside.

 

I have never seen purple power anywhere... what ratio did you dilute it with water?

 

Used it straight. Non diluted but washed/ rinsed right away.

 

I see, I heard most of these cleaners needed " soak time" to dissolve all the crap.
From what I saw there is plenty of grime on the bottom end of the oilpan/ trans/ chassis/ oil/ P.S cooling lines etc. Its all grimy and looks like its been there for a while.

I think I will lift the front of the Z with the car ramps (easy) and remove the plastic underpannel, then spray cleaner on any crime I see and wash it off in 30 seconds.

 

I have had to clean the underbody of cars, and the best way I've found is jacking up the front of the car as high as you can, then using a degreaser, spray the bottom of the car, and spray generously on the high soil areas, then use a pressure washer, or high power setting on the water hose sprayer.
Rinse and repeat as needed. You may also see if there are car washes in your area with underbody washer systems

 

Use P21S total auto wash. Best stuff I have used to clean my engine bay and underneath the engine. Spray on, let sit for a couple of minutes, rinse off.

 

^ this, I have some car ramps that I can take to the local Do-it-yourself wash place, since they have pressure washers. It lifts the car high enough to where I can change the oil so I think that should be high enough.

 

Simple Green works great too!

 

+1 on the Simple Green, although it works better with some assistance from a big paint brush, for example, to work it into the thicker layers of crap. Those high pH cleaners are very risky to use around paint, bare metal, and electrical connections, and it's also nasty to your skin.