Green haze

[5Toes]

Yesterday I washed my car's engine with GUnk. It said apply to cold engine, but there was no way that could happen, my Dad wouldn't let all that filthy water stain our driveway.

So I ran down to the local DIY carwash, about a mile away. Popped the hood and sprayed a whole can on. I waited ten minutes, then used the "rinse water" for 4 minutes to spray it all down.

Then this green haze formed, and it isn't coming off. My nail has no effect :( It has covered the airbox, some rubber lines, the spark plug rail thing, one shock tower has some on it. Im pissed

Any ideas?

[deutschman]

i dont think it was the heat because non of the parts that got "green" are parts that get very hot while the motor is running. especially for a short running time like that.
maybe the cleaner reacted with a chemical that was already there?

[bmw325csi]

Thats the crap BMW would spray on cars coming over seas. The only thing I have found to take it off is paint thinner and other harsh solvents

[KenC]

Thats the crap BMW would spray on cars coming over seas. The only thing I have found to take it off is paint thinner and other harsh solvents

That's not cosmoline.

[5Toes]

Well jeeze. 22 year old stuff ruining my day. I was 95% it was not heat related.

Well, I used my knife to start taking it off that one cover, by the ATF fluid. Pain in the butt, yet it works.

I was thinking simple green might do it. Spray it on, wash it off a half a hour later.

I love this knife. My SOG Flash I, the assisted opening is sitcky, but they have that problem. Im sending it in soon and they are gonna fix it and sharpen it for free :)

[deutschman]

looks like cooked on oil. i see that a lot on valve covers and intake manifolds. maybe you or the po had a open valve cover vent or something that was spraying a fine mist of oil all over the engine bay that got cooked on...

[5Toes]

No its not oil, the valve cover had oil all over it. That came off with high pressure water... 90%. Ill get the rest later when I do a valve adjustment.

Simple green helped.

[5Toes]

I sprayed a whole spray bottle of half simple green and half water in the engine bay.

I might get it steam cleaned. My Dad had his 84 Buick done a year or two ago for $80... SPOTLESS

[jlevie]

That greenish stuff is the cosmoline like coating that was put on for ocean shipping.

[5Toes]

Well brake clean might work? lol

[bernzpeed]

how about sand paper?

[Holland]

Cosmoline is orange but appears green on the black plastic.

[lolcantturn]

Well brake clean might work? lol

There are only three solutions to cosmoline:
1. Going on an absolutely insane scrubbing spree in which no family member, no friend, will ever love you again
2. Extreme pressure washer (works well)
3. Respray your engine bay

[5Toes]

Some gun guys use diesel. I think I might pull the airbox off one of these days, isolate my self off across the street, soak a rag in diesel and scrub it