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God dammit

are you talking about the spray bottle stuff or the can that sprays like 20ft. does the ignition coil pack need to be covered too?
 


I use simple green mixed 50/50 with water heavy oil 70/30 in a spray bottle on a cold engine spray liberally and let sit a few nylon brush whatever looks extra heavy and wash it all down. works really good and smells nice to
 
this stuff is what i use. after the first time you'll see what you missed, if its thick use a old paint brush to break it free.

i cover nothing. its all weather tight.
716mbxR0HBL._SY355_.jpg
 
Dirty talk, awright!

Racer, fear not. There are always options...

I am from the not wanting to wet down certain components camp as well. Not so much paranoid, just sensible.
You can start out with a vaccuum cleaner and a paint brush and do yourself a big favor.
Gloves are another big favor you can do yerself. latex cheapos that fit.
Use a scrap of wood or cut the side out of a plastic jug to make a scraper for soft thick oily areas underneath.
Inside out old socks just dry can help you scrub in corners, with a stick
Now that you've removed buildup without scratching anything and creating more rust potential...
Cheap paint prep degreaser cuts everything, evaporates quickly and doesn't hurt plastic. Try some, with plenty rags.
Do as much as you can with these methods, then get to any details you want to tend
Now go pressure wash it gently, staying out of the big electronics. Everything is OK to get wet, to a degree.
Best at this point is compressed air and an old towel to finish. A shop vac if not compressed air.
I just don't like water to sit anywhere, myself.

On the sense of defeat, of doubting your own capacity- "A man ain't worth his salt, that can't face facts when the time comes."
You always have the option of just keeping a close eye on fluid levels, cleaning things up, and studying here. But you will have to step into the hands-on as often as possible if you want to grow mechanically. I did my first L36 LIM job in my early 40s and it was a mind blower, I was overly cautious as hell. Had I been on here then I would have been laughed out. So now I don't poke much fun at noobs.
 


idrivejunk said:
Dirty talk, awright!

Racer, fear not. There are always options...

I am from the not wanting to wet down certain components camp as well. Not so much paranoid, just sensible.
You can start out with a vaccuum cleaner and a paint brush and do yourself a big favor.
Gloves are another big favor you can do yerself. latex cheapos that fit.
Use a scrap of wood or cut the side out of a plastic jug to make a scraper for soft thick oily areas underneath.
Inside out old socks just dry can help you scrub in corners, with a stick
Now that you've removed buildup without scratching anything and creating more rust potential...
Cheap paint prep degreaser cuts everything, evaporates quickly and doesn't hurt plastic. Try some, with plenty rags.
Do as much as you can with these methods, then get to any details you want to tend
Now go pressure wash it gently, staying out of the big electronics. Everything is OK to get wet, to a degree.
Best at this point is compressed air and an old towel to finish. A shop vac if not compressed air.
I just don't like water to sit anywhere, myself.

On the sense of defeat, of doubting your own capacity- "A man ain't worth his salt, that can't face facts when the time comes."
You always have the option of just keeping a close eye on fluid levels, cleaning things up, and studying here. But you will have to step into the hands-on as often as possible if you want to grow mechanically. I did my first L36 LIM job in my early 40s and it was a mind blower, I was overly cautious as hell. Had I been on here then I would have been laughed out. So now I don't poke much fun at noobs.
Click to expand...

But i dont want to take the chance of messing up my own car. Junk yard one sure but not mine. Im taking classes in HS but its just regular stuff like tire rotation, oil change etc. i have no major mechanical skills and no way of acquiring them.
 
All I can say is, I'd rock my '98 Regal on a cross country road trip before I'd trust a 2015 anything to make it.
 
You just have to go for it. Just take it easy and don't be stupid and the confidence will build up over time. Eventually you realize that it isn't about knowing exactly what to do; it's more of a mindset that you have while fixing things. Don't rush things, put bolts in labeled ziplock bags, look up YouTube videos if you need visual aids and most importantly just don't panic and you'll find that you actually know a lot more than you think you know.
 


Pontiac Racer said:
But i dont want to take the chance of messing up my own car. Junk yard one sure but not mine. Im taking classes in HS but its just regular stuff like tire rotation, oil change etc. i have no major mechanical skills and no way of acquiring them.
Click to expand...

Point taken. But you do have to start somewhere. Best suggestion- start with a $20 Chilton's or Haynes manual from the parts store. Its organized, basic info in terms you can deal with plus pics, thats there when you need it. Anybody who doesn't work on cars that I've given one to has thanked me later. So save up for one of those, if you haven't already. Good luck
 
Not to jump in, but Pontiac Racer, I knew NOTHING about Civics and had to do a timing belt and water pump (albeit thats sorta easy.) but just take your time, I watched close to four hours worth of YouTube videos, worked slowly and surely. It turned out great. Just take it easy, work slowly and if you have any questions on anything, ask here. Any questions ive asked are usually answered within an hour (praise to Scottydoggs)
 
I'm just not the pic taking type, got a couple of the engine bay after I replaced my very old jacked up K&N cone, and have the pics from the CL ad saved, but that's it. Got 21.4 mpg last tank, drive her daily. G8 is fun and all, and v8's are awesome, but I just missed that blower whine for a long time, plus this regal is just such an unsuspecting car.

I'll have to put together a thread, nothing special about her yet, though.
 


Racer.. confidence is the key.. If you are willing to build some up, the JY is a great place to get started. Around here there are a few that you can go into and they don't care what you do to cars as long as it's not walking around smashing windows. Perfect place to tear down the top of a 3800 and get a good feeling that you can do things.

Also.. if you happen to see someone on here that's nearby (locations are often over under the avatar), maybe toss them a pm about helping out. For me.. this is a 2 hour job and I believe in power washing my engine. Got pics and a vid of how my car ran perfectly after being cleaned for it's first time at 160K when I bought it.

Everything takes Scottydoggs a little longer because he's one of them huge scary looking guys til you meet him. Then you understand why his avatar is Goofy. HighOctaneRacing.... I think I fell asleep drunk before he fully finished the job. Dude goes overboard though, even replaced the rad cap. Was a good time though. Overall.. there'a a good group of folks on the forum that would likely be happy to help for a burger from Micky D's.
 
Well also I'm gonna see about doing an apprenticeship program through my school for auto mechanics. Im not sure if i really want to do it though.
 
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