Intake tube gone BROWN after degreasing engine bay!

[charliebrown]

So i sprayed my engine bay with a hose, degreased it, hosed it again... took it for a drive. Then i popped the hood and WTF my intake tube is now a light browny colour (kinda of like wet sand)... Also smells like burnt shit in there. What have i done?! Help please :(

[TheSaint]

what material is the intake tube made out of and what kind of degreaser did you use?

also - did you let the car dry off before you started it?

and did you cover the alternator, dizzy and battery before spraying water in there?

[duzy]

Is the intake tube alluminium/polished or something? That would be surface rust.

I dont think your meant to hose your engine bay first before degreasing.
Always cover important bits like distributor intake and electrics before spraying degreaser.

[charliebrown]

Umm... intake toob i think it's rubber? iono it was black before.

Used some $2 degreaser from supercheap. Red spray can

No i didn't let it dry before i started engine. My thinking was along the lines of 'start engine = hot... hot = dry water'

Did cover some random stuff with aluminium foil... dizzy, spark plugs, intake, battery. When i was trying to cover the battery, it started sparking and shit lol i think i let the foil touch both pos and neg terminals.

When i did some reading up beforehand, it said to hose first.

Was a hectic moment when i went to start the car after i finished... was like 99% sure it wouldnt start lol but it did! :D

[Mikecivic78]

not letting it dry definitely explains why it smells like 'burnt shit'. Always wash it off with a hose and let it dry 1st.

[charliebrown]

Well now i know eh... all the shit i read on HT and TI said "start engine to let it dry" -_-

[TheSaint]

tin foil on the battery ... wow ... what are they teaching you kids these days?
thats a quick way to make a big explosion!
lucky your not missing any limbs

[charliebrown]

Hahah and i'm currently studying chemistry in uni. Anyway would you know what the brown shit is? My engine bay is now uglier than before :(

[TheSaint]

probably a reaction between the degreaser, heat and rubber tubing

remove the tubing from the car - get a bucket full of hot soapy water and clean it up

in future use small amounts of degreeser and a rag to clean ur engine bay - not a hose and tonnes of water

[dougie_504]

Hey mate,

This is just what happens with your intake arm. I've done it before. And from experience it has NOTHING to do with heat.

Hit it with tyre shiner spray or Meguire's plastic trim detailer to get some blackness back.

[90LAN]

the brown shit is dirt and crap still on your hose
you need to use a brush to get rid of it
the burn smell is all that oil/degreaser in your bay dripping on your exhaust manifold

[charliebrown]

Alright, everything's all peachy yeah? Ill just clean up the intake arm tomorrow. Hope i didn't **** anything else up.

Any recommended tyre shines? Need one that doesn't leave grease and shit everywhere

[90LAN]

a non silicon based spray

pm dave in the traders section for some products
reflect effect

[charliebrown]

What about something available at the local autobarn? Will be going past it tomorrow and just need some cheap $5 one that works

[dougie_504]

Anything cheap will be silicone based, like the Meguire's trim detailer - looks good but picks up dirt easily and feels greasy.

[charliebrown]

Am i correct in saying that you don't want silicon anywhere near/in your intake tube as it ****s up the o2 sensor or some shit? Saw it somewhere

[dougie_504]

I use it. Just wipe it on with a cloth, don't spray.

I love it. Looks awesome and I feel good when I see my sh!t looking nice.

[TheSaint]

use Autoglym Bumper Care (use for any black parts on the car including tyres) or Autoglym Rubber and Vinyl Care (more of a rubber hose and interior shine) - both fantastic products

use CRC Contact Cleaner for any electrical bits and a throttlebody and carby cleaner for inside intake tubing and ur throttlebody butterfly