How to Get Paint to Stick on a Car Engine

Painting your car's engine can really improve the visual appeal of your engine compartment, but it can be challenging to get paint to adhere to a greasy engine block. Proper preparation and cleaning are essential to any paint job, but a vehicle engine presents a special challenge due to road grime buildup, oil leaks, high temperatures, and hard-to-reach areas. Thorough cleaning and proper paint selection mean the difference between a peeling mess and a sharp-looking engine paint job.

Instructions

1

Coat engine parts to be painted with degreaser. Spray cans of foaming degreaser are great choices for getting into nooks and crannies on the engine that trap dirt and grime. Let the degreaser soak for half an hour.

2

Scrub the engine with stiff brushes and rags. Take your time and make sure you scrub every section of the part you will be painting.

3

Rinse with water. Be careful spraying water around an engine compartment; only spray directly onto the surface you're cleaning and avoid over-spray. Repeat the cleaning process as needed until all grease has been removed.

4

Sand the surface to be painted. Paint needs a slightly rough surface to stick to, so make sure you do a thorough sanding job.

5

Wipe off any sanding dust and dry the engine with shop rags.

6

Paint the engine using high-temperature engine paint. Normal spray paints aren't formulated to stand up to the temperatures of a vehicle engine and will not work for this application.