How do you degrease or degrime your engine??

[NewGuy]

I would like to hear your comments on how you get rid of the dirt, grime and grease that covers your valve covers, engine block and other parts under the hood.

I have 3 vehicles ('02 Sequoia, '04 Tahoe and '92 Jeep Comanche) in various states of cleanliness. The Tahoe and Sequoia stay fairly clean under the hood, but the Comanche is a different stores. It has a 4.0L engine with 190K miles. I take it rough places and it gets dirty, greasy and grimey.

I have been low pressure spraying a combination of soapy water and degreaser onto the areas that don't have electrical connections, allowing it a few minutes to dissolve the oil & dirt and then a low pressure rinse. I will then crank the engine and let it warm up to drive off any standing water vs. allowing it to set and soak. I have been considering the use of the aerosol degreasers from AAP, but I am not sure about putting a strong degreaser in close contact with plugs, wires, electrical connectors, etc.

How do you get your engine clean? I know that a forum filled with people who discuss oil and OCIs will have some good comments!!

 

[Mr Nice]

I use Castrol Degreaser spray.

 

[01rangerxl]

A lot of the aerosol engine degreasers will remove or damage paint, so if you have any painted parts under the hood you may want to stay away from them.

I use Orange Blast degreaser. It's sold at Wal-Mart and probably at parts stores. It does a pretty good job, but you may have to scrub some stuff.

I like to clean the engine while it's cool, then go for a drive afterward to dry off everything under the hood. I have to go to a car wash to clean it now, so I have been keeping it running while cleaning it. I don't like the idea of spraying cold water on a hot engine.

A lot of people pressure wash their engines, but you need to be mindful of electrical connectors and other parts that could either have water get inside of them or be damaged by the high pressure. I use low pressure water when I clean my engine.

 

[The Critic]

Simple green full strength. Next I use a brush to give the nasty areas a scrub, then I follow up with a rinse from a garden hose.

 

[SuperEd73]

+1 for the Simple Green.

Ed B.

 

[soldierman]

I use purple power, super clean, or whatever other purple degreaser and high pressure. The only place I've ever had problems is around plugs or distributor cap. Have a screw driver and some WD-40 handy.

 

[Dualie]

Well I personally use the regular engine bright degreaser on any engine parts that have a thick oil/grease coating. And simple green on any others that just have some dirt film to them.

when degreasing an engine I like to start with a WARM NOT HOT engine then apply degrease to all the thick spots some times re apply if needed then wash engine bay full blast from a garden hose with one of those spiffy fire hose nozzles.

I think all of this talk about getting engines wet and having electrical issues is over rated. Just don't hose the distributor cap FULL BORE and you will be fine. I also shy away from blasting directly at the top of the power steering reservoir.

I will say I don't own any "Cars" just trucks and SUV's.

 

[MarkC]

My 96 Cherokee's 4.0 looks clean and new. I spray it with either Simple Green, or just a mix of Dawn and water, when the engine is a little warm, but not hot. Let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse. There's never any need to scrub anything.

 

[Mr Nice]

Have an old tooth brush to get the hard to reach areas.

 

[onion]

This wouldn't be practical for people without access to a shop- but a high pressure steam cleaner is hard to beat. Better yet- spray the engine down with simple green a day or two prior, then steam it off.

You have to be careful around electrical connections, of course.

 

[c3po]

I have some of the Castrol Super Clean, how long do I let it sit on there before hosing it off.

I think Meguiar's sells an Engine Cleaning Spray, is it as effective as the Castrol Super Clean at removing oily grime.

 

[Gary Allan]

I go to the car wash. Turn the knob to "Engine Degreaser" ..apply. Turn knob to "Rinse" ...rinse. I then wash the rest of the jeep.

The worst I have is dust that collects where some oil was spilled around the filler cap (and wherever it drained off to).

 

[AcuraTech]

If you're gonna degrease the engine, please take it to the carwash or somewhere equivalent. Letting degreasers and oil run into the storm sewer is a bad idea.

That being said, canned degreaser followed by an easy (not too close) spray with the pressure washer. While you're at it, hose out the radiator and condenser, lots of junk builds up in there.

 

[brianl703]

I just rinse it with water at a carwash. If it's too dirty for that to help, then I use Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner.

 

[Colt45ws]

I do not clean engines of dirt that does not affect its function.

 

[mstrjon32]

Originally Posted By: Onmo'Eegusee
I do not clean engines of dirt that does not affect its function.


No, but it certainly makes it more pleasant to work on, and if you're the type of person that derives pleasure from looking at a clean engine, it's very important.

 

[wavinwayne]

Simple Green/Water 60/40 mix.

 

[Colt45ws]

I do not derive pleasure from spending a week and a half tracking down silly electrical gremlins.

 

[mstrjon32]

I've washed the engine of every car I've owned, and the worst that ever happened was I got some water under the distributor cap and had a misfire on one cylinder. Letting it idle until it was good and hot cleared up the misfire, and it was never a problem again. Of course, this could have been avoided by covering the distributor, but I was lazy.

Never had a single glitch on a car with an electronic ignition system.

Most of that stuff under there is designed to get wet. It's not a big deal.

 

[cp3]

+1 for Simple Green

Most if not all of the electrical connections underhood are weather proof, sealed harness type connectors and should withstand a wash. Al least I haven't had any problems.