I detailed my engine bay

[SwedishRider]

I have always been leery of detailing my engine bay. I've heard of all these nightmare stories of problems after hose water hits an engine. But I took a leap of faith after quite a bit of research and detailed my truck's engine bay. It's the first time ever I've attempted it.

I let the truck sit overnight (2007 Ford Ranger), used a plastic bag to cover the spark plug wires, rinsed it down, sprayed GUNK Engine Cleaner and Degreaser, and lightly brushed the dirty surfaces (including the underside of the hood) for about 10 minutes. I rinsed thoroughly, removed the plastic bag, and then idled the engine for 15 minutes (to dry, as the instructions said to do).

Then, I applied GUNK Engine Shine, and let it sit. Done. I think it came out pretty good for my first time doing it. When I took the "after" pictures, the shine was not fully dried yet. I'm certainly no pro- this is a pure amateur job. But I do think it came out pretty good for a first-timer on a daily driver.

What do you all think?

 

[Swift101]

Very Nice!! I like a nice clean engine bay myself, even though I rarely pop to hood.

 

[wemay]

One of the most gratifying jobs around. My wife meditates, i detail our cars' engine bays.

 

[Joel_MD]

Very nice improvement! I've been detailing engines for decades using a garden hose and never cover anything to protect from the water. I've tried Gunk and other products. Lately I've been using Purple Power degreaser diluted with about two parts water. I've found that a Speed Master wheel brush is a handy tool to agitate the dirt in all the crevices before rinsing. After rinsing I blow off most of the water with compressed air and then drive the car for about ten minutes to dry. I wash my engines about twice a year to keep them clean.

 

[Donald]

Nice JCI manufactured battery.

I need the engine bay of my Bobcat detailed.

 

[Inspecktor]

After seeing how nice this one looks, I need to do mine! I noticed how clean the brake fluid and coolant are also.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Way to be cautious, as some will pressure wash the whole thing and .....welll....

Ive done it and had a miss that went away after heating up. Best to be preventive and avoid such pitfalls.


Nice idear Joel_MD on using compressed air. A cheap paint brush can work well too.


SwedishRider, if you want to go further you can look into using a tire dressing product on rubber and plastics, a petroleum type oil on the various underhood metals, and a paint wax on the underhood painted areas. Although, of course, you will need to exercise caution as these products may be misapplied and can hold on to dust and dirt and may be damaging (aka. Motor oil used to polish the block can get on belts and hoses and possibly deteriorate them, thus going againt any benefit you have achieved, et cetera). So, you can potentially domore harm than good with just a simple slip up.

 

[mjoekingz28]

P.S.

Now you can probably just wipe down what you can with a dampened, w/water' towel and forego the use of chemicals for awhile. Be sure to wear your glasses.

 

[RISUPERCREWMAN]

The key is to use low pressure water staying away from critical electrical componets, & starting with a bone cold engine. Been doing it for years & never a problem.

 

[kam327]

Looks great and I'd love to do both my cars, but aren't you guys worried about washing oily residue and other engine bay contaminants right down the driveway and into the storm sewer? That nagging environmental guilt is the only thing that stops me from doing it.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: RISUPERCREWMAN
The key is to use low pressure water staying away from critical electrical componets, & starting with a bone cold engine. Been doing it for years & never a problem.


This is my method also. I would add that I always make sure and warm it up after the work is done.

No storm sewer anywhere for miles out here...

 

[Scum_Frog]

Great job!

I've also used Spray Nine and Simple Green and they work great.

 

[JTK]

Great work! A clean engine is a happy engine.

My engine bays are cleaner than the cars themselves. I too just run the garden hose over them and quick wipe the engine down with a wash rag and what's left in the car washing bucket. 30+ years and I've never experienced an issue in doing it this way.

 

[OneEyeJack]

The secret is Pledge Furniture polish. It's a secret so don't tell anyone.

 

[Chris B.]

Excellent job! Looks like a pro did it!

 

[MCompact]

VERY nice job!

Here are before and after shots of my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 engine bay, as well as one shot of my 1995 Club Sport:

 

[SwedishRider]

Thank you all for the suggestions and positive feedback! It is appreciated!

I think I'm brave enough now to detail the engine bay of my wife's car. I'll post some before and after pics when I have a chance to give it a try.

 

[ryanschillinger]

I clean under the hood of all my vehicles. My friends always kinda laughed about it... But it makes working on the car more enjoyable, since you don't get as dirty. Also, it's nice when you have to take your car in for work somewhere, they notice and mention how clean it is under the hood.
I rinse with water, use degreaser to clean, rinse again, then spray everything down with a protectant. I like Silk Shine by Chemical Guys. Once everything is dry, I wipe off the excess and there is no oily residue to attract dust. I used to use Armor All, and it looked great, but seemed to grab more dust.

 

[demarpaint]

It looks good. It makes working on the car a little easier too.