Quick engine bay cleaning of beater

Status
Not open for further replies.
9

97tbird

Joined
May 9, 2003
Messages
9,282
Location
Fayetteville, NC
Elllie the Elantra's engine bay was pretty dirty - 210k miles...
Did a very quick cleaning today...Not very good but loads better than it was for sure:

sprayed mildly with garden hose
sprayed Purple Power full strength everywhere
let it sit for about 5 minutes,
agitated SOME parts with a brush,
sprayed off again with garden hose
went for a quick 20 min drive
dried off with a rag
sprayed poor boys' trim/interior cleaner and 1z plastic cleaner (didn't have anything else)
wiped off residue - that's it.

BEFORE and AFTERs:



 
Last edited:
Wow looks great!
I need to do this someday on all my cars. Have always been scared of getting something wet that shouldn't be and ending up with corrosion or something failed.

Love it!
 
Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
Even after all of that, you couldn't manage to get the cover on the battery terminal?

Nope - it's loose - doesn't stay on; no matter how many times I push it on, pops right back off.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Wow looks great!
I need to do this someday on all my cars. Have always been scared of getting something wet that shouldn't be and ending up with corrosion or something failed.
Love it!

Thanks - well I was scared too; a lot. Never done this before; and I covered the alternator and fuse box areas with a plastic bag; I was still very nervous when I started the car for the 1st time after spraying water...

It would have looked even cleaner if I sprayed stronger/more, but I was afraid to do it. Oh well, at least next time i don't have to do much - just need to maintain at this level at a minimum.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Elllie the Elantra's engine bay was pretty dirty - 210k miles...
Did a very quick cleaning today...Not very good but loads better than it was for sure:

sprayed mildly with garden hose
sprayed Purple Power full strength everywhere
let it sit for about 5 minutes,
agitated SOME parts with a brush,
sprayed off again with garden hose
went for a quick 20 min drive
dried off with a rag
sprayed poor boys' trim/interior cleaner and 1z plastic cleaner (didn't have anything else)
wiped off residue - that's it.

Instead of the 2 steps:
went for a quick 20 min drive
dried off with a rag

I use blow dry of a shopvac to dry off the water on the engine, especially around the electrical connectors, then leave the hood up for few hours for the sun and air to dry off any remaining water.
 
That's probably best.
But I don't own a ShopVac, nor did I have any sun today
frown.gif

did have a bit of cold-ish air to dry, though.
 
Just a quick tip from my experience. What I have done in the past is after washing and rinsing everything off, I sprayed with Wax-as-u-dry or equivalent. Moved that stuff around with my hand or wet rag and then rinsed it off. That made everything bead water. When I dried it off it wasn't super shiny or greasy but it all looked like brand new. Usually stays pretty clean after that since there is no greasy residue for dust to stick to. Used to do professional detailing and that was a good trick to make things look new instead of that typical used car lot dripping with grease look.
 
Thanks - I will keep that in mind if I ever get the courage to do this to the Bimmer someday.
Luckily it has been so far maintained in a very clean state, and has only 42k miles, and I only need to wipe with a wet rag to make it look brand new...

The Elantra never got such care, and when its radiator failed (its only mechanical repair ever), the engine bay got sprayed with coolant - I think those are the white spots you see everywhere in the 1st pic.
 
Can't tell in the 1st pic but did you have the one battery terminal off to the right ?
It's wise to disconnect the battery and let things dry before reconnecting .

Looks good !
 
Thanks - it was still on.
good tip: I should have done that; no ill-effects however.

And I did have the battery covered with a plastic bag during the cleaning (and the alternator, fuse box area)
 
That is really nice! I feel your nervousness but I have never (knock on wood) had a problem cleaning my engine bay either on any of my vehicles. Really makes a nice difference.
 
Wow, amazing turn around!!Was that just with the interior cleaner? It does look like it has imparted nice protectant shine.
 
Thanks!
Yep - I didn't have a dedicated engine-detailing product, so After the cleaning, I just used a mix of PB interior cleaner and the 1z plastic cleaner to give it a 'dressed' look...
It''s actually a nicer matte sheen than on the pics.
 
Did you clean the underside of the hood as well? Looks great and I like the steps/products you used.
thumbsup2.gif
 
It can get wet but don't spray the hose directly on it. Spray the hose around it where the metal is. Spray with cleaner and let dwell, 5 minutes or so, agitate with soft brush, rinse.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

gregk24
2021 VW Jetta engine bay cleaning
Replies
9
Views
2K
Soft Cars
gregk24
I cleaned my engine bay today
2 3
Replies
46
Views
5K
ARCOgraphite
T
Mean Green Degreaser
Replies
9
Views
2K
Kira
A
Purple Power NOT safe on aluminium!
2
Replies
21
Views
12K
Graham Piccinini
E
Scotchbrite to clean up rust spot on cam lobe
2
Replies
29
Views
4K
researcher
Back
Top