Tips to clean engine bay

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: willix
I dirty engine is a happy engine.


Not according to my truck's owner's manual. It says to clean the engine regularly, mainly to keep it running cool. There is even a diagram of what to cover, which includes the battery, fuse box, alternator, and the air filter/MAF sensor.

If the engine is cool to the touch, I wash it with it turned off. If the engine is hot, I prefer to wash it while it's running. I have never had a single problem with either method. I don't cover anything up either. I figure if it gets messed up from a garden hose, it will get messed up from puddles of water and mud too. The truck's engine compartment is pretty open with no skid plates, so it gets wet every time it rains anyway.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I`d also think keeping the engine/engine bay clean would keep all the rubber and plastics in good condition,and keep the metals from rusting/corroding. I clean mine every couple of months.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I guess none of you guys drive in heavy rain?

A little common sense goes a long way. Use plain hot/high pressure water, any soaps just make it penetrate where you don't want it to go.

We routinely wash the underhood areas of our vans and trucks with hot high pressure water spray. The rule is to make sure it gets driven at least a few miles after completion!



Very true....rain actually washed the wife's engine a few years ago....

 

[Ryan]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: willix
I dirty engine is a happy engine.


Not according to my truck's owner's manual. It says to clean the engine regularly, mainly to keep it running cool. There is even a diagram of what to cover, which includes the battery, fuse box, alternator, and the air filter/MAF sensor.

If the engine is cool to the touch, I wash it with it turned off. If the engine is hot, I prefer to wash it while it's running. I have never had a single problem with either method. I don't cover anything up either. I figure if it gets messed up from a garden hose, it will get messed up from puddles of water and mud too. The truck's engine compartment is pretty open with no skid plates, so it gets wet every time it rains anyway.


True true! I usually wash mine either hot or cold with it running so moving parts like the alternator will whisk the water away. Knock on wood I've never had a problem washing under the hood. The only exception was a 93 5.0 Mustang. I never even tried to wash it because I heard the front mounted distributor will cause all kinds of ruckus. I had an LS1 Camaro I washed all the time, but I heard to never attempt to wash an LT1 engine.

 

[RnR]

Originally Posted By: GEWB
This engine (below) had 112,000 miles when pics were taken.
But how many years? It looks darn spiffy... and hopefully just as nice under the shrouds too!

 

[Gebo]

I just go to the car wash, leave the engine running, spray some type of engine cleaner over everything, let it sit for a few minutes and blast it all off with the Hi-Pressure wand sprayer. Been doing this for years with no problems. I drive it home and let it dry off. The next day I bring out the 303 and spray all the rubber I can see.

 

[GEWB]

Originally Posted By: RnR
Originally Posted By: GEWB
This engine (below) had 112,000 miles when pics were taken.
But how many years? It looks darn spiffy... and hopefully just as nice under the shrouds too!


The car was over three years old (almost 3.5) when I took the pics. Condition under the shrouds is almost as clean. However, radiator fins aren't up to par - lots of dinged fins, embedded bugs (too much work to remove the front facia to properly clean the radiator).

Under side of the skid/splash pan (cover the entire underside of the engine bay) gets washed only - I'm obsessive, not crazy! Hmm, then again I did polish the under side of the stainless steal muffler...

I dress the rubber bumpers/seals and treat the hood blanket, after a pressure wash, with tire dressing (works well).

Regards,
GEWB

 

[o2man98]

I actually like to use one of the foaming tire cleaners. Use an entire can to cover the engine bay. Let it sit until the foam is gone and hose off.

 

[BGK]

The only part of the engine compartment that needs to be covered is the spark plug wells, if they are the type that are deep and can hold liquid. Otherwise, nothing should happen when washing an engine. I find the hot water at self serve car washes is best, when the engine compartment has been previously sprayed with some sort of biodegradable cleaner.

 

[Islandvic]

CD-2 Engine Detailer

 

[SaturnIonVue]

GEWB: "However, radiator fins aren't up to par - lots of dinged fins, embedded bugs (too much work to remove the front facia to properly clean the radiator)."

One thing I've used for over 25 years, especially on new cars is to buy a small roll of window screen material (fiberglass works best) at the hardware store--cut it to fit the size of the radiator, add some brass grommets at the top, and use locking nylon ties and tie them off tight somewhere near the top of the radiator but below the tank. Depending on the car, one may need to remove the grill to do the work, but after that you will never have to worry about bugs/dirt clogging up the fins again or have to wash out the fins! And no, you won't increase your engine temperature either. The set-up is self-cleaning, since the bugs soon dry out and fall off the screen rather than stay stuck inside the fins almost forever.

Your engine compartment looks better than great!

 

[Malo83]

I hose my engine bay everytime I wash the car, wipe down the dirtier areas with car soap and scrubbing pad and rinse, I like to start the car and blow it all out with a leaf blower, this gets all the trapped water in all the nooks and crannies and dries the engine bay quik

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[buster]

Can anyone recommend a safe and effective degreaser I can buy retail for engine cleaning? I have 303 for after. I ran out of my Power Clean degreaser and don’t feel like ordering more. Thank you.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: buster
Can anyone recommend a safe and effective degreaser I can buy retail for engine cleaning? I have 303 for after. I ran out of my Power Clean degreaser and don’t feel like ordering more. Thank you.


This stuff works great and is harmless to aluminum. https://simplegreen.com/products/pro-hd-cleaner-degreaser/
Better and safer than regular simple green for cleaning an aluminum engine.

You can buy it at Home Depot.

 

[buster]

Excellent. Thank you!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: buster
Excellent. Thank you!

Any time! I've used it and was very happy with the results. It can be diluted and still work well depending on just how dirty things are.

 

[irv]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: buster
Can anyone recommend a safe and effective degreaser I can buy retail for engine cleaning? I have 303 for after. I ran out of my Power Clean degreaser and don’t feel like ordering more. Thank you.


This stuff works great and is harmless to aluminum. https://simplegreen.com/products/pro-hd-cleaner-degreaser/
Better and safer than regular simple green for cleaning an aluminum engine.

You can buy it at Home Depot.


And I see it's available up here in Canada as well.

Thanks.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: buster
Excellent. Thank you!

Any time! I've used it and was very happy with the results. It can be diluted and still work well depending on just how dirty things are.

 

[SatinSilver]

Dawn dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Spray, let dwell, agitate with old toothbrush, rinse, etc...

There's also Dawn Platinum which is 4x as strong as regular Dawn.

 

[grampi]

I've always had excellent results using Castrol Super Clean. On a stone cold engine, I spray everything down with the CSC and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, but make sure it doesn't start to dry. Then I rinse it all off using a hose and a nozzle with a GENTLE spray. This way you don't have to cover anything and water doesn't get into anything that it can damage. It's extremely important that the engine be completely cold. I do mine after it's been parked over night. A leaf blower works well for drying...