Engine compartment cleaning

[fredcohiba]

Who washes their engine/engine bay, why do you do it and how?
We just got a new used car with a very dirty/dusty engine compartment, (seller lived near a stone quarry so lots of airborne stone dust) and I am debating whether just to leave it or wash it.

 

[Farmhand]

I don't, however I've never had a vehicle I cared about all that much, having been a vehicular bottom feeder- getting cars that everyone else has given up on.
Now I have a car I actually would like to keep in nice condition, but I haven't ever bothered with the engine bay. I have heard that pressure washers or steam cleaners are out, they can do damage.
'Round here, vehicles rust away long before they wear out anyhow. I'm sure the car companies love the Northeast.

 

[2011etec]

I use la,s totally awesome cleaner.Buy it at the dollar store cheap.Use garden hose strength water to wash off ,it does a good job,no worse than the more pricey engine cleaner.

 

[4-2-7]

Well with my classic cars and newer ones you can make them look great. Here is what I have done for many years and since your doing a newer car it should not be very greasy. Before washing the outside take care of the EC, under side door and trunk jams. I start with the under side jacking it up pulling wheels to get the wheel wells good.

I use simple green as it's a great degreaser and will not harm or discolor anything like aluminum parts. Squirt it where ever you can get at and then just blast with the hose, put the tires back on and lower the car down.

Engine compartment.

Pull things off like plastic engine covers, you might have a plastic shroud over the radiator and headlight area. Squirt down the engine really good with simple green, obviously the greasy areas will need more attention with the degreaser. Blast the whole compartment out with the hose and do you cowl and vent intake area while your there and look at the under side of the hood. You engine compartment can handle a lot of hosing but use your brain.

You don't want to blast a lot of water in you cowl vents and flood the car...

You don't want to keep blasting things like you fuse block, or any other relay boxes under the hood. They can get wet enough to clean them, and most have seals from weather.

Now start the car and give it another quick blast while running. Close the hood and rinse the car and take it for a ride to dry the EC. When you get back open the hood and mist WD-40 all over the compartment. The WD-40 will disperse water and will also act as a conductor for electrical connections. It will also leave all the parts with a new fresh look all the while drying out and not staying oily. If you pass up this step black parts like hoses, plastic will be dry whitish looking, WD-40 does make the compartment look new again.

Now close the hood and wash the out side of the car. BTW, if you want really clean windows use Ammonia and warm water first, then clean with windex

If you have a 45 year old classic with an old motor then we do the same but step up to a power washer.

 

[for_p1]

Who washes their engine/engine bay, why do you do it and how?
We just got a new used car with a very dirty/dusty engine compartment, (seller lived near a stone quarry so lots of airborne stone dust) and I am debating whether just to leave it or wash it.

If you are not preparing car for show - there is no real value from cleaning engine bay. I never did it in my cars, even when I used them daily for 8 years.

 

[kirkendoll]

I have older cars that need more maintenance than newer ones so it is nice to have a spotless engine to work on and I just hate a dirty engine bay. I have been using Superclean for over twenty years now for cleaning engines, tires, chrome, laundry kitchen, and anything else that gets greasy. You do have to be careful with it because it can be harsh on on paint, aluminum, plastic, and you hands if not diluted enough.

 

[4-2-7]

I have older cars that need more maintenance than newer ones so it is nice to have a spotless engine to work on and I just hate a dirty engine bay. I have been using Superclean for over twenty years now for cleaning engines, tires, chrome, laundry kitchen, and anything else that gets greasy. You do have to be careful with it because it can be harsh on on paint, aluminum, plastic, and you hands if not diluted enough.

Thanks for reminding me about this product, I was going to mention to never ever use that stuff in a purple bottle at the auto stores as I forgot what it was called.

I use simple green as it's a great degreaser and will not harm or discolor anything like aluminum parts.

The above product is why I made this statement in my fist post. If you don't care if you cast aluminum parts look dull old and brownish use it if you like.

However it really sucks big time if you build a new motor costing $7000- $10,000 and up. Having the majority of the parts being aluminum, all new and bright and you use this crap on it.



Using that stuff will make bright new aluminum casting look older and dirtier than my hand prints on top of this air cleaner.

 

[skippy_ps]

Yep, Super Clean will indeed turn aluminum brown and it looks like crap. I know because I did it too . It is great for parts and tool cleaning, however.

Once a year or so, I just get the garden hose out and clean the engine off that way. Sometimes, I use car wash soap and a soft brush and wash whatever I can get too. Anything messy like spilled oil, I use Gunk or something similar.

Murray

 

[Lavane]

My jeep gets the engine compartment and under side cleaned about 2 or 3 times a year crossing rivers. Seems do do the job.

 

[sKiZo]

I've never cleaned mine, then again, there's no room for dirt to get up in there ... <G>

I've also managed to fill a couple leftover gaps with tools I've dropped and never seen again.

 

[MaxxVolume]

I`ve been driving and wrenching on BMWs for over 35 years, and have watched their progression over the years, always moving toward less durability, and less DIY-friendly. The ones built in the last 20 years have a shitload of sensitive (and expensive) electronics under the hood, so sticking a hose under there is just like playing Russian Roulette....the possibility is always there that you will do serious damage by doing so.

My preferred (safe) method is to use a bucket of hot water, one of those oval-shaped toilet brushes, a bunch of old rags, and a spray bottle of Castrol Super Degreaser. Spray the degreaser onto a relatively small area, scrub it with the brush, wipe it off with a damp rag. After everything dries, I spray on a mist of Armor All Original Formula protectant, and close the hood 3/4 of the way, using a small cardboard box to hold it open a bit.

I let this sit overnight, and in the morning, wipe off any residual protectant that might have been left behind. The result looks like a professionally-detailed engine compartment.

 

[usedto]

Here in CA, technically it's illegal to allow runoff from cleaning anything that has oil residue unless it goes into a retaining pond where the oil can be removed.. Even the do-it-yourself car washes have signs that say "No engine cleaning".

From what I see, it's that way in many states.

 

[grillebilly]

I use Gunk Foamy Bright on my motorcycles and car engines. Easy to do and won't hurt paint.
http://www.gunk.com/products/DET_FEB1.ASP

 

[mkane]

Living on a 5 mile long dirt road, why bother.

 

[sKiZo]

Here in CA, technically it's illegal to allow runoff from cleaning anything that has oil residue unless it goes into a retaining pond where the oil can be removed..

I'll be thinking on that next week when I'm out painting the fences with waste oil ... ;-}

 

[gadget73]

Most of the caustic degreasers work about the same. They are lye based, and all of them will eat aluminum if left in contact too long. Use whichever you like, or the one that is on sale that week.

Generally if I'm washing a filthy engine, I warm it up somewhat first. Not to operating temperature, but warmer than outside temp. It gets a quick spray with water, then I apply the degreaser. That sits for however long it takes to get the pressure washer going. Once thats running, I blast the BS out of everything. I deal with older stuff that isn't real moody, so I haven't had any special issues. I don't cover anything either, figuring if I screw it up its my own fault and I can fix it anyway. Once its clean, start the engine and let it dry itself off. I might be leery about the pressure washer on newer, moodier things. Just a hose is probably sufficient there. My pressure washer is fairly wimpy too. I wouldn't use one with any real amount of grunt to it. I used to use a friend's little electric one, which was not very powerful at all. It was perfect for removing loose goo but not actually damaging anything else.

 

[SPL db]

You named your engine Bob?

I made the mistake of using Simple Green on a faux brushed aluminum interior piece on a truck I had. Left blotches on the piece and I swore I would never use Simple Green again.

 

[sKiZo]

Not sure when "Bob" came about ... that's been my forum sig on the Aurora board for years.

I imagine I'd just watched Titan AE while under some influence or other ...

Akima: You can’t call a planet “Bob.”
Cale: So now you’re the boss. You’re the King of Bob.
Akima: Can’t we just call it “Earth”?
Cale: No one said you have to live on Bob.
Akima: I’m never calling it that.

PS ... here's how I clean out my exhaust pipes ...

 

[noogies]

My older cars see relatively limited use, so I just get under there every few weeks with a bunch of rags, some Simple Green and some vinyl/rubber dressing. I never put a hose on them or soak them in any way. This is probably enough for cars that don't put on too many miles -- after all, my mother always used to tell me the best way to clean something is not to let it get dirty in the first place.

My newer frequent-use vehicles pretty much get ignored as nobody seems to care very much anyway.

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

Use some sort of degreaser, and pressure wash.......don't bother covering "sensitive electronics" because you don't have any. Your vehicle was designed to be driven in all weather, which includes water and road salt.

I would not use Super Clean, as it can dull paint. I suppose you could dilute it a bit, for painted areas. Also, after you're done, drive it, so the water evaporates.

Once you get it to a level of clean that you're happy with, spraying it with the hose should be fine, depending on how often you revisit the area. Actually, if the problem is mainly dust, and not oil, you might be able to get away with a hose the first time, or maybe skip the heavy degreaser.