Engine bay cleaning tips

[JBeezy]

Sorry if this has been covered. I need some tips on cleaning my engine bay. Do's and dont's. It isn't bad but I'd like to clean it anyway. Just because it deserves it.

39536

[fastblackmerc]

Sorry if this has been covered. I need some tips on cleaning my engine bay. Do's and dont's. It isn't bad but I'd like to clean it anyway. Just because it deserves it.

39536

Get a good brand engine degrease, I use the Gunk (citrus) brand, follow directions on the can, don't directly spray alternator and electrical connectors with water.

[JBeezy]

Simple enough. I think I read somewhere about adding an extra drain hole to the air ride compressor location. Is this necessary?

[fastblackmerc]

Simple enough. I think I read somewhere about adding an extra drain hole to the air ride compressor location. Is this necessary?

I would. Will prevent problems later on.

[jsignorelli]

1st: never let the engine get so dirty or greasy that you need de-greaser. I use regular auto shampoo and a power washer on low setting monthly to clean the engine area. I show the car every week to two weeks so it get the same treatment as the all polished engines.
As for the extra drain hole for the air ride.. absolutely!

[Granddaddy Marq]

So you think that's dirty?

[Marauderjack]

So you think that's dirty?


^^^+1^^^:shake:

[blkZooM]

lol, I kind of can't help but laugh you engine bay is rather clean man WAYYY cleaner than mine that's for sure

[JBeezy]

Well it isn't that dirty, I guess I should say rather dusty. The timing cover is mainly what needs cleaning. We have this event called first Friday downtown that I wanted to attend and show my car. I wanted the engine bay clean when I do. It's raining so I won't make it this month.

[Jeffonebuck]

This>>. http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Original-California-Car-Duster/14294929


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[NavySeabee]

I use 1/2 Simple Green and 1/2 water, brush, garden hose on sprinkle setting and a leaf blower to dry it out.

Croftgate Tire Shine dresses it up nicely after it's cleaned.

[champ1173]

So you think that's dirty?
I was thinking the same thing! It doesn't look that dirty to me. I've seen some really nasty ones, and this isn't even close!

[JBeezy]

This>>. http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Original-California-Car-Duster/14294929


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I have a California Duster, which is a must having a Black car. Never thought about using it under the hood

[whitey]

Cover alternator with a shopping bag, spray the engine with ' Awesome' cleaner from dollar tree, let sit for a few minutes. Hose off with showering spray of water(make it rain). The COP covers can and will allow water under them if you directly spray water on them/the edges. After your done, start it up, take it for a 5-10 cruise to dry most of it up, then use the engine shine of your choice. Tip: dont worry about every little crack and crevice, if someone is looking that hard, they need to get a life.:D

[whitey]

I have a California Duster, which is a must having a Black car. Never thought about using it under the hood

I wouldnt use it....atleast not one i would use on my paint also.

[Granddaddy Marq]

I've been wanting to go to that down town thing ya'll have over there. First Friday.

[slickster]

No matter how much I cleaned my motor the brown and corroded upper intake made it look like crap no matter what. After I sprayed it with high temp silver paint it really made it pop and look clean again. Also stay away from degreasers that leave a white res after its rinsed even

[whitey]

Slickster, take sand paper to it. mine looked like crap too, and i just did a quick scrub with 200-250 grit sanding block at it cleaned up nice. Still waiting for a time i can polish it like cer0413's!

[Mebot]

Subscribing to this thread for future reference

[sflrainmaker01]

I gotta do mine soon too. What brand(s) of cleaner are environmentally safe (and effective) so I can do it in my driveway? No, I am not an environmentalist, but we live on a canal and wouldn't want any runoff to get in the canal. The dolphins wouldn't come around anymore, then! :P

[gdmjoe]

NavySeabee - I use 1/2 Simple Green ...
Regarding using Simple Green (excerpted from the FAQ at Simple Green's web site) ...
Aluminum — Is it safe to use Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner on aluminum?

When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser, and Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green product residues.

Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Because of the high amount of aluminum components in the engine bay, I opt not to use Simple Green (or any product like it).

Engine bay cleaning supplies include (though is not limited to) ... various sizes of paint brushes.
DAWN dish soap. *Add water to make a cleaning solution.
smalll brass wire brush. *To clean-off aluminum oxidation. Follow-up with silicone spray.
mineral spirits. *For any stubborn, build-up.
lemon Pledge.

http://www.gdmjoe.com/gothvic/engine/enginebay-640.jpg

[Accumulator]

No (regular) Simple Green on aluminum for me, I've see how it can "cloud" the finish of bare aluminum or areas where the anodizing/clearcoat is compromised. Don't they make a version that's aluminum-friendly, suitable for aviation/etc. applications?

I try to avoid products that will attract or retain dust and dirt. I like a "dry" type finish that can be easily cleaned during each wash (with just regular carwash shampoo or a rinseless wash like Infinite Use Detail Juice) without the need to redo in a big way all the time.

For Black Plastic & Rubber-

Clean with Griot's Rubber Prep
Seal with Utlima's Tire & Trim Guard Plus
Maintain with ValuGard's Fast Finish

Even if you don't have time to do the FastFinish, the Ultima keeps things looking nice for a long, long time.

If you don't want to bother with the Ultima Sealant, the FastFinish alone is great on most surfaces, but it needs redone after each wash.

Corroded alternator casings/etc. (what is that finish anyhow? Zinc?) and other lightly corroded bits clean up easily with Wurth's Rost Off and a brass brush. The Rost Off doesn't attract/retain dust and dirt the way I expected it to, it leaves a pretty dry finish. I've also done OK with KRC7 (a product made for bathroom fixtures) but that needs to be rinsed, or at least wiped off.

sflrainmaker01- You might want to look into citrus-based products like P21s Total Auto Wash. But if it's really nasty, give some thought to the greasy stuff you'll be cleaning off...don't want that being part of the runoff either.

Sometimes I'll clean off nasty grease with a solvent and rags/paper towels, which I then just throw away. Solvent and a toothbrush can work well too. And the solvent evaporates, so no need to rinse afterwards.

[sflrainmaker01]

sflrainmaker01- You might want to look into citrus-based products like P21s Total Auto Wash. But if it's really nasty, give some thought to the greasy stuff you'll be cleaning off...don't want that being part of the runoff either.

Sometimes I'll clean off nasty grease with a solvent and rags/paper towels, which I then just throw away. Solvent and a toothbrush can work well too. And the solvent evaporates, so no need to rinse afterwards.

Luckily, there isn't a lot of grease. It's mostly like everyone else is saying-the aluminum intake and coil covers look like crap. There is also a lot of white "spots", like maybe the previous owner tried to clean it but didn't wash it all off very well.

[88CuttyClassic]

After i clean i use back to black on the plastics. They look fantastic.

[Accumulator]

sflrainmaker01- What surfaces have thoser "white spots"? My p71 had them on the all galvanized/zinc(?) plated parts but they cleaned up OK and have stayed that way now that I'm the guy maintaining it :D

My upper plenum wasn't all that bad so it cleaned up OK too, I haven't worked on the cylinderheads yet though.

[sailsmen]

1/2 the time I get water in the spark plug wells. It hits the firewall and runs down the coil wire.
You may want to remove the coil covers after to check for water.

I have had good results with 50% simple solution in a spray bottle.