need some pointers for cleaning engine bay

[betlog]

i wanted to know how did yall got your engine so clean??? some peeps told me to spray it with water, but i didnt do it cause of the electricals and **** is there some shop that cleans engines??,, if theres is nothin then can u guys share your secrets..........

[twokexlv6coupe]

simple green is a pretty good degreaser/engine cleaner

but the engines that you see that you can eat off of, those things were like dipped in acid, hand scrubbed when they were completely bare and outta the car

[91Si4WS]

i use degreaser and a pressure washer at the detail shop i work at, i just cover the filter, altinator and distributor with a plastic bag then go at it i just try not to leave the degreaser sitting on anything for too long it's just a quick spray on spray off

[Prelude13]

DO NOT pressure wash your engine bay.
I am against this 100%.
I've seen too many cars not start, and have problems after it hits the pressure washer. :sick:

...take your time, use a few rags and do it by hand.
A bottle of carb cleaner is good to, you can spray it at places you cannot reach.
:tup:

[Si Speed]

i say presure wash but only the hoses that are really oilly but here this is what i do to detail my ride:

http://www.preludezone.com/showthread.php?t=66&highlight=clean+engine

That's where it's at! :banana:

[mysticskyline]

My brother uses believe it or not, tire cleaner, works like nothing I have ever seen!

[mysticskyline]

He did on my mom's civic EX before we sold it and, it was like Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean, just as fresh as it can be.

[mysticskyline]

No it was eagle 1 I believe for tires and all rims. Not brake cleaner.

[edge2lyfe]

For cleaning tight spaces in the engine bay try some dishwashing detergent in a small plastic container, add water and get some suds going. Buy a couple of good paint brushes, like a 1" and 2" wide brushes and go to town. Also buy a 1 gallon garden sprayer, these work great for rinsing off tight areas and you don't have to worry about soaking everything at once.

[91Si4WS]

the only thing i really use the pressure washer for is to get all the dirt and oil and junk off of the fire wall and to get all the crud that has caked onto the front of my engin block and tranny, but like i said before i do make sure to cover the altinator, filter and distributor before i start!

[bboixtc]

i've never had to clean my engine bay. still looks fresh like from the factory.

[91Si4WS]

my car has been down 1 too many dirt roads to say it looks like it did from the factory

[mysticskyline]

I'm sure his looks like new!

[betlog]

presure washer??? what about the electrics??..... wires

[91Si4WS]

i just make sure not to spray too much around them and mainly just keep the water on the block, head, tranny, fire wall, and radiator just as much water gets into there while driving in the rain!

[MidnightRayne]

use that engine cleaner foam follow the directions and a pressure washer, then follow up with tire wet to make things shiny

PS - try to keep water off the electronics and your air filter.

[partsguy247]

Cleaning the engine bay often is almost as important as what products you use. Since I clean my engine bay every two weeks or so. I only spray on some Turtle Wax after I wash it and it looks better than new.

[1BadBB6]

i have used that black magic 2 in 1 engine cleaner and shine, it works pretty good just spray it everywhere you dont have to cover anything up then scrub areas that are real dirty and then mist the whole engine bay with a water squirt bottle and run the engine for about 10 min. and done you might have to wipe away some of the excess cleaner that didnt burn off

[Si Speed]

My dirty area is the firewall. The rest of it sin't THAT bad and it's really hard to get back there...

[mugenwhore]

I can't figure out how am I going to clean electrical stuff neatly without damaging anything, most of the wires, connectors around the fuse box and what not it's ugly grease and disgusting around the engine, I was thinking a spray bottle and toothbrush. Any other pointers? I thought about doing this during a very hot summer day when it gets as a hot as 90+ for faster and better drying.

[lude_4_life]

Just get sum good degreser a brush and a hose. spray it on and scrub the fuk outta it. I do it all the time at work even the hyundais start up after u spray the engine bay

[sfields]

When I got my car the engine was black with grease/grime/whatever. I took out random parts as I went, ie battery, headlights, cruise control, etc and sprayed wd/40 and wiped it down, took a couple days to get it the way I wanted it, any brackets or the likes that looked corroded and/or old I sprayed some black spray paint on, looks pretty now

[93[BB4]Prelude]

easy way to cover your electrics- go to your local grocery store and buy some shower caps, itll cover the filter and distributer perfectly and fitting around the distributor isnt all that hard. works great. the paint brush idea is also good to, get some degreaser and you can take paintbrush to scrub at certaint areas. i sprayed my whole engine down in my toyota corolla after i had doused it with degreaser, waited 3 hrs to start it and none of the electricals went bad

[yogi_pahl]

i go to the self car wash put bags on filter use the pressure washer but keep it a good bit away so its not to forceful get it wet then spray the tire cleaner on it let it set for a minuet and was it off DONT let anything touch any metal thats not wet and not for to long

[mizlude]

keep the motor running and cove the air filter ( we all know you have a cai lol ) and cover the dizzy cap to with a plastic bad

[lvlrkmart]

ive pressure washed my old preludes engine bay and completely screw it up, i highly reccommend not to pressure wash or spray water in it.

just spray your rag with some type of cleaner then scrub and wipe the dirty areas

[yogi_pahl]

but you can reach all the blaces water can just tack you time dont go full blast and youll be fine

[Oceanborn]

Personally, I swear by Simple Green. Recently I cleaned out my whole engine bay, took about two hours with a few microfiber rags and a gallon of SG... but it's looks incredible :biggrin:

[Si Speed]

Purple Cleaner FTW

[hojemwod]

anything that says its for cleaning engines is ok to use. best thing would be to go to the auto parts store and follow the directions on the packaging.

[Oceanborn]

Haha, just remember to never clean the block when it's still hot.

[twokexlv6coupe]

i wish i took before and after pics of using Simple Green on my engine bay. sh!t was a night and day difference.

i only really used it on the intake mani, hoses, fenders, reserviors, rad support, and stuff like that. not the engine block itself.
still made a helluva difference.

[Oceanborn]

I know, tell me the reserviors didn't look brand new when you were done

[twokexlv6coupe]

omg i was like :jaw: when i saw the clean reservoirs

it was ridic

[96jdmh22a]

I thought about doing this during a very hot summer day when it gets as a hot as 90+ for faster and better drying.

dude 90 degrees whare the f do u live iwould kill for 90 lol, its hotter than that inside whare i work!!!!!! freakin sucks!! the ac dont work for crap in the resturaunt today the thermostat said 95 and that wasnt even in the kitchen, standin over damn deep fryers!!! i HATE MY MOFO'N JOB!!!


ps. never b a fry cook lol

[MenaceD]

bottle of windex and a terry cloth works wonders..

[kaotik009]

A few rags and towels and a BIG ole bucket of hot water with good brand dish washing liquid! Better to be safe than sorry, right? :D

[LilMsPrelude]

here is what my Team does to clean the engine bay before a show:

(all product names LINK you to a web site with the product. ALL of the items can be readily found at your local automotive/hardware store.)
- MAKE Sure you are ONLY performing these steps on a cooled engine!

FIRST: ALL of my plug wires, coil wire, and other electrical connections are "lightly filled" with a Dielectric Grease. (http://www.albatross-usa.com/htmlversion/lubricants/SuperLubeDielectric_html.htm) (I learned this little trick in the wireless cable industry.)
DO cover the filter/air intake with plastic.. LOVE the idea about using a shower cap! Never thought of that- I usually use some plastic sandwich bags and rubber bands.


Next, spray on some GUNK Engine Clean Gel (http://www.gunk.com/item_details.asp) Work it into the WORST places, with a toothbrush, where grease and dirt has built up. It will literally eat away the grease and turn it into a "Foamy/Soapy" substance which can be rinsed away with regular garden hose water flow. It is safe on ALL electrical and rubber components.
at this time, you may want to hand wash with some soapy water and make sure all the grease and nast spots are free from the dirt and grime build up.
rinse with garden hose

- START The car and let it warm up, thusly driing the water in the engine bay

Once you have the engine bay clean, and the engine is WARM, give it that final polish with CD2 Engine Detailer (http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0002JMAOS) Literally you can spray it on and walk away.


Here are some pics from an actual team members ride:

Before:
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg137/fabmaster23/CIMG2133a.jpg

After:
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg137/fabmaster23/CIMG2153a.jpg

[hojemwod]

i am speechless ^^