What do you guys do to clean the engine bay and what not? I've heard mixed opinions on if it's ok to spray the engine bay down with a hose with electrical things in the open. I have an ecotec and the bay needs cleaned sooo badly. I just don't want to spray down the engine bay if i'm going to do harm to it. Also, what do you guys use as a cleaner, simple green?? Does anyone use like a pressure washer on the engine bay too, i was thnking of taking it to a car wash that has a high pressure hose cause i don't have good water pressure at my house, so is that okey or not? Thanks guys.
I usually use simple green.......spray it on and let it sit for a while and then hose it off...usually takes a few times n a row the first time to get it clean but if you do that once every month after that to keep it up its easy.
Pressure washer and hose wont harm nothing really in the engine bay. BUT if you have a aftermarket intake take the filter off and then spray it, you don't want water sucked up in your engine when you start your car. So take the filter off clean it with simple green or any other engine degreaser make sure no water is in your intake, put the filter on and boom your done. When I worked at a dealership as a detailer we would start the engine, spray it down with some car bright engine degreaser, walk around the car and spray it down with the hose, and then spray the engine off. Then we put this car bright engine shine on it and closed the hood let it run for another 2-3 minutes and shut it off.
The best stuff I have found is Castrol Super Clean...Make sure the motor is cool..Spray down the whole motor ..Let sit for a bit..Spray it again....Then just take a garden hose hose it all down and if you have a air compressor use that right after and air dry it..Make sure though if you have a after market air intake to cover the end of it..And you are good to go...
well i have a CAI so the filter should be out of the way since its down by the fog light holes.
Put a plastic bag over the filter then an elastic to hold it there.
yup simple green and a pressure washer
Simple green, soak the motor, let sit for a minute or two. wash it off, be careful of any electrical parts, i just spray them quickly, and lightly. cover any open places first, sometimes people like to cover alternators.
spray down the motor, let it sit, and repeat in a little bit if you miss anything.
after that, take a break. come back to the car and start it up.
get a water based dressing (meguiars M40, or hyper dressing work well)
spray liberally, shut the hood, turn off the car. come back and wipe off excess after an hour. PERFECTLY clean motor.
Hi,
My 2 cents is that water is NOT a friend of the engine and great care has been taken to keep it out of certain items. Some water from the simple act of driving is inevitable and will happen but most likely is will never be at high pressures. Most of the road water is deflected by the radiator, grill, bumper, etc. You'll notice that a lot of cars have gaskets along parts of the hood to help direct and deflect water. Not only at the rear to keep it off the windshield but some also have this in the front where it seals against the radiator support.
When you spray water from a high pressure nozzle you are forcing it into the tiny nooks and crannies where it should not go. If you have an "iffy" seal on an electrical item, in goes the water. If you have a bad seal on an electrical component from heat and age, in goes the water. Almost never is this a good thing.
Wash your engine, yes, it should be done. High pressure wash you engine? NO!!!
A house hose is fine pressure to clean with. Use Simple green or another "friendly" cleaner on the built up grease. Spray it a week before hand, drive, spray it, drive, spray it, etc. The cleaner will work its way into the gunk from the natural heat of operation.
Finally hose it down good. Avoid direct spray on electrical items and openings into the engine. Do this a few times and you'll have a clean engine and thereafter clean it a few times a year to prevent build up of gunk.
I used to work for a car dealer years ago. We were forever trying to get cars to start and run after our detail guy cleaned the engine, often with a high pressure spray!!
Those who do spray are very lucky people that they haven't yet created a starting or running issue. The clock is ticking though and their day is coming.
Err on the side of caution, it will save a lot of time, grief and money in the long run.
Dave
ehhh most electronics are fine when they dry, so just take a nice day. spray on some cleaner, i love the castrol super clean. its worked really well for me. sprayed it down, let it sit a bit, then took the sprayer to it, sprayed it off good, then took a towel and cleaned up any spots i could see for an hour or so, making sure to get everything, once its clean its just really easy to clean it once a month and keep it nice. and while your using the rags to get all the hard to get spots any excess water is drying, once the engine is dry its not a big deal. i dont take the intake off or even cover it, just dont sit there and spray water into it. hell ive jumped into a pool with my cell phone before, just open it up set it out to dry completely and it worked just fine. just dont try turning electronic stuff on when its wet, let it dry out and your usually good to go.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sndsgood/ https://www.facebook.com/#!/Square1Photography
sndsgood wrote:ehhh most electronics are fine when they dry, so just take a nice day. spray on some cleaner, i love the castrol super clean. its worked really well for me. sprayed it down, let it sit a bit, then took the sprayer to it, sprayed it off good, then took a towel and cleaned up any spots i could see for an hour or so, making sure to get everything, once its clean its just really easy to clean it once a month and keep it nice. and while your using the rags to get all the hard to get spots any excess water is drying, once the engine is dry its not a big deal. i dont take the intake off or even cover it, just dont sit there and spray water into it. hell ive jumped into a pool with my cell phone before, just open it up set it out to dry completely and it worked just fine. just dont try turning electronic stuff on when its wet, let it dry out and your usually good to go.
Have you used simple green in the past and how does it compare to the Castrol super clean??
sndsgood wrote:ehhh most electronics are fine when they dry, so just take a nice day. spray on some cleaner, i love the castrol super clean. its worked really well for me. sprayed it down, let it sit a bit, then took the sprayer to it, sprayed it off good, then took a towel and cleaned up any spots i could see for an hour or so, making sure to get everything, once its clean its just really easy to clean it once a month and keep it nice. and while your using the rags to get all the hard to get spots any excess water is drying, once the engine is dry its not a big deal. i dont take the intake off or even cover it, just dont sit there and spray water into it. hell ive jumped into a pool with my cell phone before, just open it up set it out to dry completely and it worked just fine. just dont try turning electronic stuff on when its wet, let it dry out and your usually good to go.
Color me skeptical but using the words "MOST electronics" and "USUALLY good to go" do not give me a calm heart about pressure washing an engine.
Better than that experience has first hand taught me that water gets into bad places and does bad things...especially with electronics. Factor in it being an older car with decaying wires and broken connectors and your problems multiply at a frightening pace.
Dave
BTW
I use Simple Green a lot for a lot of things. Just spray it on, let it sit and brush the area with a stiff brush. I also will use other less friendly harsh chemical products as the job demands. Mineral spirits while smelly removes a lot of stubborn gunk.
Dave
my friend pressured washed his KA motor in his 240sx and it would not start. so ive learned good ole time and effort always pays off. i use mothers polish on the cover and use simple green on the rest of the engine a light hosing and let it sit and dry. i cover the intake and alternator as well.
I have pressure washed my engine so many times because my sunfire is a display vehicle for my detail shop. I have never had any issues. I shampoo engines daily without problems, I do suggest making sure a minimal amount of water hits the alternator. Those things can squeal pretty good if they get too wet. A garden hose is ok, but a pressure washer will produce better results for sure, like mentioned, a water based dressing sprayed on the engine afterwards will make everything look new under the hood.
ok. dont listen to some of the help. a lot of ppl on the j-body org give advice and dont know what theyre talking about.
you need to cover any vonurable electrical, alternator, fuse box, wires , starter etc. as well as anytihng else where water shouldnt go like the intake...
You need a degreaser. castrol, simple green etc.
You need to use LOW pressure COLD water.
let it dry.
personally id rather pay a dealership to do it and have piece of mind of not fuking up my powertrain and what deals with it
Working on obtainting an M-Class license... ?? Hint: 2 wheels.
