engine cleaning question... [Merged 2-7] engine bay washing

[jonw440]

Ok I probibly shouldnt post this but here is another.

 

[pkieley]

Hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm.....Holllly

On topic: Remove everthing you can from the firewall and fenders, then use cleaner wax on same. Swap out the corroded hardware with nice shiny stuff that can be found under kick plates in the cabin.

 

[bluesnow]

how do i clean my engine real good? mine is crazy dirty and i dont want to screw anything up. thanks for the help

 

[amp9211]

I just buy the engine cleaner from O'Reilly (the house brand), and spray my engine down with it realy good. Just read the directions when applying it and cover any electrical components that you may be afraid to damage. I've never had a problem with my car not starting after using it yet. If you have alot of gunk built up, then you may want to get a brush and scrub it off.

Hope this helps!

 

[LaserDad91]

how do i clean my engine real good? mine is crazy dirty and i dont want to screw anything up. thanks for the help

Not sure if you would want to use this for a real dirty engine, but I use carb cleaner. Cuts through the grease/grim, evaporates fast, and you need no water to rinse with. Just give it plenty of time to evap, then start your engine, let it warm up a little and burn the rest off. Works good for me!

 

[KiD_DSM115]

hey just wondering , was thinkin of washing car this weekend but wanted to ask in advance,....there is an option for Spray Cleaning the Engine Bay over at the car wash place.....anybody reccomend this for i don't want to damage anything in my car...? thanks (its pretty ugly under the hood, )

 

[phastalon]

I would suggest doing it yourself. The best way I've found is to take some degreaser (ie, Grease Lightning) and spray down the engine bay. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Then take a water hose and spray that bi*** down real good. Next you'll want to let it air dry for a few minutes. Now you'll take some good tire foam or spray and coat the engine real good. When you do that, start your car up and let it idle for a few minutes, just to let the motor get nice and warm. Once that's done, spray the engine with water again and let it dry.

You'll come out with a blingin' engine bay with about 30 minutes worth of work and very little physical labor.

 

[sonicnofadz]

I wonder if this could be bad for any of the electronic sensors?

 

[DevilSperm]

I wonder if this could be bad for any of the electronic sensors?

water on a CAS can fry it very easy...i sprayed my engine off once before i knew any better and all of a sudden it ran like ass....it threw my timing all over hell....luckily it didnt fry anything and it dried out and ran after i re-timed it...if you do it, do like phastalon said, but be very carful not to get too much water on the cas my friend just power washed the shit out of his engine bay and it looks like new

 

[phastalon]

be very carful not to get too much water on the cas

good point, forgot about that one

this may be redundant for most people but please be sure to cover your air filter (especially if it's an open filter) before doing anything. the best way i've found is to take 2 plastic bags (yes double bag it ) from walmart and zip-tie or rubber band them around the air filter so you don't get water in your intake.

 

[Generation1JeY]

is getting water into the intake the only bad thing that can happen? i mean is it wise to spray down ur battery and everything around it? i've never done it so i dont know, but is the intake the only danger?

 

[mitsuclipsegsx]

i've been doing it for years even did it w/ my eclipse u just have to to spray silicone on all sensors, and i used this stuff called gunk u let it sit for 15 min then power wash it off and start car for another 10 min or so.

 

[Perch - Tsi]

:clears throat: *cough echhh*
if i may...

1. Get a bunch of quaters, Engine off, Gunk off, Greased Lightning, or something similar, and throw em in a bunch of plastic bags and get some big rubber bands or string.

2. Drive to car wash. Small crowd or no crowd is good, this takes a minute

3. While the car is warm, bag the filter, battery, alternator, coil, anything else that doesnt like water

4. Light the engine bay up with the degreaser and let it sit. Go ahead and go ape sh1t with the stuff

5. hose it out, dont worry about getting anything too wet, just use common sense, dont put the sprayer head an inch from an electircal connection and let it fly. Wave it around and really rinse it all off.

6. Let it dry off a good bit before you go tooling around. Vacuum the floor or something and kill some time. you know you got shit between the seat and the console. now is the time to go get it.

id advise against using tire shine or anything like that to give it that polished look,
if you ever work on your engine in warm weather, youll stick to EVERYTHING

 

[KiD_DSM115]

Alright Thanks For All Advice And I Will Wacth Out For Everrything And Be Careful>..................thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[95GSXBLUR]

Alright guys, I need to know what's water proof and what's not under the hood. basically I wanna get my engine bay looking sparkling new.. My idea is to spray the whole thing down with engine degreaser and then use a pressure washer to take care of the rest.

Obviously I'll bag my intake filter - what else isn't water proof? I was thinking alternator maybe?

Ideas ?

 

[LaserDad91]

I perfer to use a can of carb cleaner, and let it dry realy good before you start car when your done. For me, it is easier than the degreaser stuff, and will spray off almost all of the dirt. If you have the engine a little warm, that helps it evaporate quicker while you are cleaning. Just watch getting it on the outside, on your paint. I have used it in the engine bay with no effect on paint. You can even spray some on a rag, to do your hood, so it don’t drip everywhere. When your done, let it evap, then start, let car warm a little, then let the rest evap away. Be careful around starters and alternators.

Get the cheap stuff and happy cleaning!!

 

[eclipse2hotforu]

I work over a Harper infiniti in Knoxville, Tennessee.....And this is what we do when we clean engine bays.......We get degreaser and spray everywhere....then spray it off with a water heated pressure washer.....Then we get the water off where the spark plug wires are....Then we turn on the engine to let the water evaporate...after that we get engine dressing and spray everywhere to make it look brand new.....But if you have a turboed eclipse of a n/a you shouldn't have a distributor cap or anything cuz only the 1.8s have them so you should really worry about anything messing up cuz you kinda have to actually try to mess your engine up to actually do it cleaning it......

 

[95GSXBLUR]

Thanks for the insight guys! Yeah, I'll probably just put a bag over my filter, spray the whole thing down with engine degreaser and then hose it off with a pressure washer.

Thanks again!

Does anyone else have any ideas?

 

[jay_95talon]

Simple green and tire foam

 

[SpooledGSX98]

I use a plastic sack to cover my K&N and my altenator. If you dont have access to a pressure washer, I'll use a garden hose with a nozzle and carefully aim it around and hose things down, washing off dust and gunk. Keep it away from electrical connections, etc.

Then once everything is wet, I'll take a towel and wipe everything down. Also, if you have a shop vac or an air compressor, blow air in nooks and crannies and try and get rid of as much water as possible. Wipe it all up and make it pretty. Ive also heard of people use tire shine foam on radiator hoses and other stuff, I want to try it.

Basically, take an afternoon and throughly clean your engine, and clean it good, not just the top of things, get under wires and hoses. After its CLEAN, just maintain it and it shouldnt be a problem, dont clean it once a month. Just consistant maintenance is key. Dont let it build up.

People say my engine is too clean, I wish it was even more clean than it is now, I follow the steps I just told you, and look where it keeps me.

 

[dmxsoulja3]

no one mentioned it..but you need to tape off the CAS, getting it wet isn't good

 

[95GSXBLUR]

sweet - thanks guys I appreciate all the help! I'll make sure to keep everything dry that needs to be away from water.. and hopefully I'll find some time to get it cleaned!

thanks again!

 

[Nerfherder]

Simple green and tire foam

Simple Green is the shiz. I love that stuff. Kinda looks like Vicks Formula 44D. I wonder if it tastes like it?

 

[SexyDSM95]

I used that orange power spray stuff from Pep Boys it smells super funky but it did the job. Just had to spray away from the intake filter and electrical stuff.

 

[jfdid]

On a 1G, cover the CAS, so you don't screw it.