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

[GreenGSX]

Take some tin-foil and cover the cam position sensor. You do not want to get that wet.

Oops...I had mistakenly assumed you were a 4G63 1st gen car. I am not familiar with the 1G NT motors so I'll just say if it has a cam position sensor or a distributor I would cover them up first.

 

[wolf20043]

cool i will just use a regular garden hose then. I should leave the engine running to my mechanic told me to leave it running it helps he said well guess i will try that thanks. What kind of cleaners would u recommend for it something u have used thats good?

I would be careful with leaving it running. You dont want to suck in water through the intake pipe when hosing down the engine.
Mike

 

[VelocitàPaola]

cool i will just use a regular garden hose then. I should leave the engine running to my mechanic told me to leave it running it helps he said well guess i will try that thanks. What kind of cleaners would u recommend for it something u have used thats good?

Degrease the engine with it off. Spray the degreaser liberally throughout the engine bay (try not to get overspray on you car's finish). Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then scrub any spots that need extra attention with a stiff-bristled brush. Finally, rinse off the engine with a hose. Now is when you turn the engine on to help with drying. Let it run for a good 15 minutes, then use a towel to completely remove any remaining pockets of water.

 

[sfron03]

what exactlydo i need to cover up when i wash my engine bay? im gonna use a low pressure garden hose and probably simple green. and just to make sure, our cars dont have a distributor, right?>

 

[gstowner]

No we do not have distributors. We have a coil pack by the fuel rail. Just cover up any electrical connection that you think might be loose or that water could get into. And since your not using a pressure washer you won't have to worry as much. Just spray on some degreaser, wash off, then if you want spray some dressing on. Stand back and look at it shine

 

[gurmanator]

I use easy-off oven cleaner or "GUNK".cover the coil pack and the distributor,air filter.

 

[c5chris]

If you use Simple Green (I love the stuff :, dilute it with water in a spray bottle. There are some instances that it can affect electrical connections if some residue is left. It is not volatile and will not evaporate after you clean like a commercial degreaser in a canister.

Cover your alternator/ open-element intake/ injectors and coilpacks. Spray degreaser/engine cleaner, let stand, then wash with a slow stream of water (shower setting on your garden hose). Close hood and let the car idle.

 

[nismo4life]

My friend when he had his motor out of his GVR4, he used a toothbrush and a can of gasoline...came out awesome.

 

[v2ner]

Aluminum acid cleaner (Tangerine Clean) is pretty good....all you need is a cloth or shop towel.

 

[AWDTwinTurboDSM]

I am looking into getting another dsm, its a 94 Talon TSI front wheel drive, the engine bay is pretty dirty and the engine has a bunch of build up on it. would it be ok to spray de greaser all over this stuff and pressure wash it or what should i do?

 

[DSMRon]

If u use degreaser be extra careful i know about 5 ppl that have used degreaser and there car still dont run right.. I would say your better off taking one of your slow days and doing it by hand..

 

[flyinghighlm]

I would not use de greaser and if you were, by hand and rag is the best idea. I watched my buddy fry a altenator by soaking his car with de greaser

 

[AWDTwinTurboDSM]

Well, what if i just used the pressure washer on it would that hurt anything?

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Don't use a pressure washer.
Just wrap up in plastic bags and duct tape your air filter and your alternator. Don't let a drop touch your alternator.
Also be careful about getting anything near your CAS wet (Cas, wires, connections, injectors etc).

-Disconnect battery
-Wrap your stuff up
-Spray down with degreaser and let it sit (careful your paint though)
-Wash it off with a hose and scrub remaining areas with an old kitchen sink brush and a cloth
-Spray everything with tire foam, let sit, then wipe off with clean cloth and be amazed how shiney everything is.
-Finally, allow everything to dry in the sun for a while before starting her up!

 

[DSMRon]

Put it this way its like a computer you get water on any hardware what happens?
Well that car is just like that all tho when it comes from the factory there pretty sealed... But now you got to look at the age of the car some of them seal might be alittle worin and your going to blast high pressure water at it..

 

[iiiwildfireiii]

CAS is very easily damaged by water. Watch that piece.

 

[Arrow_Runner]

I'm still getting used to my 2g TSi so I have a couple questions.

I'm going to be replacing the valve cover gasket, any thing special I need to know? And what's the torque setting for those bolts?

Because the gasket was leaking a little oil, I'd like to clean the engine bay up after I'm done to make sure there's no other leaks. I know the CAS needs covered up, but where the heck is it? On my 1g is on the passenger side of the head.

And is there anything else I need to cover up so it doesn't get wet? And should the engine be super cool or running or something?

Thanks

 

[Jake90GSX]

I have cracked a valve cover using the torque specs my chilton listed. you only need it tight enough to seal the oil inside, I evenly tighten the bolts in 2-3 passes, I stop once the valve cover seal slightly buldges out, and i mean slightly... soon as you can tell from its appearance that it has pressure on it then its tight enough

 

[Newlogics]

First of all, if you don't want valve cover gasket to leak in a month again, use a thin bead of RTV silicone on between gasket and head.

when tightning it, first get outside bolts flush with the valve cover (but not tight yet), then do in inside ones. Then start tightning them by about 1 turn ata time, going from the front (radiator side) going up (firewall side), doing it in rows from right to left (when facing the car from the front) The key is for all bolts to provide equal pressure at all times.

It's hard to estimate torque (since it can crack even under specified torque). I do it untill I see silicone staring to get sqeezed out a bit. Then let it sit for about 30min for silicone to cure a bit, then go back and tighten them some more.
That gasket compresses after about 30 mins, so bolts usualy loose tension, so you have to go back and tighten them again.

 

[spoolin91TSI]

his technique should deff do the trick^^^^ if it was my motor i make sure that the CAS is covered(circular sensor on pass side on head) put a rag over your injectior harness and the coil pack cover your intake also and fire away make sure the engine isnt too hot the colder the better you dont want things to crack from the change in temp

 

[kenamond]

I broke my VC replacing the gasket, because one of the spark plug seals came loose when I turned the VC right-side up, and it shifted out of its slot in the VC. So I got a new 1g VC and used hi-tac gasket sealer the whole way around each spark plug seal and every 1-2" on the main gasket as I layed the gaskets into the grooves of the VC. Then I used the normal RTV where my Haynes manual suggested on the head side of the gasket.

My torque wrench didn't go low enough, so I just did them by feel in a similar pattern as mentioned above (but working middle-out rather than left-right).

Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Arrow_Runner]

Thanks guys for all your help. I got the vc on last night no problem. I just took my time went around tightening everything slowly, then I gave it a rest like someone suggested and retighted everything.

Now about cleaning my engine bay. What needs covered? I know the CAS does in my 1G, but it's not there on my 2G?

 

[Gunter]

First of all, if you don't want valve cover gasket to leak in a month again, use a thin bead of RTV silicone on between gasket and head.

I'm replacing my VC gasket too, i'm just wondering, I have 2 types of RTV sealant, one that hardens and one that doesn't. Which one should i be using?

 

[daren_p]

Well I just cleaned my engine compartment on my 2g & the only thing I covered was the K&N intake filter & it started fine without any issues. Have done it that way several times now...

 

[Dream On]

If its a 95 or 96 then I don't think it has a CAS, but then again I don't have a 2g, so I'm not positive about it. Cover your battery, air filter, alternator, or any other wires you see that have metal exposed. For my car, I just spray it down with tire foam and it makes most everything shine nicely. Just don't let it set on your paint, cause I've heard it's not good for it.