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

[snowboarda10hal]

Okay welll me engine is out of my carwould it be a godo idea to wash it? will it help it breath better? I have a presure washer and i know i must be carefull to cover up some spots and watch out for sensors but is it even worth it i guess is the question?

 

[TwoLiterLaser]

Remove the rust and paint it. Cleaning it as much as possible will make it look great and help to dissipate heat.

 

[Cs4g63]

Not only does it make it look better it also makes it easier to work on.

 

[DSMunknown]

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[Jonny]

its not going to do anything just make it look better

 

[DSMunknown]

its not going to do anything just make it look better

I would "ultimately" have to disagree. Getting all the grime, grease, and buildup will help in the performance and longevity of the engine - no matter how minute.

 

[0RWHP]

I wasnt shure where to post this thread but any how Is there a safe way to clean under the motor wiht out using caution of water and with out wipping every hose and wire off. I live down a gravel road and im tierd of my motor building up dust. How might i go about doing this.?

 

[BurnBarfield]

I just wanted to double check before I do this.. While my engine and basically everything else is out of the car, I wanted to make the engine bay look sexy. Essentially all that is still in there are the steering lines, wiring harness, and clutch lines. I am just wanting to ensure that the sensor plugs that run from the wiring harness won't be harmed if they get wet. Is there anything I should know before doing this? Thanks guys, I appreciate the help as always!

-Aaron

 

[snowborder714]

I don't know if I'd pressure wash it. I would probably take some sort of cleaning solvent (Simple Green, car wash soap) and do it by hand. This way you can control where the cleaning stuff goes (as well as the water) and you won't risk taking paint off or damaging a hard line or something by using the pressure washer. Just make sure everything electrical is covered in some way.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

will simple green ruin new powdercoated valve covers?

 

[Hideki]

I found that motorcycle engine cleaner (Castrol, comes in an aerosol can) works great for cleaning the hard metal parts like the cylinder head/water pipe, not as powerful as brake cleaner but I still don't spray it on anything painted or plastic/rubber. Then I use any sort of mild degreaser on everything else. The motorcycle engine cleaner is only like $5 for a big can and you can get it almost any automotive store.

 

[DougR]

I have been useing Simple Green max for light duty cleaning, and Berrymans B-12 for the Heavy Caked on crud..

Trust me. I have tried Everything Autozone sells! and nuthing! beats B-12

Altho it WILL remove soft Paint and dry out plastics and rubber! so be carefull with it, if you try it. and I Always! come back with some form of armorall or similar product after the cleaning to keep stuff from drying out.

DougR

 

[Defiant]

Holy crap, B-12 is close to airplane glue in a spray can. Yes, it'll tear into paint and plastics- it's meant for cutting varnished gasoline (which isn't really a lot different than paint).
Simple Green might affect the color of some powder coatings, but should be safe when diluted-down according to the instructions. Use it on cool surfaces if you're concerned about the finish.

 

[dylan702110988]

Purple Power FTMFW!

You can buy it at walmart for 5 bucks and it did wonders on my engine, took off 3 year old oil stains too!

 

[meliketoball]

Spray straight up brake cleaner!

 

[Bud92gsx]

so do you guys use the same sh** on cleaning your intercooler as you do cleaning the engine bay and parts?

 

[arturo74r]

I've read in many threats different methods to wash an engine and most of them say to cover the distributor and the CAS. I know where the distributor is but where is the CAS? and what should I use to cover it.


I really need to wash this engine this car I bought has been sitting for more than 2 years and trust me it almost has grown vegetation through the engine. That brings my other question: pressure water?? or not?

By the way it's a 97 eagle talon ESi (N/T)

 

[mitsocruiser]

I have a 97 eclipse RS and I wash my motor every time I wash my car .Just get some engine degreaser and spray down the motor let it set for a few min and rinse with a water hose lightly.Make sure to avoid the areas around the ecu the coil pack and the back side of the intake manifold

 

[fwdmaster]

Cover up everything that is electrical related, or do it the hard way by spraying engine degreaser or carburetor cleaner and take your time cleaning

 

[spyder97gs]

Not familiar with the 420a but I like to use aluminum foil to cover my sensors.

 

[jesselyons2002]

I had a 96 Eagle talon. I cover up the computer,intake. Took out the battery, spark plug wire and coil. First I spray the engine lightly with a water from the hose. After that, I sprayed everything with APC(All prupose cleaner) including the hood and then use car wash soap with a brush. Then I agitate every area with a spoke brush and wheel brush to get those really dirty areas. After I got everything. I wash it down to remove all the dirt and oil. Once done. I sprayed a dressing to make everything shine.

Here's a engine detail I did on my friends car:

Im just adding this for fun

Remove battery and and intake hose and cover up the distributor with foil including the open harness connector

Rinse down hood and engine bay with water

Filled bucket with ONR and GC

Spray Purple power all over the engine bay and hood

Dip the Ez detail and Mother wheel brush into the wash mix and agitate the the pp with the brush

Rinse down with water

Dry areas with blower from the vacuum and any rest of the water was pick up with a terry cloth

Spray the bay with Megs endurance tire gel

then use a foam pad to evenly distribute the gel

Intake plenum and Valve cover were scrub with Mother mag and aluminum polish and #0000 steel wool

wax hood with Collinite 845 insulator wax

Before:

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After:

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[lasthope05]

You can pretty much wet anything in the engine bay. Just dont be stupid about it like drowning the distributer and harness. They can get wet and nothing will happen to them unless they are beyond soaked with water. Just use your better judgement.

 

[arturo74r]

Thanks jesselyons2002. I'll probably try that, by the way the pics look nice, thanks. I seriously need to wash the engine, I was serious about the vegetation . I'll post some pics this weekend.

 

[jesselyons2002]

Also another thing you should really use it a pressure washer unless you know what bad it can do. Like the pressure from the PW can pull back the weather seal on some of this weathepack connector and cause water to get into the connector and cause a short.

 

[Scrymerr]

I decided to clean my engine bay the other day, and after doing so, I decided it would not be a bad idea to put some extra protection on electrical connectors for the future. I got a can of di-electric grease, and unplugged some of the more important exposed connectors, applied the grease, and stuck them back together. Many factory cars have di-electric grease applied on plugs as it helps prevent corrosion. It can't hurt.