Underhood Cleaning Question

[CanadianTSi]

Well I sprayed down my Engine with some degreaer the other day...it did a pretty good job except for the fact that it made every single metal piece corrode :thumbdown

Now I want to shine up the rubber and such, I have read that Tire foam works well. My question is when you spray it do you just coat everything under the hood paint and all or just try to keep it to certain area's???

Thanks

 

[9D9 MITSU RS]

If you use degreaser, you probably want to rinse with water. If you have to, use a small spray bottle. You wanna avoid electrical, etc.

I heard that the CD2? cleans nicely and leaves hoses shiny. You spray it on and shut the hood while the car idles or something to that effect.

 

[1fast97gsx]

water and electricity don't mix, however at the dealership I worked at we would literally soak the entire engine with water, then brush it with soap and then spray it back off. We didn't worry about electrical stuff and did this on a daily basis without any problems.

 

[STECARS]

I havent had any problems yet on my 95 fwd dd. I spray dehreaser everywhere, let it soak for about 3-5 min. , then i whip out the pressure washer( not on full blast) and hose evrything down and you know turn up the pressure or gett really into it where there is oil, dirt , etc....... Then i let everything dry. Never had any problems as long as you keep car running the whole time and take it for a highway drive after. When i detail, i use a engine deatailer from autoparts store you just spray it everywhere ( avoid spraying battery) and it restores the rubber for a good amount of weeks, and makes all shiny. I do this once every few months , NO plroblems yet and i've had the car for a few years. I wouldnt recommend doing this in winter when its like 20 or 30 degrease outside .

 

[2gHiBoost]

I have cleaned my engine a couple of times but it was never running....Is that bad on the engine?

I usually just spray something called "purple power" degreaser. Its like $5-10 at the parts store and works great. Wait for a couple minutes. The dirt just runs right off. Get out the pressure washer and turn it down a little. Then spray it all off.

After that I just use a tire cleaner on the hoses and such. Always looks great.

Make sure spark plug wires are tight before doing it though. And like ^^ said, stay away from the battery.

 

[STECARS]

Its not good, but i guess you can do it. I mean i was told to do it with the car running and it makeas sense . I mean any excess water still around will evaporate and then i usually take it on the highway for a few minute and let some air in there to air out all electrical connections and components.

 

[Insert Name]

It seems like the problem with doing it while the engine is running would be steam. As long as the hood is up you are fine, but once you close it (to go driving) the steam would be trapped and could condense in some palces (electrical things).

Just my 2 cents.

 

[WhiteTsiAwd]

I dont see any point in keeping your engine on.

But heres how me and a friend do it, no problems at all. Just cover up your intake/mass with a paper baggy or sumthing so water dont get in. Then take Gunk and spray the crapola everywhere. Wait about 10-15 min and then just hose her down. You could use a power washer from a car wash but i woudlnt put it on high blast. Then wipe down what you can see and then turn the car on and let it all go away. Then if its still dirty then you can repeat as many times as needed(also could use a brush of some sort if needed). Now after it gets dry, it will look dull as hell. Then thats where you whip out the Tire Foam. This stuff does wonder. Spray it on and then take off the baggy and let the car run until the foam is all dry up.

THats what we do and it works really well. Good Luck!

 

[Seattle GST]

The technique that i commonly use is to

1. cover up electrical components, make sure that spark plug cover is on, and check fitment of the fusebox cap.

2. lightly rinse engine bay (non pressure washer, or pressure washer from about 4')
3. agitate under-hood, sills, dirty areas with brush (boars hair brushes work best, they dont scratch, or go limp).
4. lightly rinse entire compartment, pushing suds, dirt, and grime from top (underside) of hood, down to sill, then on and around engine itself.
5. spray a wheel well conditioner, rubber dressing, or if you want to go pretty cheap, some rubber oil over bay (try to keep this stuff off valve cover as it will absorb it and look dirty)
6. let sit and evaporate off for about 10min. (the trick is to just close the hood and wash the rest of the car while it does this. I NEVER idle the car while this stuff is on, it was not designed to be used when hot, and will boil off usually to the result of boiled on water spots everywhere)
7. do a final wipedown with a seperate rag for rubber components, and another for metal, and a final rag for painted surfaces (microfiber works well here)
8. you can touch up the rubber components with a direct application of rubber reconditioner to get a nice shine. it will be very glossy!

enjoy, but try not to grab the hoses after operating the vehicle, or you will get some oil on your hands, and a nice finger print on the clean stuff!

This ususally lasts for about a month or more (depending on rain, snow, dirt roads, and if you engine blows up :laugh:

 

[paul s]

use a tooth brush like I do, then polish each piece one by one...
...takes TIME

 

[95gstnj]

should i cover up the alternator when degreasing/ spraying water??

 

[lil420esi]

I think your best bet after cleaning your engine is to put some CD2 on it. The CD2 is like 6 or 7 dollars a can now, but the only place i can find it at now is auto zone. Since there pretty much the only ones that sell it now they have jacked the price up. It leaves an awsome shine. You have to use some type of degreaser first though.. I would recomend the gunk degreaser with the CD2, cause i have tried other degreser's with it and didnt have very good results.. hope this helps you out!
p.s. let your engine cool off before putting the CD2 on or it will just like dry up really fast and not leave a shine.

 

[zachakagoat]

Simple Green to clean off the grease and oil, and Turtle Wax F21 protectant for underhood hoses and plastics

 

[jpape]

I use a foam engine degreaser, after i apply the foam i take a brush and scrub out any caked on oil or if dirt has built up in a crevice. I then wipe down the degreaser that I can, after the wipe down I take a small spray bottle and spray off the rest of the degreaser that had settled down deep where i could not reach. I then spray the WHOLE engine bay of course being careful around electronics etc. I let the foam sit and then wipe off excess after the foam has settled and Voi Lah a clean engine bay!

 

[frigginlazer]

personally I would not do it with the engin running. My feeling is that when hot the metal will expand, thenyou go and spray cold water on it and stuff starts to contract FAST and crack. This happened on an older motorcycle that I had whe I ran througha puddle. darn cylinder cracked. Im sure if they say they have been doing it for a while with no problems it works fine, but I thik they are starting with a cold motor right? I would not suggest that you drive for 75 miles to a car wash, pop the hood and start spraying...

 

[Travisr138]

well if you get a hot water sprayer that prob right there is avoided