Best way to clean gunked up engine and bay??

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UniquE said:
I would give it try with dry ice cleaning. Call a dry ice blasting company and ask if they offer the cleaning as well. Here its 150€ for the engine and isnide of the car. Best thing is, no water is used which means no harm to electrical components.
Works for every part of the car.
Look here ;)
Oh yea, switch of the volume. At 1:18 they show the engine.
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Thank you for bringing this to our attention, a very interesting option that I'd have never known about if not for your post.

Took me less than 30min to find 3 companies in my state that offer DryIce Blasting for interior + engine bay detailing... one of them even does the undercarriage and "spot treatments" on the body for rust removal (not an issue for me right now, but good to know for the future).

:cheers:
 
I am hopefully past the worst on mine. Will post pics at later date. I should've had it steam cleaned! Although if you don't want to deal with degreaser funk, try tuff stuff or any other interior cleaner in a can. Spray it on, wait, and take a brass or steel brush to it depending on what you're cleaning. Wipe clean with a rag.
 
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, a very interesting option that I'd have never known about if not for your post.

Took me less than 30min to find 3 companies in my state that offer DryIce Blasting for interior + engine bay detailing... one of them even does the undercarriage and "spot treatments" on the body for rust removal (not an issue for me right now, but good to know for the future).

:cheers:
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No problem :):)
Will also get my engine cleaned with dry ice.
 
Nevermind...

None of them are an affordable option unless it's a once in a blue moon event for a vehicle fleet. They all charge for "full day" machine usage, and prices range from $1,500 to $4,000 USD. Looks like only those in Europe will get to use dryice detailing :bang:
 
devildogcruiser25 said:
..... quality auto lol.
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Thanks for the info. Called them today and they said they could do it for $150. Will take 5-6 hour and he predicted that it'll come out really nice. Think I'm gonna do it.
 
Find someone who had a good heated power washer it will cook that crap off. Pretreat with some simple green and cover your electronics
 
RockJock82 said:
Find someone who had a good heated power washer it will cook that crap off. Pretreat with some simple green and cover your electronics
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Yeah, that'll be my first try, but there are areas that are 1/4-1/3" thick with muck and oil. It'll take a long time and mess vs having them Steam clean it for me. Gonna see how the pressure wash does on a small area then decide from there.
 
See if there is an OTR truck wash in your area.
They will have good pressure washers and all kinds of chemical goodness typically not found at the local parts house.

The washer we have at work will peel paint off if you're not careful. The degreaser we have is nasty stuff, eats grease and grime right off.
Doesn't bother rubber, plastic, glass or silicone products. Not safe for skin, burns like Hell and is rather irritating.

I pressure wash engines all the time, bag the areas you don't want to get wet and let er rip.
Be mindful of where the tip is and don't get it close to stuff you don't want compromised.
From time to time the dizzy still gets wet. I just pop it off and blast it out with keyboard cleaner. (air compressor in a can)
I leave the engine running and let the fan blow the steam away so I can see what I'm doing.

Wear rain gear to keep from getting soaked and the grime off of you.
Eye protection is a good idea, unless you don't mind getting chemicals and grime in your eyes.
 
Aggiesdm said:
Thanks for the info. Called them today and they said they could do it for $150. Will take 5-6 hour and he predicted that it'll come out really nice. Think I'm gonna do it.
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Great! I hope it turns out well for you. I'll have to do mine when I get back from Moab this summer.
 
x2 I got my truck completely detailed and hot water pressure washed for $225.00 Engine shampoo alone was $125. Easy to maintain after having it done really well once.

Even had the underside hot pressure washed once before changing the lift. Made it awesome for working on.
 
I'll post some pics soon and do some before/after for comparison.
 
powermad said:
See if there is an OTR truck wash in your area.
They will have good pressure washers and all kinds of chemical goodness typically not found at the local parts house.

The washer we have at work will peel paint off if you're not careful. The degreaser we have is nasty stuff, eats grease and grime right off.
Doesn't bother rubber, plastic, glass or silicone products. Not safe for skin, burns like Hell and is rather irritating.

I pressure wash engines all the time, bag the areas you don't want to get wet and let er rip.
Be mindful of where the tip is and don't get it close to stuff you don't want compromised.
From time to time the dizzy still gets wet. I just pop it off and blast it out with keyboard cleaner. (air compressor in a can)
I leave the engine running and let the fan blow the steam away so I can see what I'm doing.

Wear rain gear to keep from getting soaked and the grime off of you.
Eye protection is a good idea, unless you don't mind getting chemicals and grime in your eyes.
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Be mindful of where the tip is, great life advice as well
 
Copenhagen1 said:
Do yourself a favor BEFORE you try this. Go to a hardware store and purchase a brass cap that has hose type threads. It should come with the little rubber ring on the inside for a tight seal.

On the bottom of your 50 gallon hot water heater, there should be a hose bib that is there for draining the sediment out of your tank. Most people never do that so the packing in those valves get old and set in their ways. When you turn the water off after washing your engine, there is a pretty good chance you will not be able to close that valve without it dripping. That is when you will be glad you have the previously purchased brass cap.



...via IH8MUD app
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Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely do that. My HW heaters are only 2 years old, so hopefully they aren't too full of sediment. I also use a water treatment system in-line before the heaters, so scale should be limited. I guess we'll see.
 
So, a quick update. I've gone back and forth about how to clean the engine bay and finally got anxious and just went at it with ZEP purple degreaser, a stiff brush and a power washer. I was amazed how well the ZEP did on the light stuff, but I'll have to say that i wasn't much help on the really caked/cooked on oil and gunk. I had to get there with a brush and then ultimately the 2500psi pressure washer. I was very careful about where I aimed the pressure and avoided all the sensitive stuff. Mainly hit the block, the oil pan, the fire wall and various areas that have been dripped on over the years. There is still a long way to go, but I think I can get this done without having to pay someone. I'll post some pics soon.
 
Available at most tool rental places.

This is the magic wand you are looking for.....

http://www.landa.com/showProductSeries.aspx?series=17&type=1


My rental place is closed on SUN. I reserved one on a SAT and returned it on a MON.
I was only charged for 1 days rent and had the machine for almost 2 days.
Rent and fuel came out to $100. Find a buddy and split the costs/ use of machine.

Regular pwashers won't cut it......... the h20 must be steaming hot.
The hot water also washes off grease like butter.

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