How to superclean your engine bay (1 Viewer)

[TLC4K2]

Yes, one of the items on Kaylee's to-do list is cleaning a very grimy, oily, greasy, looks-like-it-hasn't-been-touched-in-decades engine bay. But I've never done that, and I didn't like the idea of water getting into some of those areas. I also have to admit, I didn't think a cleaning would make much of a difference. Then I found this video which makes me think wow, maybe it's not only possible but maybe even rewarding.

On a more cautious note, I'd also be curious to know if anyone sees any problems with the suggestions/techniques mentioned in this video, and/or if anyone has tried this.



If the collective wisdom says this is all acceptable and no-harm-done, then maybe when it finally warms up I'll give this a go.

Kathryn and Kaylee, who really needs a good cleaning

 

[OSS]

That guy who made that video has a lot of car cleaning videos. I’ve seen a couple in the past. All his suggestions sound fine.
Just use common sense.
Personally- I never spray the engine compartment with water.

 

[MarkBC]

Sometimes after driving on a salty road I gently spray it down with the engine running and try to avoid directly spraying the electrical parts. It is fine to handle some water, it's out there exposed to road spray and mist after all.

 

[cps432]

If you have $50,000 you can get a dry ice engine bay cleaner. I watched a video years ago where a guy was cleaning a fleet of taxis in NYC and those babies looked brand new after twenty minutes of work. I’d love to have one of those machines but if I could afford one I would just have my truck completely overhauled from the ground up…

 

[Spike Strip]

I pressure wash the engine bays all the time. The Cruiser is the easiest because everything is sealed, including the connectors. Just don't aim a high pressure stream directly at anything, and used a mild tip, and you'll be fine. Be careful with the type of degreaser you choose as some don't play nice with Aluminum and will discolor your valve cover and intake.

Start the engine right after it's been hosed and let it dry off thru heat or drive around the block a few times.

 

[cps432]

I pressure wash the engine bays all the time. The Cruiser is the easiest because everything is sealed, including the connectors. Just don't aim a high pressure stream directly at anything, and used a mild tip, and you'll be fine. Be careful with the type of degreaser you choose as some don't play nice with Aluminum and will discolor your valve cover and intake.

Start the engine right after it's been hosed and let it dry off thru heat or drive around the block a few times.

I always wrap the dizzy and any other critical components in a plastic bag before I do this. Keep it relatively light pressured and it’s always been fine. Used to spray my 05 mustang with computers and never had problems.

 

[MarkBC]

I wondered if spraying directly on a hot exhaust manifold could crack it.

 

[EWheeler]

I use Spray Nine Heavy Duty degreaser, it is the best ive found for dissolving grime and grease. Better than anything labeled as “engine degreaser” ive ever used. After soaking with degreaser, use a hand pump sprayer with warm water to wash off. I have a sprayer i bought at tractor supply and it has an adjustable tip for different spray patterns. It works really really well for engine bay cleaning. Way more control of stream, enough pressure to agitate/remove, but not too much pressure to destroy.

I get the spray nine at AutoZone, i cant say enough good things about it, its the best.

On edit, here is a photo of my setup cleaning the engine bay of my new to me boat a summer ago. I use the same stuff on my autos. The spray nine actually worked better than two different carpet cleaners for cleaning spots from the carpet. This post has reminded me to go on amazon and buy a couple gallons of Spray Nine to have on hand.

Amazon product ASIN B00BAKMTG2

 

[cps432]

I wondered if spraying directly on a hot exhaust manifold could crack it.

That could be an issue. Maybe. But I’ve thrown cast iron skillets into water shortly after getting white hot and they never cracked. Our trucks don’t get anywhere near that hot. If there are stress points in the casting then it might be a different story.

I used to run laser machines at work. They had a tempered glass lid that prevented flash back from escaping the machine and burning your eyes. Occasionally a machine would catch fire. If it got hot enough it would change the temper of the glass. There were hinges that mounted directly to the lid through holes drilled in the glass. After a fire those bolts would create stress points and at random, the smallest amount of flex would cause the glass to pop and explode as if it were under extreme pressure.

I know it’s not iron and I would never expect that kind of failure from iron, but the stress points from the mounting studs could pose a problem… but probably not. I just don’t think it gets that hot.

 

[TanTLC]

I've never thought twice of spraying the engine bay considering LC's are engineered to do this... I wash my engine every spring to rinse away the winter road salts and have never had an issue. Granted I don't jamb the wand inches away from critical electrical parts to clean them, but a good brisk blast hasn't hurt..