Cleaning the engine bay

[chockymonster]

I can tell this site is already having a bad influence on me!

Up until now I've always kept the bonnet/hood shut as the engine bay is the place where the oily/noisey thing lives.

From looking under there this evening I'd guess I have a good five years of caked on dirt etc.



I'm against steam cleaning as there are lots of delicate bits under there and I don't have access to a hose/pressure washer.



There isn't a lot of room under there to get to surfaces without tearing my hands to shreads.



Any suggestions or tips?

 

[JasonD]

My personal routine:



First, I always like to clean engines while they are cold so that the chemicals don't evaporate so fast which gives them more time to do their job and also because I don't like working around a hot engine.



I spray Westley's Bleche White all over the engine, concentrating on the worst areas and be liberal with this, more the better. After the entire engine is coated, I use a stiff wheel well brush to start agitating the cleaner and spray more cleaner as needed.



After the whole engine is scrubbed down really well, I rinse it off with the hose. The stronger the spray the better, again concentrating on the trouble areas. If you have a real grease problem, then you will probably need to repeat this step as many times as necessary.



At this point, I usually start detailing the outside of the car to give the engine time to dry. After it's dry I like to use ArmorAll Tire Foam and coat the entire engine with a good thick layer of foam, don't be stingy with this either. If you don't like the foam, regular ArmorAll will do but you will probaby need to use a sponge or pad to apply it evenly. Let everything dry for at least 20 minutes and reapply your protectant as needed to give you the desired shine and then wipe off any excess, you're done.



Here's the results:



Before:

After:

 

[Eliot Ness]

.......I spray Westley's Bleche White all over the engine, concentrating on the worst areas and be liberal with this, more the better. After the entire engine is coated, I use a stiff wheel well brush to start agitating the cleaner and spray more cleaner as needed.......

Jason, don't you dilute the Westley's 50/50 with water?

 

[shaw]

Very nice results on the engine:xyxthumbs But...

I spray Westley's Bleche White all over the engine, concentrating on the worst areas and be liberal with this, more the better. After the entire engine is coated, I use a stiff wheel well brush to start agitating the cleaner and spray more cleaner as needed...

After it's dry I like to use ArmorAll Tire Foam and coat the entire engine with a good thick layer of foam, don't be stingy with this either.

Are you cool using Westley's?:scared That stuff is corrosive and a health danger. Maybe I'm too conservative. Shout laundry stain remover in a spray bottle degreases, clings well, has almost a neautral Ph, and has a health rating of 1. Simple Green is another choice with good cleaning and a safe product.



In addition, the last I knew AA Tire Foam carried petro distillates in it. Okay for the rubber? Maybe something water based would be gentler.



Here is a how-to... http://autopia.org/kb/index.php?page=index_v2&id=30&c=21

 

[JasonD]

Jason, don't you dilute the Westley's 50/50 with water?

Thanks, Eliot, I forgot to mention that. Yes, I dillute WBW 50/50 with water. Even dilluted, it has the same cleaning power as full strength and won't harm anything this way. Spraying it straight can be quite strong, and unless you are cleaning off baked on grease you don't need it this strong.

Very nice results on the engine:xyxthumbs But...







Are you cool using Westley's?:scared That stuff is corrosive and a health danger. Maybe I'm too conservative.



Simple Green is another choice with good cleaning and a safe product.



In addition, the last I knew AA Tire Foam carried petro distillates in it. Okay for the rubber? Maybe something water based would be gentler.

1) I'm not drinking the stuff, and I've been using it for the last 9 years with no problem.......actually, now that you say it, I do have a slight twitch that comes and goes.:wall



2) Yes, Simple Green is another choice, but I don't find it to be as effective. WBW is a spray on spray off product, which is why I choose it but any cleaner will do.



3) Again, I've been using AA Tire Foam for the last 9 years with no problems at all.



Using my method, I usually don't even have to touch the engine with a brush. I spray the WBW on, spray it off and then spray the foam on it and close the hood, done deal. The pictures above show the results and that didn't take more than 15 minutes total, the paint didn't peel off, the rubber didn't fall apart, and I didn't get cancer. :xyxthumbs

 

[oaevo8u]

JDookie is right...Simple Green is not very affective at all. I have been using his technique on my car or a customers car if they want a engine detailing and it comes out beautifull everytime. Only sometimes do I have to take a brush and agitate areas but besides that it is a hassle free very effective method.

 

[holland_patrick]

I'm not sure about ""Destorying the rubber means""



I have used AA WD40 and everything else under the sun to keep the engine clean and shiney I have been doing that for 10 year I have all of my orginal hoses and only on my second fan belt in 188,000 miles





patrick

 

[White95Max]

I use Simple Green, usually just by hand. I don't like spraying stuff all over everything (particularly on belts cuz they squeak afterward). I just use a cotton cloth that has Simple Green sprayed on it to wipe off everything I can get to by hand. Sometimes I'll mist the engine bay with the hose just to rinse any SG residue off and maybe knock some dirt off of the lower areas. I try to get to any place I can see though.

As far as metal parts, I polish them with Mothers Mag/Aluminum polish to bring back their shine a bit.



Then I use NXT Tech Protectant on the hoses/plastic to dress it up.