Engine Cleaning

I

imported_weekendwarrior

New member
Does anyone know of a good spray on engine cleaner that does not have to be rinsed off? I am not a big fan of spraying water into the engine bay, and most of the products I see in the store say to spray them on, then rinse off.
 
I generaly will use ONR in a pesticide sprayer to clean the engine. I try to clean pretty often (quarterly), so this is generally to just remove dust. I'm not a fan of using the waterhose under the hood, but have never had a problem with the ONR sprayer.



If it is dirtier or greasy, I will spray with APC full stength, clean what I can reach with brushes, then rinse with the ONR.
 
bjackson8 said:
I generaly will use ONR in a pesticide sprayer to clean the engine. I try to clean pretty often (quarterly), so this is generally to just remove dust. I'm not a fan of using the waterhose under the hood, but have never had a problem with the ONR sprayer.



If it is dirtier or greasy, I will spray with APC full stength, clean what I can reach with brushes, then rinse with the ONR.
Click to expand...





you rinse with ONR in a sprayer?

how is that different then rinsing with water?
 
joshtpa said:
Light mist with sprayer is not much water at all. Very similar to spraying with a qd
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thanks I understand how a sprayer works:LOLOL



and I understand how to use onr and dry wth a cloth



but I don't understand how rinsing with onr in a sprayer

is any different than rinsing wirh water in a sprayer
 
Maybe you dont understand how ONR works then, because ONR has more cleaning properties than plain water....Your quote was "I dont understand how rinsing with ONR in a sprayer is any different than rinsining with water in a sprayer."
 
joshtpa said:
Maybe you dont understand how ONR works then, because ONR has more cleaning properties than plain water....Your quote was "I dont understand how rinsing with ONR in a sprayer is any different than rinsining with water in a sprayer."
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I think I found our comunication problem



I am not refering to the cleaning proberties of ONR vs water

I am refering to the op's statement that he does not want to rinse

or spray water on the engine
 
I don't know for sure, but I would think....



Spraying water from a hose or pressure water makes it likely that water will go into places where you don't want it.



When using ONR, there is no real pressure, making it less likely that the water will go where you don't want it.
 
bjackson8 said:
If it is dirtier or greasy, I will spray with APC full stength, clean what I can reach with brushes, then rinse with the ONR.
Click to expand...



I think what BigJimZ28 is saying is how is this any different then, spray with APC full stength then rince with water in the sprayer. Actually in my opinion there is no difference except the ONR costs more.:nixweiss

The cleaning is done by the apc, not the ONR.
 
Why are some folks afraid to use water under the hood.......? They don't think twice about wet sanding but, "no rinsing my engine"......:lol



Pro detailers here use water among other products in engine compartments all the time if necessary.....



Unless you are willing to wipe everything down by hand, peice by peice, section by section, your going to have to use water to maintain a clean engine and bay.....



Modern engines are designed to handle some external water. As long as your careful, a shower rinse after some mild APC and spot attention, you'll be just fine.......:xyxthumbs
 
Yeah, other than avoiding things that are known to be water-sensitive (e.g., GM OptiSparks), I usually don't think twice about getting things a little wet in the engine comparment.



But if you don't want any rinsing (perhaps you can't have any runoff), I'd use a sovent-based approach. Solvents, on rags and swabs, can do a great job without getting things damp. I like AutoInt's New Car Prep.



If you think about it, you either have to rinse or wipe...you gotta do *something* to get the dirt off. Products might emulsify the dirt, but you still have to get it moved off the surfaces it's lying on.



Steamers are very good for this kind of job too....
 
I too was little afraid at first about getting water into a sensor or electrical component but said what the hell and went for it.



I bought a bottle of Simple Green Max degreaser. Did my SRT and the Grand Caravan. Warmed up the motors to slight of touch. Sprayed the Simple Green everywhere and made sure I got everything. Let it dwell for a 5 minutes. Took my pressure washer and then rinsed. I avoided concentrating water in one area for too long (especially the fuse box or alternator. Then I took my leaf blower and blew away all of the puddled water in the concave areas around the motor. Started the motor up and let it run for 15 minutes.



The motor on the wifes van looked absolutely fantastic. Looked brand new. Her van does have a lot less miles than me. Mine came out "good". My valve cover is in need of some major TLC being that there is some corrosion and the cast intake manifold also needs a much stronger acidic cleaner like the EO etching mag cleaner that I totally forgot to use.
 
pogo123 said:
I think what BigJimZ28 is saying is how is this any different then, spray with APC full stength then rince with water in the sprayer. Actually in my opinion there is no difference except the ONR costs more.:nixweiss

The cleaning is done by the apc, not the ONR.
Click to expand...



I missed the part about the water from a sprayer, I was thinking ONR/sprayer -vs- pressure washer. In that case, I think you are correct.



I, personally, have never had a problem spraying water under the hood. Like others, I avoid concentrating or putting a lot of pressure on areas like the air filter, sparkplug wells, alternator, etc....
 
If it's a fairly new car, it should withstand the water. I disconnected my battery and sprayed my engine bay with a hose on my 2000 Integra. My car still runs the same... if not better after the cleaning.
 
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