Jere Urso

I'm trying to think of ideas to clean the engine bay real fast, like using the high pressure hose at the car wash on low pressure by shutting the car off and wrapping up the intake and alternator so no water gets in. But I feel like that way will damage the electrical connectors and connections under the hood. What's you're ideas, thoughts or process of cleaning the engine bay fast?

heynoman

iTrader: (5)

I usually bag up the alternator but if you don't have a air cleaner on you should cover your intake I normally soak everything in a heavy duty degreaser not purple or green **** avoiding plugs and sockets and high pressure everything off when done I blow all the water out with a air gun and let sit for a while comes out great

Jere Urso

Sounds like a good idea, what kind of degreaser do you use, I could just do that at home and use my air compressor.

heynoman

iTrader: (5)

I been using a chemical called blast it that I been taking from work lol but before that there was
Another product that worked better can't think of the name of it right off the top of my head but it was a carpet cleaner concentrate work wonders and didn't cause the aluminum to oxidize I think I have a empty bottle around here somewhere when I find it I will give you the name .

Jere Urso

Okay thanks, I've used simple green and other engine degreasers before but haven't really found an awesome product.

LongDuck

I did the best I could with the engine out, but then finally just gave up. I used Simple green, but it leaves a greenish foam dried-up suds residue on everything. Tried another product called 'Degreaser' and that barely cut the grime. I wiped down the firewall as best I could, the frame rails, and the front crossmember, and then called it a day.

The 30 years of grease, oil, power steering fluid, and coolant gets to keep it's rightful place on my car. From now on I'll just refer to it as the factory Mazda undercoating.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Nothing beats a nice clean engine bay. But I don't think high pressure hoses aren't a good way to do it, too much potential for damage and driving water into places it shouldn't be, like the distributor.

Also, trying to do it quick and easy misses the point, you want to do a careful thorough job if you want it to look really nice.

The best conditions are a slightly warm engine bay or a really hot day. I use the autozone degreaser, it's less expensive than the others and works better. Avoid the foaming products, they make a really cool looking foam that looks good but doesn't remove the grease.

You may want to cover the distributor with a plastic bag, but this isn't necessary if you're careful. I've never had a problem soaking down the alternator with the garden hose, so I'm not sure why you would want to avoid getting water in it.

Spray everything down with a good coat of degreaser, let it set a few minutes and then rub everything down with a brush, like a good stiff paint brush or scrub brush. Let it sit for another 15-20 minutes to let the degreaser work, hit it some more with the brush, then wash off the degreaser with a garden hose using moderate pressure and avoiding the dizzy (if water gets in there the car may not start afterwards, but not a big deal, you just need to blow it out with compressed air).

Finally wash everything down with a warm soapy dish washing solution, again using the brush to get in the hard to reach places, followed by a good rinse with the garden hose. When dry, the engine bay will be clean but missing that crucial "factory mazda undercoating", as LD calls it, so I usually give everything a light spray with some kind of lubricant to make it look nice and shinny and to prevent surface rust.

The first time you do a dirty engine you will need to repeat this procedure a few times to get it clean, but after that an annual degreasing does the job and keeps everything looking factory fresh.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

agreed.

it's literally been decades since the last time i used running water to clean an engine or engine bay while it's still in the car. however, the last time i did was pretty much as Ray described it, except i did shield the alternator from the water.

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Fastest way? Can of gasoline and a match, but that has undesired side effects.


Get the engine hot. Not warm, hot. Leave it running and pressure wand it with some soap/degreaser, or just a garden hose. Try to avoid the distributer, but if you do end up with some condensation in there wipe it out with a rag no big deal.

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

Hot engine + cold water = profit?

DreamInRotary

iTrader: (49)

Mine came out really nice with some soap and a rag...but the engine was out

Still a dirty spot down by the stock battery tray, cleaned up now

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Very pretty DR, that's the way we like to see them!

James, hot metal + cold water = cracks. Do you really want to take a chance on this?

You want enough heat to activate the detergent so that it forms micelles readily and eats the grease, which is about the temp of warm dish water.

Any more than that and you're just boiling away the solvent and making things worse.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

A couple cans of GUNK engine bright, a tooth brush, a couple rags, a big nylon brush, and a garden hose with adjustable nozzle on very low pressure (almost like a spray bottle). Warm the engine up before you start, but dont get it hot. This will help any water that does seep into a place it shouldnt be evaporate. After wards give a a little spray of WD40 and rub the WD40 around evenly with a clean rag to prevent any corrosion or flash rust. Then shine up the hoses with it.

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

I've cleaned many engines for decades and never had issues with cracks. Maybe the water I'm using isn't cold enough, or my definition of hot isn't over boiling point.


PM is the best way to keep an engine clean (at least from a motorcycle standpoint). Just wipe it down regullary and you won't get build up. When you build your engine clear coat area's that will not get touched often, that'll seal pours in the metal. Mother's mag has a compound in it that seals up metals and keeps shine for a long time even in the most corrosive environments.

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

Another thing that helps after a final rinse is some high pressure air. This will help get water out of the little nooks and crannies, like between the upper intake and engine.

jr515

You can also spray it down with WD40 after you wash it.

JSmall

Powerful steam cleaner ftw

LongDuck

DreamInRotary - you are my personal hero!

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

There is no fast way to do a GOOD job. There are fast ways to do an OKAY job.

Biggest thing is to not let anything leak - stay on top of your maintenance and cleaning is not that big a deal. They really don't get very dirty if you keep the sticky crap - oil, antifreeze, etc.) off of them.

Once it's clean, keeping it that way is easier than starting over later.

I clean mine by using the compressor to blow all the dust and sand out, then damp rags & a few odd-sized brushes & rags-on-a-stick for the hard-to-reach areas. Wipe it down with a clean damp synthetic Chamois.

Chromed bits get dusted then wiped down with a soft old t-shirt & distilled water. Windex for sticky bits.