Safest way to clean engine
 

Ok I've done a search on this already but I can't find some clear instructions. I just got my 1st gen and I don't want to mess things up but I want to clean the engine. What is the process for doing this and what products will I need? Thanks.

Soap and water :D.

~T.J.

:( C'mon I know I'm not the only one who likes a clean engine

Simple Green!!! It's cleans everything. :)

-Error402

well im just startin to clean the engine bay of my car finally and foaming engine degreaser has been workin great so far. going out of town stopped my progress and now that im back finally its raining :'(
im waitin for some thought on this too. im thinkin im gonna get it clean as best i can with engine degreaser and a little elbow grease and then polish and paint what i can on my spare time.
i'll take some close up pics of my motor when im not ashamed hehe
gamble

Start with a cool engine.

Cover all your electrical stuff(coils, alternaor, etc) with either Saran Wrap or aluminum foil to prevent water from getting in there.

Use an engine degreaser from your local auto parts dealer. They all work well.

Use an old tooth brush on caked on grease and grime.

Rise off with water.

Start the engine and drive to evaporate off all the water.

Oh, I forgot.

After you are done, you can spray some Armor All on all of the plasticky parts and let it sit overnight. Wipe off the next morning.

What electrical stuff exactly (not an engine expert)?

cover the distributor

Also, after you degrease and clean your engine, be prepared to repair the onslaught of oil leaks that will appear. That gunk you just cleaned off was for the most part keeping the oil IN the engine. Now that it's gone the oil will flow out again.

Sigh I wonder if I should still do this.... I don't know how to repair oil leaks. :(

Engine cleaning doesn't really cause oil leaks, don't worry. Here's what I do: I put a heavy plastic bag over the air cleaner intake horn and secure it with a rubber band, I take the distributor cap off and cover the distributor with a couple of plastic bags and secure them with rubber bands. This is done after I've driven to the local "quarter wash" (which is now a buck-fifty wash)
and let the engine cool down about 20 minutes. Then I get the car in the little stall and hose down the engine and anything greasy with the non-foaming Gunk spray-on engine cleaner. The foaming stuff doesn't work as well for me and I've tried both. I jack up the front of the car and put jackstands under it with the e-brake on. I should mention that I try to do this at a non-busy time of day (or night). I hose down the bottom side of the motor particularly the oil pan, but also spraying the steering gear as well. At this time I will usually clean the wheels with wheel cleaner and a brush, giving the Gunk engine cleaner some time to work. Then I take the parts brush to the engine compartment and the oil pan. When I have everything loosened, I'll fire up the pressure washer on the setting with soap and hot water and spray off the crud starting at the top of the motor and working down. I crawl under the front and blast the oil pan, then hose it down top to bottom again. I do not spray the coils, alternator, or other obvious electrical components directly and have never had a problem starting the car up afterward. This process works pretty darn well and ends up costing about 5 bucks by the time I'm through. You could just take it and have it steam-cleaned for more money, though. Nothing works better than that. -WG

How much does steam cleaning usually run? how long does it take to have done?

The place that I went to quoted me $50 to steam clean the engine. It would take them about 15 minutes from start to finish, depending on the grime buildup. But really, $50?! :eek: I used Shaklee soap instead :)

Anyone try any of those steam cleaners they advertise on tv? Just curious.

-Error402

50 bucks seems a mite high to me, I haven't gotten a price here locally, but I'll bet you could find a cheaper price with a little shopping. Those little steamers they advertise on TV will not do a proper job on a motor, no way. -Mike

I gotta go in search of some places to get my car done, its a mess.$50 is a rip off I ain't payin that much.

The trouble is that there are only three places that will steam clean and one out of the three will do car engines. :(

Fortunately, the stuff that can be wiped off with a rag can be cleaned with a cheap degreaser or soap. :)

what kind of places do steam cleaning? isnt steam cleaning the best way to clean the frame too? i think i heard that somewhere.... not sure

Auto detailers offer steam cleaning, generally. Check the yellow pages. Steam cleaning is great, can't beat it.