Degreasing the engine bay
 

Well my engine bay is dirty and i was wondering what is the best way to clean it. I was thinking of cleaning it the way my brother clean his engine on his Honda Accord but then i want to make sure first since rx7 is different accord. Well my brother method is go to a local self service washing shop and then spray it with water to get the dust off then spray on the tire cleaner or is it somekind of degreaser after that is done then he spray it of with water again. any advice on how to clean the engine bay would be nice.

spray some foaming degreaser from walmart on it. scrubb it with a dish brush. then rinse it off with carb cleaner. buy about 10 cans of it (about $1 a can here).

So is spraying degreaser and water on a rotary bad. also when my brother is cleaning is car, he uses a high pressure hose.

Cover any electrical connections.

This was covered yesterday. Should be on a thread on this page or the next one.

Rat

Try a search for "clean engine", "degrease engine" and variations on that. Aside from the thread we just had yesterday, this has been discussed many times in the past.

On my cars I usually have wrapped the fuse box, alternator, air filter, pretty much anything electrical with a plastic bag, then spray it down in degreaser, then brush it a little, then rinse. Should work. Just be cautious of where you spray the water

i took my air box and everything out. dont spray carb cleaner on the paint though... it will take it off. and just as a precaution dont run the car for a while if you do get things wet. carb cleaner evaporates pretty quick.

I find wheel acid works 100 times better then any normal degreeser.

wear gloves if u use wheel acid cleaner

Cover all electricals and delicate stuff
Spray it down with your choice of a degreaser mix, agitate
Rinse it down with a hose, and repeat if needed
Run the engine for 5-10 mins after that to evaporate any water.

simple green FTW

Find a mechanic friend that has a steam cleaner in his garage. Blast the whole engine, put the car up on a lift and blast away all the junk from the underside as well. Messy work, but it does a few really important things. First, it satisfies your desire for the bay to look clean, but even more important, this is a tremendous diagnostic aid. Once cleaned well, any leaks will quickly become evident.

I know this does not sound anything like any of the other posts, but I do this frequently with all types of cars. I have yet to have one not start or be problematic. In fact, I did my '84 GSL-SE yesterday like this. It's now immaculate and it started and ran just fine. Steam cleaning is the best way I know to get your issue resolved, but the other suggestions will get you some results as well. I realize that not everyone has access to this type of equipment, but if you can find it somehow, you will be pleased with the result. Good luck.

I used brake cleaner on the bottom side of my car today (tracking a leak down). It does pretty good. I use compressed air to blow it off. When using something like brake cleaner, you have to be a bit careful if you start it soon after. Guy caught a car on fire for a few seconds the other day when he cleaned some oil off using brake cleaner. Bad plug wires arc'd and started a fire.

Steam cleaner is the best.

after you use harsh chemicals like degreasers youll want to put some black magic on the hoses and rubber. degreaser sucks the moisture out of them.