What does everyone use to clean their engine compartment? Any things i should avoid doing when cleaning my engine compartment? Let me know. Thx

 

Obviously you should avoid any kind of running water I did that, and not only did the water damage the plugs from the outside, it somehow ended up inside the housings, and caused a bit of damage on the plug tips as well

From my experience, the various "Engine Cleaners" dont do squat...just get a nice Carb Cleaner (bit more expensive), warm up the engine a bit, start spraying, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe off with a rug that doesnt leave bits and dust behind.

PS: Dont know why, but if you need a bit of a shine on your engine, you can use electrical contact cleaner Worked for me just fine....

 

SO no water at all huh? What carb cleaner do you use and where did you get it? Price? Thx for the help anyone else gonna give their experiences?

 

Any kind will do. Price and place ? It'll be a bit hard for you to go to the same place I went, because we are something like 20K miles away from each other Any CC will do just find. Prices should be around the 5-6 bucks area....

 

Sweet!

 

i used a hose on my engine! water didnt Damage a thing! i sprayed very light, just to get it wet. but its fine!

 

I think he meant engine COMPARTMENT, not the engine itself. At least thats how it sounds...

 

Actually AreExSeven i am wanting to clean both.

 

Simple Green automotive cleaner works well. I've sprayed water all over my engine and compartment with no problems. The engine has to be cold, though. Try not to spray directly into the alternator or ignition coils & if you have a cone intake cover it with a plastic bag.

You just spray the entire engine & compartment with water and then apply Simple Green. I have a little brush to get into the hard to reach places. Then wash off with water.

 

Simple green is great ****...AND you can drink it! lol, seriously, Simple Green will get almost anything...whatever it wont get carb cleaner will.

---Nick

 

Never sapry cold water on a hot engine. Certain things can crack. And don't use the Castrol engine degreaser. that's the one that comes in a purple bottle. it causes certain metals to rust and leaves a whitish stain of some sort behind. it then becomes a PITA to get it off. Plus i blew my motor there after so it's just plain evil. Good for your driveway though.

 

Heh Simple Green is good but i read it breaks down aluminum. I guess its not too bad unless i leave it on my car for like a week. Sounds like Simple Green is gonna be what i use and is it safe to spray on paint?

 

Guess I did it all wrong but absolutely no problems and engine and compartment are immaculate. She's a '90 GXL and looked like under the hood had never been touched. Simply brought to car wash that power washes in detail part of operation. Coils covered and sealed with twist ties. steam cleaned and power washed. Guys were impressed with the car and took care and time to get it right.

As I said like new, no problems.

 

make sure u undo the battery before u start wetting anything r u will get a shock from hell
trust me it hurts my idiot friend hooked up the batery so he could listen to a cd while i was getting the hose
the next thing i know *ZAP* right when i put my hand on the engine

 

This is true if you don't flush it with plenty of water. The way to avoid it breaking down your aluminum parts is to flush it with A LOT of water after you've cleaned the surface.

 

walmart, tech degreaser $.97 a can. warm engine up spray on wash off R E A D DIRECTIONS ON CAN , you will be fine.

 

I want to know how to REALLY clean the aluminum front cover and the bracket for the AC.....
They looked SOO nice after being sandblasted during the engine rebuild, now they look horrible, and I can't seem to be able to clean them worth a crap.... what's the best product for cleaning aluminum?? (Not requiring buffing preferably)

 

I would have clear powder coated them (yes they make clear poweder coat) after sandblasting them.

I painted the last set with aluminum engine paint.

they look freakishly new all the time..
kinda unnerving that they dont look even SLIGHTLY dirty.