How do you Clean your Engine Bay?
 

Hi All,

I've notice rx7club doesn't have it's own dedicated car-care subforum. If this isn't the right forum, mods please move.

Anyways,
I want to clean the engine bay; in the past with the typical piston engines, we (the dealership I used to work at) would just let the engine run hot, and pressure wash the engine bay and the heat from the engine evaporate the water afterwards.

This does work, however, obviously its not the safest way nor the most effective way, but hey, it was the customer's cars and that's want management wanted us to do.

Back to the point, on my local car forum, revscene, I was scrolling through the thread that does explain how to wash the engine bay, which was similar to the process that I described above. However, a fellow rotorite mentioned it was not a good idea to do this on a rotary.

My question to you is, is that a true comment? Either way, how do YOU go about cleaning your engine bay. Mine definitely needs a good clean and I want a new car engine bay look to it!

Thanks

not the most efficient way, but i strip my engine bay.......
http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/p...5/P1010110.jpg

lol/

a good APC, various brushes, and a pressure washer are your best bet.

The hard thing on these cars because of the age of the engiens, theres alot more exposed wiring than there is in modern cars. Pressure washers are ideal because they are more air than they are water. Do not run the engine hot, and than spray it with water. Thats just common sense. Rapid cooling like that is going to crack something.

On my mazda protege5 i use the method above, just without a pressure washer. I use as little water as possible.

Wrap anything you do not want to get wet in aluminum foil. This is because its easy to mold and conform around things and it will hold its shape.

The engine is sealed, you cannot get water inside of it, so dont worry about that. Worry about covering up things you do not want wet.

same with me i strip sand and repaint and while i have the engine in pieces i clean all that.....

I get a few walmart bags and tape and bag the electical stuff and tape the bags all shut to keep water out, then I use a couple different brushes, carb cleaner for the nasty stuff and a mild soap and water for the not so nasty, and then I carefully rinse with the garden hose just on enough to have enough to rinse with, and hand dry....I never shoot pressurized water into the engine bays of any of my vehicles.

Im not as hardcore as you guys. I just go through the engine bay with a wet shirt.

Then i touch up the rubber/plastic stuff with wd-40. It makes it shine for a couple of weeks. Then i have chrome polish for my chrome goodies.

Its not show quality work when its done but at least it doesnt look like crap.

What this man said. I use PB APC