Engine cleaning and messing up?

[soysaucial]

Who here has ever messed up a engine while trying to clean it? I want to clean mine but im scared..:(

[tomstin]

Not too much to worry about. EVERYTHING under the hood is designed to get wet. However, you don`t want to spray high pressure water into electrical components. Use the detergent of your choice (Simple Green etc), agitate it gently, and rinse. I have access to compressed air and blow it all off, spray on a little 303, blow off all the access and you`re good to go.

[Accumulator]

Yeah, just cover anything obviously vulnerable (engine computer, distributer cap, etc.) with aluminum foil and don`t blast water into/directly onto stuff like that and you`ll be fine. I`ve cleaned engines on all sorts of cars since I was a kid in the `70s. I`ve *never* had any problems (even with Jaguars ;) ). It often doesn`t take as much water as you might think anyhow.

[togwt]

Quote: I`ve *never* had any problems (even with Jaguars ). It often doesn`t take as much water as you might think anyhow.



Besides the British and Jaguars are both used to lots of water lol



Engine Cleaning Methodology:

â€Â¢Remove any excess debris, leaves and etc from the hood, grille or air-vent openings

â€Â¢Spray all electrical connectors with WD40, which repels water.

â€Â¢Use cling-film or Saran wrap elastic covers to cover any sensors, electrical black boxes, electrical devises that could cause an electrical short-circuits if subjected to water spray.

â€Â¢This will not guarantee that you wonâ€â„¢t cause a problem when cleaning an engine bay but it will greatly reduce the risks.

â€Â¢Start and run the engine to get it warm, not hot, this will enable the de-greaser to work more efficiently on a warm surface.

â€Â¢Apply an engine de-greaser (Autoglym Engine Cleaner) by lightly spraying the lower parts of the engine first and then working upwards.

â€Â¢Do not allow the de-greaser to dry or remain on painted surfaces, and be sure to dilute with water and dry with a cloth.

â€Â¢For heavily soiled areas agitate with a nylon engine cleaning brush and a diluted general purpose cleaner (P21S® Total Auto Wash)

â€Â¢When the grease and grime is dissolved and you`re ready to remove it, spray with a light (garden type) pressure water hose.

JonM

[jrotaryb]

White lithium grease works better to insulate electrical plugs from water and it lasts for a loooooooooooong time.

[foxtrapper]

The application of a cleaning agent hasn`t caused me much trouble.



Water in things after I rinsed has. In the sparkplug well, and a few distributors.



Pressure washers, now those have caused me serious grief. As handy and tempting as they may be, I really don`t recommend them under the hood. You can blast water into all sorts of things that can`t handle it. I`ve damaged air mass meters, ignition modules and other assorted goodies with pressure washers over the years.

[WrxRob513]

simple green anyone?

[Tasty]

I just used Simple Green when I detailed my mom`s enging compartment on her new Mazda 6. I didn`t dilute it or anything, but I think next time I will because it gets pretty foamy when you get to rinsing. Stuff works really well though, and leaves a nice scent.

[longarm]

Anyone use 303 Aerospace Cleaner? I was planning on using that next weekend to detail my engine.

[Don]

Originally posted by TOGWT



â€Â¢Spray all electrical connectors with WD40, which repels water.





Not only is this an excellent way to protect the electrical connectors from water, WD-40 is also excellent at dissolving grease and grime, so in a way it`s doing two jobs at once. Cleaning greasy gunk AND protecting the electronics.



If I have an exceptionally greasy area to clean, I will often spray it with WD-40 a couple of times and let it soak, hit it with a blast from the hose, then use Simple Green or whatever APC I have on hand. You`ll be surprised at how well it cuts the grease.

[salty]

I use a garden hose even though a have a pressure washer.

Years ago i used a PW on all engines and had problems maybe 10% of the time, usually wet distibutor cap. The exception was early `80`s Ford trucks, which could cause a failure of a little part by the fire wall (?).



Now i use Powr Clean. It might only be available in West Can.

[Intercooled]

Originally posted by Tasty

I just used Simple Green when I detailed my mom`s enging compartment on her new Mazda 6. I didn`t dilute it or anything, but I think next time I will because it gets pretty foamy when you get to rinsing. Stuff works really well though, and leaves a nice scent.



I was going to use Simple Green myself to clean out my engine compartment. But Accumulator suggested that Simple Green can cause staining and discoloration on aluminium. I am now thinking twice. :nixweiss

[volunteer1816]

The videos on Adam`s website says something about not detailing German engines. I have a BMW scheduled for Saturday, am I safe or should I be very carefule with he rinse?

[capt512]

I have wash/detailed probably 15 engine bays in my life. I didn`t have any problems on any of them but a 98 Crown Victoria. I used some Gunk Engine Cleaner and a light spray from a water hose (w/o a nozzle). I waited for about 30 minutes for everything to dry out some, and then started it up. I soon found out that I had blown out 7 Coil On Plug packs (each at $200) at the time. Since then I will not use a hose to detail a COP engine. (just toothbrush and cup of water). On the other hand Crown Vics are bad about that, as many local detailers won`t even touch their engine bays. Good luck with whatever you decide.