Engine cleaning and messing up?

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


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



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.
 
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.
 
Tasty said:
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.
Click to expand...



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
 
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?
 
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.
 
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