Cleaning engine bay

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I love Simple Green for engine bay cleaning! I've been using Simple Green for several cars and the results are outstanding! I just make sure the engine is cool, spray it on and let it sit for about a few minutes then spray it off.
 
I have used Simple Green before and lightly misted it off with hot water from my water heater (hook the hose up to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank).

Recently I cleaned an engine with Castrol Super Clean--it contains sodium hydroxide--and the engine was sparkling afterward. Noticeably cleaner than the Simple Green..

I recently bought some purple power--it also contains sodium hydroxide--and will be curious to see how it stacks up...

I covered the altenator and the fuse box with a WalMart bag--never had any trouble
 
I don't bother with the engine compartment.
The plastic covers are there for a reason.
Too many electronics under the hood.
Not a great idea to get them wet.
I'm sure I will get flamed for this.
Just my opinion.YMMV
 
I like to keep the engine bay fairly clean, although it's been neglected for about 2 years now.

Anyway, I cleaned it last weekend using my trusty Simple Green diluted about 1:4, agitated with a brush and rinsed. Tire foam went on next. I’m good for another year or two.
 
Hand washing would take forever. I have the Harbor Freight engine cleaning gun, but since the carwash near my house opened back up (like 4 blocks from my house), I typically just go there. I use the "engine clean" setting to soak everything, then rinse it with the gun. I just don't pull the trigger for the super-high spray. The engine cleaning gun is probably a little safer.

I do spray the electrical connections before hand w/WD40 to repel water. It's probably unnecessary, though. I also spray quickly around the coil packs and battery, but I do spray everything.

It's a lot more pleasant to work on a clean engine, and after the winter there's a good bit of grime in there since they sand the roads.
 
Originally Posted By: SkyGod
I don't bother with the engine compartment.
The plastic covers are there for a reason.
Too many electronics under the hood.
Not a great idea to get them wet.
I'm sure I will get flamed for this.
Just my opinion.YMMV



Nope, NO flames here, as I learned you are correct the hard way.
Let's just say that my engine's knock sensors, and associated wiring harnesses, are mounted down in the (open on the ends) valley UNDERNEATH the intake manifold!!

MUCH labor/bother, and the parts/gaskets/seals/etc. (even with substantial discounts) are not exactly free.
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I just did my Mazda 3 last weekend with an older wash mit and carwash soap. I wiped down the sides of the engine bay and top surfaces of the engine.
Then I sprayed on some power purple to the hard to reach places.
I took that plastic engine cover off and washed it separately. With the entire engine exposed I washed and rinsed it all down. Fired it up and zero issues.
 
I wash the engine bay once a year, usually mid to late spring to get all the salt off. I use Simple Green, diluted 4:1. I cover the alternator and electrical connections to the spark plugs and MAF with tin foil. With cold engine, I just spray everything down with SG, agitate with a brush and rinse off with a hose. Then I spray everything with tire foam.

I've been doing this since the car was brand new and so far everything looks good, with no problems. I recently changed spark plugs and the connections were nice and clean with no signs of corrosion, MAF connector is the same.
 
I simply spray simple green on everything, start the engine and spray it down with water. For the most part everything dries out after a 10mins of the engine running. I do this on my LT1 with the infamous Optispark. I just dont directly spray at it. Never had a problem.
 
Only time I've ever had an issue was on an older corolla, some water snuck down past the spark plug wire boot and was causing a misfire on that cylinder since the spark didn't make it to the plug. Quick shot of dust off, and a little wd40 fixed it.
Every couple months I clean under the hood of my Nissan truck. I spray it down with degreaser pretty good, wipe the dirty parts with a cotton towel, and rinse with garden hose on low pressure. I don't use a pressure washer. I recently bought an air compressor, so last time I used it to blow out all the water from electrical connections and the nooks and crannies, it really helped out.
Follow with armor all or whatever tire shine you like that doesn't contain teflon (MAS doesn't like that)... That's about it. I always get compliments on my engine bay. If you keep it clean, it's easy. The hard part is if it gets really dirty.
 
Modern cars are quite water resistant under the hood. They will not be harmed by low pressure water. That said, I cover only my alt., battery and air intake with plastic bags. My method works well for lightly soiled compartments - cant comment on heavy grease/dirt.

I only clean a cold engine and use diluted Dawn dishwashing detergent (it will strip wax, so be careful that you dont get it on the exterior paint). I have a hose attachment that has a refillable canister and 8 spray settings. I fill up the canister half way with Dawn and select the 'mist' setting because it allows the product to cling to the parts. Let it sit for 1 min., then rinse. Follow up with a microfiber cloth on all visible ares and Im done. Takes me 15 min. I do this quarterly-ish.

Car is six years old. Excuse the close up pics as they were a tutorial for another forum, but a picture is worth a thousand....

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Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Here's a follow up reply from Simple Green. I asked about using their cleaners for grounds care/ag. equipment and vehicle engine areas that have aluminum, plastic, and rubber parts.

"Simple Green Pro HD is near identical in formulation to the Extreme Simple Green Aviation Cleaner – the only difference being that there is an added colorant to the Pro HD. Pro HD will be a suitable and more readily available product for you to use in your cleaning applications.

Both formulations are safe for paint, although they will remove any oxidized paint which, while beneficial, may cause a surface to look uneven."


I'm going to try the SG Pro HD.
 
Here`s my 16 year old engine. My technique:

Wash entire engine bay with water (sprayer attached). With a soft brush,I use a bucket of carwash soap and clean the entire thing. I dry it off really well. I then spray Extra Moisturizing Pledge on everything. Then finally,I use shop towels to wipe the sprayed Pledge off. Pledge keeps dust and dirt from accumulating,and makes the next cleaning REALLY easy! I just spray with water,then "re-Pledge",and wipe off. MUCH MUCH better than using Armor All,CD-II,etc,as I get no dusty/dirty buildup. I learned the Pledge detailing trick on a Harley forum.
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Originally Posted By: demarpaint
^^ Nice job! ^^ How often do you do that?


Thanks! :^) Probably once every few months or so.
 
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