vthree

iTrader: (1)

does anybody clean their engine bay? mine looks pretty dirty.. and i was just wondering what everyone else does.. should i just wipe with a wet rag ?

JLTSX07

I could be totally wrong on this one, but I would think that you could take an engine degreaser (Simple Green or something of that nature) spray it on the engine, scrub the really dirty areas, then rinse it. I would probably then powerwash the engine, avoiding areas such as the alternator, etc. I'm sure some of the pro detailers will chime in though.

Hawhyen51

Here's a thread you can start off with.
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/engine-compartment-356049/
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/engine-detailing-336036/

Integraboy22

I will be cleaning my engine bay when I need to. Since my car is only 3 weeks old I have not had that opportunity to do that yet. Yes you should clean it, although you will probably only need to clean it once everyother month (maybe). There is an excellent thread on this but I could not find it right this second.
Go to the search tab at the top of the pages and click it. It will pull up search options. Type in Engine cleaning or engine detailing, or cleaning the engine, or anything along those lines. It should pull up the same stuff no matter what you type in. Then click the wash & wax option in the box to the right, just abouve the submit/search button you hit to start the search.
FYI-this can be used for any search you do.

When I did that I found this information to be helpful:

Engine detailing simply implies cleaning the engine compartment and applying protective products to wiring, vinyl and rubber hoses and shields. It's not a difficult task, albeit the first time cleaning is a somewhat messy one. Then after the initial detailing it's just a matter of maintenance.

It's really an easy 45-60 minute task every 2-3 months, the benefits are to increase the resale value of the vehicle and also highlight any leaks that can be rectified prior to becoming a major service repair. A correctly detailed vehicle looks impeccable, both the exterior and interior of the vehicle, why not extend the same standard to the engine compartment?

Cleaning Methodology:•Remove any excess debris, leaves and etc from the hood, grille or air-vent openings
•Spray electrical connectors with WD40 which repels moisture / water (avoid spraying on belts)
•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.
•This will not guarantee that you won’t cause a problem when cleaning an engine bay but it will greatly reduce the risks.
•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.
•Apply an engine de-greaser (Autoglym Engine Cleaner) or a citrus-based general cleaner (P12S Total Auto Wash) or a solvent free, water based cleaner (Simple Green® Aircraft & Precision Cleaner) - http://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_prod_ext_mor.php by lightly spraying the lower parts of the engine first and then working upwards.
•Enable the cleaner to work by allowing dwell time (but do not allow to completely dry)
•Do not allow the de-greaser to dry or remain on painted surfaces, and be sure to dilute with water before drying with a cloth.
•For heavily soiled areas agitate with a nylon engine cleaning brush and a diluted citrus-based cleaner (P21S® Total Auto Wash)
•When the grease and grime is dissolved and you're ready to remove it, spray with a light (garden type) pressure water hose.
•Use the blower side of a vacuum (avoid area that may be sensitive to a forced air flow) or allow the engine compartment to air dry and then thoroughly wipe down all accessible surfaces and then remove cling-film or aluminium foil.
•When everything is dry apply a vinyl/rubber protectant to hoses, shields and wires, and wipe engine parts with CD2 Engine Detailer or 303 Aerospace Protectarant
•Wipe off any excess with a clean cloth and apply a wax/sealant protection to painted surfaces.

Note- Apply a vinyl dressing to hoses etc (no diethyl silicone fluid based dressings (DS) should be applied in the engine compartment. Use only water based polydimethalsiloxane (PDS) dressings and do not directly spray on to engine parts, spray a cloth and wipe contains no Clean Air Act Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) nor is it a RCRA hazardous waste in and of itself when disposed.

Belts:
Using a belt dressing to stop it ‘squealing’ means you are putting off replacing the belt or its tensioner. It's squealing for a reason, if you use a belt dressing to ‘shine’ the material it may well cause belt slippage/wear. If any of this type of products gets into the air intake it will harm/render useless any sensors. Just stick to 303™ Aerospace Protectant and proper maintenance on your vehicle.

Replacement belts-Gatorback swallows up irritating chirps, squeaks and squeals due to its Helicog™ tooth design. Unlike the straight cogs on standard v-ribbed belts, the diagonal Helicog™) teeth on Gatorback actually cancel the noise of pulley contact from one offset cog to another. The result is a reduction in operating noise by as much as 15 decibels. http://www.goodyearbeltsandhose.com/cars/gatopoly.html

Engine Detailing Brushes:
Heated water breaks down water-soluble soiling faster as it reduces overall chemical usage as it reduces the surface tension of the fibre. Heat acts as a catalyst promoting quicker reactions between chemicals and the soil.

Use the appropriate detailing brush for the different surfaces found in the engine compartment
•Horse hair brush for painted surfaces
•A Nylon brush for plastic components
•Brass for aluminium parts
•Stainless steel for steel parts

I would recommend wearing a pair of latex cloves while working on the engine compartment. Road grime, tar and grease are very difficult to remove from underneath your fingernails. Outside of the garage your hands shouldn't look like you need lessons in personal grooming

Do not use a solvent based product for engine compartment detailing as solvents have a low flash point and could start a flash fire in the engine, solvents also deteriorates and expands rubber, which may have a detrimental effect on belts and hoses.


Hope this helps.

Integraboy22

WOAH WOAH, be careful with that. Simple green and many degreaser will eventually eat away your hoses, not too mention discolor. You can use it just BE CAREFUL. then you will need to add a spray wax to the hoses for conditioning and protection.
Do some searching on engine cleaning, read autopis how to's, and go to detail city to see what they say.

[B]THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST ENGINGE CLEANING WEBSITEB]
http://www.bettercarcare.com/how-to-...ur-engine.html

CHECK IT OUT

JLTSX07

Actually, if I am not mistaken, Simple Green is non abrasive.. It won't hurt anything..

Hawhyen51

I believe SG needs to be diluted or you can just purchase the SG MAX Automotive Cleaner. Here's an excerpt from their site . . . .
FYI, some of the SG specialty products do contain abrasives.

Mach30SiR

i love armor all tire foam for the engine, its a great little trick and SUPER FAST.

Integraboy22

Simple green is abrasive. As mentioned above it needs to be diluted. I do not know much, and since I found this website I realized I know hardly anything, about cleaning cars but I have read about simple green alot on this site as well as others.

If you follow the site I gave you, your engine will look brand new again. Also, if you have any oil spill over (around the oil fill plug or anywhere else) I have used a simple degreaser, which took it up immediately. Spray it on the spots let it sit for 30 seconds and wipe it up.

TOGWT

Simple Green® Aircraft & Precision Cleaner - http://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_prod_ext_mor.php
Meets Boeing Specs –D6 – 1748-7P (Water - based, no Hydrocarbon solvents)

Extreme Simple Green®, Simple Green’s new aircraft and precision cleaning product, cuts through tough, built up grease, oil, dirt, pollution, insect residue and impact soils. We’ve found no other aircraft-approved product on the market that matches Extreme Simple Green’s cleaning performance. Yet, it causes no harm to aircraft structural metals, plastics, paints, or coatings.