Engine Bay Cleaning

[Dan12GT]

Most everything in your engine bay is sealed to prevent dirt and moisture from destroying those parts.

My method is very similar to Josh's.

* Cover all exposed areas that might worry you like the intake, exposed wires, etc. ( I actually remove the intake tube, battery, plenum cover, radiator cover, and coil covers, to get in those areas under those parts that normally don't get as much normal attention)

* I generally wrap things like the throttle body, battery leads, and my HID ballasts / wiring with tin foil. I like to use tin foil because I can easily bend the foil around the areas I need to cover. Also the foil will repel the water and not soak it or become compromised it if gets damp.

* Then I fill up a spray bottle or two with water mixed with a bit of dawn dish soap and spray the entire engine bay down. ( I like to use dawn because it is non intrusive and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals like simple green or any of those other harsh chemical cleaners)

* Let sit for 10-15 mins to eat on the dirt, spray more if needed. Use a microfiber towl to scrub on any areas that need more attention.

* Rinse the engine bay with a hose on lowest pressure (You don't want high pressure because you could dislodge something or get water in areas you don't want. You want to control the water as much as possible) I suggest not running an open hose as the water will get everywhere and you will have little control.

* Let air dry. (park in the sun to dry quickly or put a fan on it)

* Once dry put everything back together and fire it up!

I have had great success with the method and actually I don't need to do it much. I try to maintain the engine bay with each car wash by wiping the water down after a wash and following up with some detail spray.

[46Tbird]

Originally Posted by Dan12GT * Then I fill up a spray bottle or two with water mixed with a bit of dawn dish soap and spray the entire engine bay down. ( I like to use dawn because it is non intrusive and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals like simple green or any of those other harsh chemical cleaners)

You've got it backwards. Simple Green is about the least harsh cleaner you can buy. You can even drink it. Dawn is a fine cleaner, but it strips wax so keep it off your paint. If I were being picky, I would suggest a good car wash soap instead of the Dawn, since it has gloss enhancers for the engine plastics and it won't strip wax off your exterior paint.

[Dan12GT]

Originally Posted by 46Tbird You've got it backwards. Simple Green is about the least harsh cleaner you can buy. You can even drink it. Dawn is a fine cleaner, but it strips wax so keep it off your paint. If I were being picky, I would suggest a good car wash soap instead of the Dawn, since it has gloss enhancers for the engine plastics and it won't strip wax off your exterior paint.

Do some research simple green is harsh. Most of the application instruction suggest to dilute it. When I was younger I used it on a previous car and let it sit too long. Came back to bubbling paint. I refuse to use it ever again. Dawn is not intrusive on paint it just removes wax / sealants. It does a very good job of removing the greases in the engine bay, especially if you are running open breathers on the heads. It's also not hard to follow up after everything has dried with some detail spray / sealant spray. Also there engine bay isn't exposed to UV like the exterior paint so I don't see any reason to apply actual wax to painted surfaces in the engine bay.

Also why are you mentioning exterior paint? We are talking about the engine bay...

[46Tbird]

Originally Posted by Dan12GT Also there engine bay isn't exposed to UV like the exterior paint so I don't see any reason to apply actual wax to painted surfaces in the engine bay. Also why are you mentioning exterior paint? We are talking about the engine bay...

Seems obvious that Dawn in a spray bottle will end up on your fenders, but maybe it's only obvious to me. If you've got something working for ya and you're happy with it, more power to you. For me, Dawn is only used around a car to strip wax in preparation for paint or a full detail.