engine bay cleaning

[xxxd-manxxx]

i just got a car that has been sitting and it has spider webs and dirt all over. i want to spray inside it with a hose but not sure what i need to watch out for when getting it wet. I know i'll cover the dizzy. Anything else that i need to make sure i dont get wet?

Any help would be great!

[cododgeneon]

just cover the air filter and wash the motor cold. Use simple green. It works good.
also your car might not start right after just let it dry out and then start it.
If it does start right away then let it run for a few mins

[xxxd-manxxx]

cover only the air filter? nothing else!

[BlueFang08]

I would also cover the distributor cap.

[jackmode9316]

SHit I just Used a damp towel and wiped down my engine bay with some good old soap and water and elbow grease. I also had to un bolt a few things in order to clean behind it, but no big deal. See the difference? Something about just spraying it off didnt sit right with me. Plus I already had the IM pulled.

4043

4044

[xxxd-manxxx]

damn how long did that take you man it looks good. I might take it to honda i have a friend that works there that has something that works great with cleaning customers engine bays that come in .

[Kwando]

don't use simple green.

cover the electronic components. get a can of foamy gunk engine degreaser... spray the entire can in the engine bay, get every nook and cranny. use med pressure spray to rinse it. then spray a layer of foamy (the pump kind will not work and is flamable) armor all in the engine bay. remove the covers for the electrical components, shut the hood and start the car. let it idle for 15-20 minutes and you will have a nice clean engine bay.

[cododgeneon]

dont use armour all. It will make the engine even dirtier. Only use it when selling the car. It will just the dirt stick to the motor


WHY not use simple green?

[jackmode9316]

damn how long did that take you man it looks good. I might take it to honda i have a friend that works there that has something that works great with cleaning customers engine bays that come in .
The actual cleaning stuff took maybe and hour and a half total at the very most, including the time it took to unbolt some things from the firewall, like the fuel filter and such.. I figured why the hell not since the IM was already off.

[M@]

Andy, in my opinion... wait until spring to clean it, or you're just wasting your time. My $.02

[xxxd-manxxx]

thanks for the info guys i am going to buy some stuff and work on it today i will post up some before and after pics

[urhomieblaze]

i use to use the simple green, but then i tried the GUNK engine degreaser, that shit works great,kwando recomended the foamy kind but i use either kind, or even the simple green every now and then. depends on whats on hand.
walmart has the GUNK engine cleaners for cheap.

[xxxd-manxxx]

well its pretty dirty m@ so i just wanted to get some off im not going to clean it so it looks spotless just fix it up a little!

[M@]

Cool cool.

[Kwando]

dont use armour all. It will make the engine even dirtier. Only use it when selling the car. It will just the dirt stick to the motor


WHY not use simple green?


if you use the foamy armor all it will not get dirty... the foamy stuff soaks into the plastic and it is not wet at all. thats why i recommend shutting the hood with the engine idling.


my method is by far prob the easiest way...

[cododgeneon]

I just dont like armour all, it sucks, it drys plastic out and will just make things dirtier over time.

[Kwando]

so does the sun... so stay out of the sun

[3rdGen4DrTegi]

so does the sun... so stay out of the sun

yeah but the sun mixed with armor all dries plastic out twice as fast.... the sun mixed with any petrolium based product like armor all for that matter

[2genCRX]

i believe both gunk and simple green work well, but i always have simple green at my house so that's what i usally use.

[legendaddiction]

I've had great results with Gunk engine degreaser. Be sure to use some sort of brush to help remove stubborn spots. Cover the dizzy, altenator, and try to avoid getting water into the spark plug holes.

[Dohc_NoN_Vtec]

I used some black magic engine cleaner and just sprayed it on while the engine was still hot then I filled some cups with water and dumped it over the dirty spots and it worked pretty good because my tranny had oil all over it from a cam plug leak and it looks clean now.

[Mario]

I've always used Armor All on my engine bays, and they've looked great. Of course it gets dirty... that's what happens to something that is clean.

[Vanimaniac]

I just used Simple Green the other day.

I covered the distributor cap.

Wet the engine real quick. Warm engine is ok but don't let it get too hot.

Sprayed half of the spritzer bottle I bought from Checkers.

Let it sit for a few minutes.

Sprayed it down.

Here's the before (add an "h" to the beginning of the link. I don't have enough posts)...
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Vanimaniac/My%20Civic/Picture010.jpg

And after...
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Vanimaniac/My%20Civic/Picture014.jpg

Took all of 10 minutes. For a better job, get a toothbrush or something to scrub out the really dirty areas.


Take care,
Van

[V-TEC_foo]

i like using the gunk stuff..never had a problem with it...it works great..anyone tried that black magic engine degreaser and detailer?

[Mario]

I just used Simple Green the other day.

I covered the distributor cap.

Wet the engine real quick. Warm engine is ok but don't let it get too hot.

Sprayed half of the spritzer bottle I bought from Checkers.

Let it sit for a few minutes.

Sprayed it down.

Here's the before (add an "h" to the beginning of the link. I don't have enough posts)...
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Vanimaniac/My%20Civic/Picture010.jpg

And after...
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Vanimaniac/My%20Civic/Picture014.jpg

Took all of 10 minutes. For a better job, get a toothbrush or something to scrub out the really dirty areas.


Take care,
Van

Nice improvement! Your dizzy is still dirty though. I used to cover all my components, but as long as you don't jet water directly on them, there's no reason why you should cover anything. Little bit more work and you'll have a clean bay!

[mavvrik]

SHit I just Used a damp towel and wiped down my engine bay with some good old soap and water and elbow grease. I also had to un bolt a few things in order to clean behind it, but no big deal. See the difference? Something about just spraying it off didnt sit right with me. Plus I already had the IM pulled.

4043

4044

I totally agree. My engine bay is nice and shiny and all I use is some soapy water and a rag. For the nasty spots down in the corners I just spray some windex or any other general cleaner and quickly scrub...takes the grime right off :) If I wanna get real serious I take the valve cover off and hose the thing off and scrub it real good. After all that the engine bay looks supa supa fresh!

[JDMef9]

I just used Simple Green the other day.

I covered the distributor cap.

Wet the engine real quick. Warm engine is ok but don't let it get too hot.

Sprayed half of the spritzer bottle I bought from Checkers.

Let it sit for a few minutes.

Sprayed it down.

Here's the before (add an "h" to the beginning of the link. I don't have enough posts)...
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Vanimaniac/My%20Civic/Picture010.jpg

And after...
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Vanimaniac/My%20Civic/Picture014.jpg

Took all of 10 minutes. For a better job, get a toothbrush or something to scrub out the really dirty areas.


Take care,
Van


wow! what an improvement!
too bad its hard as hell to keep that clean around here!

[JDMef9]

btw...ive been finding the GUNK stuff at dollar stores for a buck!
and there is no limit as to how many u can buy at once, which is great, cuz u should use a whole can each time u clean the bay.
cheap easy way to clean your engine bay.

and to all u hatchback owners...
u ever use the spare tire well to haul engines, tranny's and other parts and it got all greasy?
for my red EG i used the gunk stuff and it worked great!
for my white EF, i used Tilex kitchen cleaner.
besides the scratches, u would never be able to tell i hauled anything back there. it brightend and whitend my hatch area! (also another great dollar store item!~)_