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Old 09-15-2008, 10:10 PM   #1
turbobird14
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Default How to clean your engine bay engine parts????

So i have the typical dirty engine bay. I would like to clean all the metal parts to look new again and i have no clue where to start or what products to use... thinking about using a wire wheel to scuff up all the parts like intake manifold... alternator.. stuff like that. What kind of products or techniques could you recommend. Thanks
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Old 09-15-2008, 10:19 PM   #2
stud100spray
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use a degreaser like simple green... do it while the motor is warm... cover up the alternator and intake.
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Old 09-15-2008, 10:35 PM   #3
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IMO purple power engine degreaser works better than simple green
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Old 09-15-2008, 10:43 PM   #4
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A quick search in this section will give you all of the info you need. Remember, search is your friend...
oh and here is a good link that is the correct way to clean your engine:

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acata...es_engine.html

enjoy
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Old 09-16-2008, 10:08 AM   #5
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this one has been covered a time or two.
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1502820
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Old 09-19-2008, 07:17 PM   #6
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warm water sprayed from one of those containers that you pressurize, and a tiny bit of orange oil
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Old 09-19-2008, 08:12 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stud100spray View Post
use a degreaser like simple green... do it while the motor is warm... cover up the alternator and intake.
Just did this recently and it definitely works very well. I just went to one of those quarter pressure wash places and I covered my intake and sprayed the whole engine bay with simple green max diluted 1:1 with water. Let that sit about a minute or two then pressure wash with water. I finished with the spotless rinse so there would be no water spots and it turned out awesome! NO grease or dust left over. no scrubbing or anything. Next time ill cover my alternator

Cover your intake with something thick so water doesnt seep through. I used a microfibre wash mitt and layed that over it.
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Old 09-20-2008, 01:29 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by howfast? View Post
Just did this recently and it definitely works very well. I just went to one of those quarter pressure wash places and I covered my intake and sprayed the whole engine bay with simple green max diluted 1:1 with water. Let that sit about a minute or two then pressure wash with water. I finished with the spotless rinse so there would be no water spots and it turned out awesome! NO grease or dust left over. no scrubbing or anything. Next time ill cover my alternator

Cover your intake with something thick so water doesnt seep through. I used a microfibre wash mitt and layed that over it.
Its great that you neglected the link above about the CORRECT way to clean you engine, you never want to clean it when it is warm or hot, because things dry faster, and make them spotted. You also never want to power wash the inside of the engine bay because water ingresses into parts.
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Old 10-13-2008, 08:26 AM   #9
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I used Simple Green Max on my Cherokee engine and it produced white spots on the metal intake manifold. Anyone else experience discoloration from using engine cleaners?
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Old 10-13-2008, 09:20 PM   #10
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Cleaned my engine bay for the 1st time ever today.

Car engine cold. Wrapped alternator / battery terminals in foil.
Used Purple Power for a good pre-soaking, then let it sit for about 7 minutes.
Gently brushed Int.Manifold and other dirty parts with soft brush.
Sprayed the bay down really well.
Put dressing on hoses and plastic.

Overall, it looks a little better. Still very dirty IMO. Maybe i did it wrong, i dunno. I think I will do it again just to see if two applications is what it needed.
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Old 10-13-2008, 10:34 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dewmudgeon View Post
Its great that you neglected the link above about the CORRECT way to clean you engine, you never want to clean it when it is warm or hot, because things dry faster, and make them spotted. You also never want to power wash the inside of the engine bay because water ingresses into parts.
1. Unless you have an open air filter you don't really need to cover anything

2. As long as you use a pressure washer in a smart manner you do not need to worry about any issues

I have cleaned hundreds of engines on different cars with pressure washer, most of them warm and never had an issue. You need to use a dressing on the engine anyhow to give it a nice sheen.
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Old 10-15-2008, 03:27 AM   #12
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run your car bout 2 mins. then spray some simple green on everything. then use a either horse hair brush or some type of brush and scrub everything the entire engine bay, rinse with the water hose, just spray everything then finally use like a leaf blower or use those shop van blower to dry of everything then your good. really clean engine bay.. hope it works out good..
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Old 10-15-2008, 04:27 AM   #13
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DIY carwash ftw. my engine bay is spotless and has 40k on it. no need to cover up, just dont be dumb with it. you think rain doesnt make its way in there when its pouring and youre driving down the highway.

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Old 10-15-2008, 12:42 PM   #14
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does anyone know how to get baked on sand outta the engine bay. compressd air wont work at all. should i just pressure clean it all out

Rally FTW...
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Old 10-15-2008, 07:23 PM   #15
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This was after 75K on my engine, and now it has 97K on it and still looks exactly the same minus the stupid bov my buddy insisted on me trying... O yeah I also took off the ugly yellow thing under the hood itself...
I use orange glow spray, water, then dry and use armor all protectant wipes.

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Old 10-15-2008, 07:29 PM   #16
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On nasty cars I use "Foamy Engine Brite" by Gunk. A couple cans on a warm engine does wonders... then a quick spray down with some tire shine or whatever get the luster going.
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Old 10-16-2008, 03:18 AM   #17
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If you have a lot of salt on the intake manifold and other parts, I usually use carb cleaner or brake cleaner. It loosens it all up, and then you can just wipe it off.
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Old 10-16-2008, 07:37 AM   #18
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I do it by hand, I dont like using a pressure washer in there....
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Old 10-28-2008, 11:34 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drw50 View Post
I used Simple Green Max on my Cherokee engine and it produced white spots on the metal intake manifold. Anyone else experience discoloration from using engine cleaners?
simple green is corrosive to aluminum. it wil cause the white spots you got on your intake.

diluting it beforehand is the best way to use it. simple green is good stuff.
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Old 10-29-2008, 11:30 AM   #20
alex1985
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all those rocks really seem to get my intake pretty good, just like in that picture, it really does suck
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Old 10-29-2008, 11:51 AM   #21
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man, I hear so many different opinions on this. Simple Green or no? Dilute or not? I want to try this this weekend b/c my engine bay looks disgusting and unsightly.
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Old 10-29-2008, 12:33 PM   #22
Screechers
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its an engine bay...live with it
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Old 10-29-2008, 12:54 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rallymarty View Post
simple green is corrosive to aluminum. it wil cause the white spots you got on your intake.

diluting it beforehand is the best way to use it. simple green is good stuff.
I've never heard that before,I personally use some type of orange cleaner on my engine, I think its called orange-glo from wal-mart. Stuff works aewsome when the engine is just a bit warm but not hot.
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Old 10-29-2008, 02:38 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Screechers View Post
its an engine bay...live with it
but i cant fit under the hood?


anyone tried cleaning while the engine is running?just a thought...
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Old 10-29-2008, 03:27 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smurfwrx View Post
man, I hear so many different opinions on this. Simple Green or no? Dilute or not? I want to try this this weekend b/c my engine bay looks disgusting and unsightly.
....if you're going to use it, then just dilute it. A Google search reveals enough information to be a concern regarding its affect on aluminum. They even have a version that is aluminum safe (for aircraft applications, etc.). Either way, I have used it (diluted) with no ill-effects. I believe a 1:1 ratio is what they recommend for engine cleaning but I find 1:10 or more is plenty for most applications I use it for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Screechers View Post
its an engine bay...live with it
....aside from other benefits, pride, etc., for those of us who work in and around our own engines, it's worth the extra few minutes to keep it clean. Also, seeing that this is the Car Care & Detailing forum, what did you expect the discussions to be about?
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