Proper way to clean the engine

[Materials]

I've found that if you stay on top of it regularly, you can just wipe down with a damp towel. When I bought a used car that had a really dirty engine compartment, I used a can of spray on tire foam. Spray on, let sit a couple minutes, then rinse off with garden hose. Engine compartment looked brand new with no ill effects to the motor or electronics.

When you talked about rinsing off the engine with the garden hose, is that similar to a water gun hose at the self-wash? I am just worried about the electric components getting into contact with water

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[Chameleon]

Run car in driveway for 4 minutes or so. Let sit 10. Spray can of foamy engine degreaser all over anything that looks like it needs it. Let sit for a while and hose off.
But really, if you can get by without doing it all, you may be better off. Try to avoid any electrical items.

Agreed.

 

[Pa-fatboy]

So I normally wash my Stang using the high pressure gun at the self-wash but I am afraid the high pressure water gun would do some damage to the engine. What would be the most convenient and safe way to clean the engine?

:headbonk::headbonk:

Steam clean it. I finally broke down and bought a steamer. It's great for engine bay and anywhere else I need to get into the cracks. I also use griotts engine cleaning and spray to coat the engine. Gives it a beutiful matching matte finish.

 

[Schu]

The proper way to clean the ening ebay is to never let it get dirty!

 

[JakePSD]

I always just hook my garden hose up to a hot water tap and just spray it down with a regular ol' garden hose nozzle. The hot water helps rinse away oil and has lower surface tension for getting rid of dirt. If you do it regularly on a new engine you should never really have a dirty engine, unless you have a leaky gasket. I used this method on my 03 mountaineer that appeared to never had the engine cleaned, and other than a few hard to reach spots with lots of caked on crap, it looks pretty alright. Doesn't look brand new but nearly.

 

[AV80R]

I wipe mine down with a black microfiber towel every time I wash it. Same towel I use for the wheels and door sills. After I dry the outside, I open the doors, hood, and trunk and wipe all that down. The towel is slightly damp by the time I get to the underhood stuff...and it's mostly just dusty...so there's no need for cleaner.

 

[Jww92201]

Just be smart about it..

Run engine and let it warm up, or you can spray light water, I used an all purpose cleaner from Adams and just sprayed over all the dirty areas and then you can start the engine and let It sit.

Wait 3~5 minutes and wash It off, never spray directly at anything like your MAF sensor, battery or fuse box obviously they're water proof and the car was built to be driven In the rain but a pressurized water stream Is a different story. If you're using a pressure washer or self wash just as with your paint keep the nozzle a few feet away, don't go overboard with the pressure.

I did no prep and didn't bag off anything, car Is still fine 4 days later.

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