Hey i want to clean my engine,what is the best/safest proceedure
and what should be covered...
I've heard of some using simple green in copious quantatas
(quad-tatas) and then washing with a car wash wand, or the like...
I would avoid spraying water directly at the distributor, though.
So the battery and dist. are safe if they get a little wet?
Noooo! Cover your distributor with a grocery bag. It might be a good idea to cover your alternator as well. Your battery is fine.
I was stranded in a car wash during Cat Jam because I forgot to cover the distributor and I couldnt' get the car to start for several hours.
I use Castrol Super Clean. I dilute it with water and it works awesome. Spray some of that, let it sit a few seconds, work it in with a cloth for heavy dirty areas and hose it off. Be careful that the concentration of cleaner isn't too high or it can strip off the paint under your hood. Good luck and have fun.
Funny this came up. I just cleaned under my hood and I'm waiting for it to dry so I can start my car.lol
I've gotten my alternator soaked on my truck several times, hasn't seemed to hurt it, but better safe than sorry. ;)
i used simple green, foaming cleaner, and POR-15 cleaning solution. the engine was a wad of dirt and oil mounted to a tranny... it all works well tho, just gotta rember to soake it, and wash it off, dont let the dirt settle back onto the engine. its nice to have a wet dry vac to suck up extra moisture on the intake or what have you, and some small brushes.
I've always used "Engine Brite."
Use a plastic bag to cover the distributor and alternator.
man just go to the car wash and blast it, I did it today, (yeah funny this came up) and I started it and drove away. do take precations though. if you go to certian car washes, some of them actually heat the water. I found one that does today, wow it and the soap that came out of the wand blasted grime off of my car that has been there for a very long time. Hot water does wonders.
I see that spring cleaning is in the air:).If you can believe it i have
never clean any engines in the cars that had before.This car
is growing on me.
I just spray white wall cleaner on it..spray it off, spary a lite wax on the engine..then whip it off, and it looks sparkling and new!. i dont' cover anythign though.
This Thing Is Growing...
I sprayed down my sprints engine before top to bottom with super clean and a garden hose after my dumb ass forgot to put the oil cap on and took it for a drive.. startted up and didnt hurt anything, worked great, I forgot it off a few times (after adding oil which it ate like nothin) and the engine was like new!
Castrol super clean, stiff brush with a handle, and water work great, gotta do my tbird and my turbo once it gets a bit warmer here. laundry detergent is supposed to work for scrubbing aswell.
i use that engine brite stuff also
Ive tried that gunk engine degreaser from wal mart and it didnt work. I found the car wash does a fine job though. Cover anything to do with the ignition I covered the distributor only and my car coughed and choked for a couple days afterwards the last time. Oh and another word of advice do the engine before the car and dont spray towards the windshield unless necessary.My windshield and front fenders were covered in chunks of grease and dirt after I got done.
I had to rewash the whole front half of the car.
The self car wash here has a selector for engine degreaser. The stuff that comes out of the nozzle looks, smell, and cleans like Simple Green. I keep the motor running whilst I spray the stuff on and let it sit on there for a couple of minutes, then rinse it off. The short drive home makes the engine dry and then I can wax all the smooth/shiny parts.
Well, since I put the faux TurboCoupe hood on, now when it rains, my car acts like it hasnt been started in 15 years, so I don't think I'm gonna be washing my V6 anytime soon, then again, I'm gonna pull it next weekend anyway.
I'd for sure leave the engine running, and be ready to wash the rest of the car afterward.