AndyG

I was looking at this pic I took of my engine bay and realized it's dirty as all get out.



I've never washed an engine bay before as crazy as that may seem and from what I've read it says be careful not to spray any water on anything electrical. I understand not directly spraying the battery and alternator, but what about the sensors, wiring harnesses, etc?

Has anyone washed their ES engine bays and if I wash mine out, should I cover anything or look out to not spray certain areas or just go full bore and clean the whole sucker out?

Thanks for any tips, please pardon any ignorance.

AndyG

Ok after 5 more minutes of research I see the best method is good old fashioned hard work in the form of rags and good cleaning solution and not spraying water on it after all.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Haha, pretty much man. Better to do that than risk having water go in places it shouldn't

BK4293

I use simple green and a garden watering can, making sure to stay away from all of the electrical I can. It's also not a bad idea to cover your airbox and afm with a plastic bag.

PFB

One of the safest thing to use, if you have one, is a steamer, with some Simple Green pre-sprayed directly on the dirt.

As already noted however, just make sure that you don't spray on any electrical Components.

Phil

imherenow

Well I 1st cover the timing belt,alternater n battery with plastic/grocery bag..n then I use meguiars engine to spray all over n in every corners..let it sit for few minutes while I take a rag n clean some hard greasy areas..n then spary with hose using less water as possible..hv been doin it @least twice a year=no problem..

AndyG

Nice tips everyone, thanks! Just detailed the outside and interior, might get inside the engine today also.

funcrusher

Is it safe to use a water hose if u cover up the necessary parts? If someone could put up pics of exactly what to cover, that would be great.

HamBurglar

I've always been too much of a wuss to do this, always thought I would mess something up.
What part of Houston are you in? I'll pay you to clean mine since you are experienced in this.

funcrusher

Y'all are in houston to? I can't see on my phone. Id be willing to pay if someone knows how to clean under the hood and get it looking new

imherenow

ya i m in Canada now...will be here for a while..but it is not that hard. Ya i was also very scared when i 1st started it. I will try to take pic of what to cover. Some people dont cover anything but i guess i just want to be cautious. A few things to keep in mind also that 1) do not wash it when the engine is hot . Wash it 1st thing in morning. And 2) if you have a "check engine light" warning then DO NOT wash the engine @all. (be on safe side)
I think i will have DIY on engine clean maybe next weekend.

xsh0tya

Looking forward to it ^^^ In Canada EH? My neck of the woods... kinda cold at least where I am to be doing too much car cleaning... unless you indoors.

AndyG

That would be great; I hand cleaned alot of the inside of the engine today but I've got a laughable amount of work to do still until it's actually where I want it to be.

imherenow

Well theres a underground garage that has a high pressure washer and car soap attached for 2 bucks..pretty awesome and away from cold

imherenow

well i had washed engine of my Volvo S80 in summer and here are few pics. As u can see ihave covered the timing belt and alternator (top ) with grocery plastic bag. It doesnt has to be fully covered but try to cover those as much as possible. I dont think water going onto those will be harmful. But i could be wrong since i have always covered it as much as possible and avoided get it wet to my best.
The battery is located in the trunk so thats kinda kool...

before...