Cleaning Out 2000 ES300 Engine Bay
 

Hello Lexus community!

So I'm planning on washing out my engine bay in my 2000 ES300. Not particularily right now since it's winter and I live in Minnesota, but I'm just curious to know what product I should use. As well as what parts under the hood that i need to protect. Any pictures of these specific parts or areas needing protection would be great!

Thanks,
Westdiddy

I use Gunk Engine degreaser.

http://gunk.com/Portals/0/Engine-Cle...Degreasing.png

Cover up the alternator with a plastic bag. Use electrical tape around any wire connections (throttle body, ABS motor, MAF, radiator fans, etc).

Cover or stuff the air intake (if exposed).

Remove the engine cover.

Soak the engine with the engine degreaser and let it sit for 15 minutes. Try not to get it on the external painted surfaces as it will take off the wax.
Meanwhile, go around with a tooth brush and scrub any stubborn areas where oil has caked on the engine (leaky valve cover gaskets, oil pan, power steering pump, PCV valve, oil filter area, etc).

Avoid spraying the under-hood liner or directly at any electrical components.

Hose off the engine with a light stream of water. High pressure might cause the water to penetrate sensitive components, so let the degreaser do the cleaning.

Remove the bag on the alternator, clean and replace the engine cover, and remove covering from air intake. Start the car and drive it around the block a few times to let the water dry from the heat of the engine.

The belt will screech and steam will emerge from under the hood but that will go away.

Finish off with a nice coat of Armour All or UV protectant on all of the plastic surfaces and hoses.

What ever degreaser you use make sure its safe for rubber components.

Happy cleaning :)

degrease the **** out of it, spray liberally all over the entire engine bay [unless the sides of the struts towers are undercoated like mine; at which oint you degrease all around those parts], hit it with a pressure washer.

Yes, some say to cover the alternator, and I've done this - in high school, where people aren't too bright and they'll focus the stream on the alternator.
Otherwise if you spray over and around it [not directly] at it, it will be fine. This is what I do, just don't aim at the electrical stuff to kick them loose with a 2000+ psi stream of water and the components will be fine.

Then again, you could've just as easily browsed the detailing subforum on here, or even done a quick look at a few youtube videos which would have shown you what to do....

Thanks speedkar9 and 01LEXPL for the advice!

Stay away from pressure washing your engine, the risk of serious damage outweighs any benefits in this scenario.

To protect electrical components you can use a plastic bag, aluminum foil, or saran wrap. Cover the alternator and fuse boxes. Spray any exposed electrical plugs with WD40 - it will displace any water that may get in between the connectors.

Avoid spraying water at engine belts, the battery, and the intake. I would also cover the strut towers and would try to keep water away from them. I saw some minor surface rust when I was replacing my struts, so I wouldn't want water to get trapped in that area.

As for engine degreaser, I like to use Simple Green in a spray bottle (fully concentrated). It's an excellent degreaser and is not as toxic as that Gunk stuff. It's also safe on rubber and plastic. Like mentioned previously, get a toothbrush and some other brushes that can get into tight spots. Agitating the grime is key.

For more info search YouTube.

Going to disagree with a couple of points. Firstly, WD40 should be kept away from anything plastic or rubber as it is a petroleum based spray. Secondly, the various components in the engine bay are designed to be exposed to water, think about driving in a rain storm. The only thing you really should cover is the brake reservoir, brake fluid and water are a bad combination and the cap is vented. When using a pressure washer don't hit everything up close, that's a good way to drive water where it doesn't belong.

Also be careful with Simple Green, it will harm aluminum components if left on too long.
When you're done cleaning the engine bay, dry everything off and then run the engine for a few minutes to help evaporate the remaining water.

You're right about driving through a rain storm, but the engine bay is still protected from excessive water. Aside from the underbody, there is no direct access to the engine bay, and when it's coming from underneath it will never reach the top of the engine where the electronics are.

^ which is why we've stated to use a pressure washer WITHIN REASON...

go into a car wash, water is well into your engine bay....