Have any of you guys cleaned the IS-F engine bay before?

On most of my cars I lightly spray on a degreaser, let it sit, then spray a mist on the motor to rinse it off. After that I use leaf blower to dry off the motor.

I then let it sit with the hood open for about an hour, then close the hood and let the car idle to bring it up to temp and let the rest of the water evaporate.

I am concerned because on other cars, I would avoid the electronics but in this car they are all over the engine bay.

Thoughts?

I was thinking about this too, but decided against it for the reasons you listed. There shouldn't be any harm as I'm sure the engine bay is designed to withstand water splashes, but did not want to take the chance, especially since the car is running fine.

I just use a ShopVac with a brush attachment and a crevice tool to clean up the engine bay.

I use a wet towel with a dab of car soap and go over the engine bay(covers, battery, intake, inside hood, sides, ect). Then I'll go over it again with just a wet towel. When I'm done I use a leaf blower and dry it up and follow up with armorall on the plastic peices.

I used to religiously clean my engine bay on my old Supra, id put a plastic bag over couple electronics & use Gunk Engine degreaser & finish it of with CD2 Engine Detailer...works wonders!

If you hit a puddle while its raining go pop your hood after & see how soaked it is in there...as long as you dont direct BLAST most of the electronics youll be fine just make sure to let it dry out after your final spray down!!!

Warm Soapy water and micro fibers is all I would ever use....!!!

Simple wipe down is all it takes...

Before - Many months of neglect ..



After - Now I wipe it down every month or two..




I do not use ANY other sprays or chemicals...

~ Joe Z

Very nice!

I actually ripped all of the plastic covering off (saved it all in garage along with clips) so that I can see more of the engine. I periodically (usually every oil change) poke around and make sure I don't have any leaks or rubbing wires or anything goofy like that.

Anyone actually ever give their engine bay a good cleaning? Was doing my spark plugs today and seen all the dirt build up but due to the electronics all over i was hesitant to start blasting away like normal. Tips, tricks maybe some videos or pictures?

I've cleaned a few engines in cars that I've owned. First of, don't use a petroleum based degreaser, go for the citrus based or water based products such as P21S General purpose cleaner. Simple Green would work as well.

Best time to do this is when the engine is cold (after the car sat in the garage overnight).

If you have an open air filter element, you'd want to use a big ziplock or plastic bag and a rubber band to seal it.

Any wiring, you can wrap those in aluminum foil paper.

Hose the engine down with water, then spray is with the solution. I usually use an OXO brush (teflon) to scrub down the surfaces.

Host everything down.

Use a leaf blow to get all the remaining water out. Once done, start the car and let the engine run a bit, this will dry out the rest of the water. I usually go for a little drive at that point.

I should do this soon... every time I change the oil, I look at the engine bay, wipe down the plastic and close the hood, but I really want to do a better cleaning than that

Ive washed many engine bays before its just ours has so much exposed wiring it seems has me a bit worried. Ill try a non aggressive way of cleaning it maybe compressed air to get the dust and wipe around with a damp towel. My engine doesn't seem to dirty just dusty.

If you want it cleaned right, start stripping parts off. Clean the parts 1 at a time.

I clean my camaro's engine bay each spring. Start with the valve covers, then the heads, then the intake manifold, then that gives you enough room to get down around the block and start cleaning all belts.

Easier too if you pull the front clip off.

I use soap/water and a very small sponge. Takes me about a week to get everything done.

If you leave the top cover on, you should be ok.

Use aluminum foil and cover any other wires.

A few things that may help:
1. Toyota uses watertight connectors throughout the engine bay... just to ease your mind.
2. Try Griot's Garage or any other waterless car wash. spray a little the engine and wipe down. good stuff for uses like this.

I did this exact thing, only difference i took an air hose to it too, so i could get down under the intake too. it didnt hurt a thing