Cleaning Engine Bay

[JohnnyB]

What are the best products and methods to clean the engine bay? And I mean CLEAN because the person who owned it before me must not have known how to use a funnel when changing the oil and over the years it has meshed with grit and sand to compile into one huge mess of muck in my engine bay.

I guess I should use some sort of heavy degreaser and a pressure washer?

[91accord4door]

you sure your valve cover gasket is not leaking? but ya take it to a car wash cover all elctrical if needed ( i dont) just be careful of alternator,dist,fuse box,startet, and spray it with engine cleaner it is that green shit, than soap and than rinse. takes off everything. i just did mine last week and i sprayed everything with the car running because the hot engine with the hot water melts the greaes right off, if u dont do it with the car running wait until it cools, just so u dont crack the block,or anything like that. i am not saying you would crack anything but just to make sure. i would do itwith the car running though. it works great.

[acch22]

I've heard simple green is good stuff.

[acch22]

Originally posted by 91accord4door
...i sprayed everything with the car running because the hot engine with the hot water melts the greaes right off, if u dont do it with the car running wait until it cools, just so u dont crack the block,or anything like that. i am not saying you would crack anything but just to make sure. i would do itwith the car running though. it works great.

If you know there is a risk in cracking the block, why do you do it anyway?

[JohnnyB]

Yea Simple Green is what I was thinking..I've already got a bottle :-D Tomorrow me and my engine bay have a date.

And about the valve cover gasket leaking...thats actually what I expected, so I replaced it already, along with the tube stem seals, etc. But now the care is still losing oil from somewhere. I wanna clean the engine bay so maybe I can find the spot where the oil is comming out and repair it.

[91accord4door]

if u read correctly i said u could crack the block if you ran your engine hot and didnt let it cool down, now thats if you clean the engine not running, i aid i clean it running did i not? next time double read before you ask stupid questions.

[xScott]

Simple green owned my dirty ass engine bay.

[acch22]

Originally posted by 91accord4door
...i aid i clean it running did i not? ....

No shit you MORON, thats how crack it. Weather you clean it while its ON or OFF.

There was no need for the mouthing off and the idiot smiley, relax and learn how to respond to people.

[91accord4door]

no thats NOT how you crack it, you crack a block by turning engine OFFand when engine is still hot the cold water rapidly decreases block temps and causes cracking, now when cleaning a hot engine the water does not effect the block temp because the block is not going to cool at a rapid pase (just slightyl), it will stay hot, but when motors OFF it wont stay hot and if cooled to quick.......crack, think about it your not making sense. even people i know that work at car washes agree that washing a running engine or washing a cold engine is the best, but i agree with washing a running engine because the heat helps loosen grime,oil,etc. you really think u can crack a block washing a running engine? lol so dont call me a moron you pig.

[k-mart]

i think a nice engine bay shower with simple green will be my next mod

[VRDrvr]

Get some simple green and mix it 3 parts simple green and 1 part water into a spray bottle.

Open hood and remove intake (or leave stock airbox there) and cover dizzy and alternator and throttle body with plastic bags.

Spray simple green mixture liberally over entire engine bay and let soak for 10 minutes.

Spray a little bit of water on the engine bay and respray engine bay with simple green.

Use toothbrush in the hard to reach spots and a hand brush to scrub places like top of radiator and firewall and everything else.

Let sit for a couple minutes and rewet engine bay as cleaning is going. Spray off engine bay until no more foam from cleaner runs off.

Get a glass (32oz) and mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda and fill rest of glass with water and pour over battery (neutralizes acid on and around battery also cleans terminals too).

Rinse engine bay again. Let dry somewhat and use tire dressing on spots you want "shiny".

Thats what I do and my engine bay is spotless .

I will try for a pic after I clean my bay this weekend.

[JohnnyB]

Originally posted by k-mart
i think a nice engine bay shower with simple green will be my next mod

Damn, thanks for the detailed process! I'm on it, I'll let ya know how it turns out.

[JohnnyB]

I got around to cleaning the engine bay and I must say that SImple Green is some pretty impressive stuff LOL Thanks for all the help, if I can get a cam I will snap some pics.

[91cord]

Yeah I think this will have to be my next task. I have been trying to find a good engine cleaner for a long time. Never thought about simple green. I have use CD2 engine cleaner and that work good at shining everything up but not at cleaning. I want an engine I can eat off

[accordztech]

i let the car warm up, cover the distrib and then spray with simple green (dont spray too much on the valve cover) and then power wash everything...nothing has happend in the past 13 years