Best Way To Clean An Engine

[SSNYSTR]

Like above, what's the best way to clean an engine? What products to use and such? Anything I should not do? Any way I could avoid the engine getting so dirty? The roads around here in South Louisiana are filthy, so of course the engine gets filthy. Nothing but dust and dirt on my engine. Is there anything I can soak my engine with and let it sit and then spray it off?

[myold88]

I just do all around the engine compartment with a fine water mist and "Simple Green" cleaner.
I use a soft paint brush on the inner fenders and shock towers then rinse off, again with
a soft mist spray. No need to flood the engine compartment. My engine itself has almost
no oil or grease after 6 years so I just wipe it off when done.
VVVVVV 6 years & 37,000 miles later.

[ihaveacamaro]

https://youtu.be/E8odI4n512c

[Southern Comfort]

Compressed air is a good starter for the loose stuff before you use water/chemicals.

[SSNYSTR]

Originally Posted by myold88

I just do all around the engine compartment with a fine water mist and "Simple Green" cleaner.
I use a soft paint brush on the inner fenders and shock towers then rinse off, again with
a soft mist spray. No need to flood the engine compartment. My engine itself has almost
no oil or grease after 6 years so I just wipe it off when done.
VVVVVV 6 years & 37,000 miles later.

Where you get the simple green from? And it's mixed with water? Or do you spray it with water first and then spray the simple green and then rinse it off?

[SSNYSTR]

I just left Lowes' I wish I would have checked this thread sooner. Could have gotten some there.

[myold88]

Originally Posted by BigDame1

Where you get the simple green from? And it's mixed with water? Or do you spray it with water first and then spray the simple green and then rinse it off?

Almost everyone sells it. Just got some from Home depot. It's an all purpose cleaner. You can use it full strength or dilute it.
I usually Mix with 50% water for my engine bay which i clean twice a year.

[myold88]

Originally Posted by ihaveacamaro

https://youtu.be/E8odI4n512c

Interesting engine cleaning video but a bit of overkill IMO. there's no need for
4 different brushes, expensive engine cleaner, high pressure hose nozzle, micro
towels or plastic engine dressing. Also, I would never flood the engine compartment like he did.
Just a soft mist around the engine and then wipe everything off with a 100% cotton towel.

One more thing I do is keep rinsing off the exterior- hood fenders, w/shield, etc as I go, just in case any
engine crud gets on them that might stain the exterior paint.

[SSNYSTR]

Just got some from walmart already in a spray bottle ready to go for no more than $3. Will give it a shot sometime this weekend.

[z3R0fo01]

I have been using a white vinegar mix in a spray bottle and a microfiber towel to wipe mine down. Every few days I wipe it down and it keeps a lot of the dirt from building up. It only takes a couple of minutes.

I had a civic and an evo that had pretty dirty engine bays at times. I used a microfiber towel and detailer first for plastic pieces. Then some soapy water with microfiber for the rest, but this was before I used vinegar.

The microfiber is definitely worth it. Even with only water it can do a lot. Amazon has really good prices and they are washable. Also the concentration of white vinegar should be proportional to how dirty the engine bay is.

[dorfmac]

1. Start my bagging off anything you don't want wet - exposed air filters, fuse box, battery/terminals.

2. Then, give the whole thing a rinse by hose. Avoid using high pressure, just a light rinse is enough.

3. Take some all purpose cleaner and spray all over the place liberally. APC is cheap enough that you shouldn't ever have to worry about using too much, especially in an engine bay. Use a brush (paint brush, lug brush, etc) to get in all of the nooks and agitate the APC in the different areas. Use a cheap or older mf towel to get the easier spots.

4. Once you've done that, you can hose everything off to rinse - maybe use a little more pressure than before, but still nothing too powerful.

5. Close the hood, start up the car, let it idle for 10-15 minutes to dry out the compartment. If after you still have some moist spots, compressed air or master blaster it.

6. From there, you can start dressing it. Typically, some vinyl/trim dressing is all you would need.

You should, honestly, be able to knock out an engine bay in a half hour give or take.

[JTruck]

Biggest thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that you never detail an engine bay that is hot. Allow it to cool, best would be to just do so after it sat over night.

[ihaveacamaro]

Originally Posted by myold88

Interesting engine cleaning video but a bit of overkill IMO. there's no need for
4 different brushes, expensive engine cleaner, high pressure hose nozzle, micro
towels or plastic engine dressing. Also, I would never flood the engine compartment like he did.
Just a soft mist around the engine and then wipe everything off with a 100% cotton towel.

One more thing I do is keep rinsing off the exterior- hood fenders, w/shield, etc as I go, just in case any
engine crud gets on them that might stain the exterior paint.

Couple things:

1) OP asked for the best way to clean. You want to clean the best, you got to use the best tools. There's no way you're getting in crevices and cleaning all the dirt and grime without brushes. They aren't too expensive btw, but if you use cheaper tools, I wouldn't blame you. In any case, you have to use something. Cleaning without agitation is not cleaning. At least for anything more than light dust.

2) it's meguiar's d101, hardly expensive. Plus you can use or to clean exterior trim, tires, gas cap area and safe for interiors when diluted. Not expensive and tons of uses.

3) That's not a nozzle. It's a shut off valve. You can substitute with a normal garden hose sprayer if you want.

4) as far as the water, if you're working on an engine bay that's actually dirty, you're not going to be able to get away with just a light mist. The amount of water used is ok.

[rozay]

Best time is when the engine is warm and not cold... it'll help with the cleaning... i clean my engine every 3months or so

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