cleaning engine bay
 

i looked through this thread and couldnt find anything so i was wondering if anyone knew how to safe clean our engine bays?

The shop I used to work at just pressure washes the bay, soaps everything, pressure washes again, then uses something like tire dressing to shine up some parts

I wet the bay with water. Spray on some simple green and let it do its thing and then rinse it all back off. Finish with chemical guys black to black spray. Show level clean and shine every time.

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I like to use sandwich bags and electrical tape to cover the MAF sensors. Then I'll give it a nice spray down. If the bay is really covered in grime/greese you can always find a good cleaner at your local automotive store, but be carefule getting it on the body paint. There are also sprays that will give it a nice shine, but I've found that they look really nice for a few days, but attract a LOT more dirt, so it's your choice what you'd like to go for.

I just use a damp cloth. I usually hit up the engine bay every time I wash my car and do a quick wipe down of the motor. If you get in the habit of wiping your engine bay down you won’t ever have to pressure wash it. I personally wouldn’t ever pressure wash my motor anyways.

yah, my engine bay is pretty clean too. i just use one of the used MF towels after QD'ing the car to wipe everything down.

Adam's All Purpose cleaner is good :tup:

mr.jar- i thought you were a simple-green man?

ok that sounds too priusy.. :ugh:

lol actually I haven't tried the simple green under the hood yet. I keep on top of it usually and just use water and and towel. But I got a free sample of Adam's All Purpose and tried it recently and was pleased :tup:

I used Adam's APC and got great results, but I usually just use an air compressor and a large, soft bristled paint brush to loosen the dirt. Works great and I don't have to worry about getting any electrical wet. For the tough stuff though, you need to wash it down.

I buy "gunk" at Oriley or your local automotive store. And power wash with it. I generally don't cover anything up either.

I just give mine a simple wipe down every couple of weeks with a good detail spray to stay ahead of the dust. :tiphat:

I use Armor-All cleaning wipes to wipe everything down, and 303 protectant to shine everything up afterwards. I blow everything off with compressed air every week or so, and shine everything up every three weeks or a month. The dirt's never gotten bad enough to need any water. I fully accept that I'm possibly OCD about the engine bay.

Fixed :tup:

I'll own that. Opening the hood to a nice shiny clean engine compartment is something you can take pride in. The outside of the car is at the mercy of the elements, and the interior sees a lot of in and out traffic. The only reason for the engine to be dirty is if you let it get that way.

I am sad that mine is as dirty as it is right now, but I accept that fact that I don't have the time to keep a DD as clean as I would like. I do my best, and sometimes the interior and under the hood are neglected as I focus on the exterior. I generally at least wipe down the intake tubes and the strut bar. One thing that will really help is installing my Mishimoto chrome power steering reservoir to replace the ugly OEM eyesore. I just haven't taken the time to work out a bracket for it.

That's why I use the ArmorAll cleaning wipes. It takes no time to blow off the dust with compressed air and wipe everything down. It's a ten minute job if you do it regularly enough.

Yeah, that is genius! I won't use them for my interior since I started using Adam's products, but the engine bay is perfect :tup: No compressor, unfortunately, but I do pick out the leaves and other debris as soon as I notice it. I guess I can use a can of compressed air for anything in a tight spot (I keep lots around for regular dusting of the computers).

Just break down and buy a small compressor. Every man needs one. Air tools are awesome.

Air tools are AMAZING!!! Soooooo cheap!!!
I bought myself a big àss one for powder coating and sand blasting, but I use it for EVERYTHING, I use it with a pneumatic buffing tool to buff my car out
Oh, and after you wash your car, use it to get water out of the cracks and crevices