cleaning out my engine bay....

[8thgenSilverEx]

whats the easiest and safest way of doing this.....want it sparkling

[darkrom]

Ditto. Bump

[maxxnitro88]

power washer! ha only to the cars at the dealership i used to work at, cover your intake and do it at your own risk!!!!!!

[darkrom]

EEEK sounds scary

[sinirgi]

funny. i used some shop towels and windex to clean up my engine bay this past weekend. it's hard to get into some of the crevices, especially around the intake area. spraying it down with some engine cleaner didn't sound like too bad of an idea, but i didn't want to risk it.

[tehcodeman]

I just did mine the other day. Go to Advance Autoparts, Autozone, etc. and get some Black Magic 2 in 1 Degreaser and Detailer. You spray it in your engine bay, let it sit for 15 mins, and wash it out with a steady stream of water from a open ended garden house (no nozzle!). Just watch out and don't get your filter wet if it's exposed. Mine looked great after I was done.

[Dizzle0420]

well im a detailer at Sussex Honda we usually power wash the engine bays....We also use some kinda spray that makes it look sparkling brand new I gotta figure out the name of it im going in to work right now...

[Yodums]

Moved to the detailing forum. You'll get more helpful responses there.

[BrineSI]

I use a hose on the light spray setting of my nozzle to rinse out, then spray all over with a degreaser like Simple Green or that Orange Clean degreaser making sure not to spray on the air filter of my intake, rinse that off wait for engine to dry, then I use Meguiars tire dressing on an applicator to wipe down everything lightly by hand. Turns out really nice...

[BTRobertson]

Originally Posted by tehcodeman

I just did mine the other day. Go to Advance Autoparts, Autozone, etc. and get some Black Magic 2 in 1 Degreaser and Detailer. You spray it in your engine bay, let it sit for 15 mins, and wash it out with a steady stream of water from a open ended garden house (no nozzle!). Just watch out and don't get your filter wet if it's exposed. Mine looked great after I was done.

Awesome. I'm sure covering/tying a plastic grocery bag or two around the filter would work, right? Anything else need covering? I would assume no since water doesn't really affect the engine except the filter...rain anyone?

[catchx34]

Originally Posted by Yodums

Moved to the detailing forum. You'll get more helpful responses there.

hye gyo looks hot :)

[tehcodeman]

You're supposed to watch out for any exposed electrical wiring....but I don't think we have any to really worry about.

[Nathen]

I use Black Magic (on other cars). My engine bay hasnt gotten very dirty i dont even have 15k miles yet. After its all cleaned up I Armor All all the rubber and plastic parts to make them shine. this is before shows of course. id never do this on a regular basis.

[maiku]

A hose w/ some good pressure will get you some good results. A pressure washer on low setting is nice as well. Avoid electrical connectors and other sensitive area's. Cover with a plastic bag if you can. Work while the engine is cool, not warm or hot.
Spray on some cleaner, but nothing too strong as it can stain some metals (like your intake manifold) I use Meguiars super degreaser diluted as instructed on the bottle. Let it soak on a couple of minutes. Scrub any area's with caked on greases or dirt, but most likely it doesn't apply unless it's severely neglected. Spray off with a good amount of pressure. Let it dry and follow up with some 303 Aerospace protectant to keep those plastics looking natural and beautiful. Simply adding some silicon based dressing might look nice to you (not me, I hate high gloss) but it doesn't protect and it attracts dirt and dust. Go for the 303 or similar product. Do a light mist of that and get some good coverage and call it a day. Mist some on a MF towel (lint free) and wipe down the larger, easy to wipe stuff and call it a day.

[Exeon]

I use an old used up microfiber towel with some detailing spray (mothers or meguairs)

[GalaxyGraySedan07]

Hey maiku, getting some use out of those pics aren't you?! lol BTW, you bring up a good point about 303 that some may not know. The shine isn't overpowering or slick looking and it will last on exterior trim better than anything else I know of!

[SiliconX]

I remove my Fujita's filter and just tape off the end of the SRI piping. Cover up the alternator with saran wrap, ditto with the battery. Then spray down the gine with DP's Engine Degreaser, let sit for a bit, then rinse off with water.

Then detail with trim protectant.

[jono]

I plan on doing this this weekend. thanks for the tips..

[c130turboprop]

if your engine bay is really dirty, use the good stuff, like GUNK... u can get it at any auto parts store... works wonders without scrubbing!!!

[maiku]

On a no more than 2 yr old car it shouldn't be that bad. Stick with less powerful degreasers as not to damage anything.