Hey everyone, so I was wondering whats the best way to clean our engines? What products do you guys recommend? Any tips or how to's to do it? What to be careful of when cleaning the engine? I have an n/a btw, not sure if that matters, but thought I would throw it in there, just to make sure. Thanks everyone!

 

The engine for the most part is water/resistant . I actually used the super suds feature at car wash and filled complete engine bay full of suds then used low pressure to rinse off. You try at you own risk, it worked for me on 2 srt6:s. I would probably limit amount of water pressure where the cpu is located in plastic box on pass side near/at firewall. also cover alternator with plastic bag. Do this when engine is cool. I think simple green with low water pressure would be ok. Then i take some cdc engine detailer and spray an wipe down where necessary.

 

Grease Lightening diluted 50/50 and low pressure water has always worked for me.
( don't leave it on very long, it is very alkaline )

 

Simple Green and rinse with a garden sprayer only! Never on a hot motor.

 

Thank you! This looks great, just saw some videos and pics of it in use!

 

i use the good old .25 diy car wash... (look for hot water & good pressure)...

no chemicals/degreasers needed... i use the wand provided soap... then rinse & towel dry...

no issues with water and electronics... i do this at least once a month to my cars.

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Looking real clean

 

OEM battery? Do you also wash the hood blanket? Mines a little on the dirty side and was wondering a good way to clean it without destroying it.

 

~ i use the same method to clean the underside of the hood insulator.

start at the bottom with the soap and work your way up (do not get too close to the material - 12" away of so)... then the opposite... rinse from the top downward and once you are home... open the hood to allow the water to drain to the bottom of the insulator (perhaps leaving the hood up overnight for through drying). pretty simple with great results!

 

Thats why when I saw yours I had to ask! It looks fantastic. Everything I read when Googled said don't do it, but a picture is worth a thousand Googles.. LOL.

 

I would honestly never point any kind of hose into my engine bay unless it was to fill up the screen wash. I use a good old wet/soapy cloth over the whole lot, followed by drying the lot thoroughly. Then to give it a nice touch I use Simoniz Back to Black on most parts - Makes the bay look new!

You may run the risk of getting water in places it shouldnt if you spray it

 

very valid point!

 

~ i have cleaned all of my cars engines like this for the last 10 years... these aren't the engines from the 70's anymore with carburetors and distributors...
all electrical areas that would have a negative impact to water are secure and water tight this day in age. until you do it for as many years as i have… one tends to be nervous... understand.

 

And if you haven't seen the bottom of his car.. you could serve dinner off it! All I can add is thanks Andrew.. I have no doubts about cleaning everything under the hood this way now. And just as a foot note.. 91 Miata was "water resistant" to the car wash, and I highly doubt things went backwards from there.

 

When I used to go to the Neon shows, everyone I asked used to tell me that they sprayed their engine with 1001, then start the engine and let it cook off. I never did it myself because I thought they had a few screws loose.

Made them shine though.