Cleaning the engine bay

[clivvy]

i know i probably shouldnt, being a fussy stress head, but i right fancy cleaning my engine bay.

whats the best method?

I want fairly straight forward, no damage possible kind of method. it looks like it needs a degrease for sure so any recommendations?

 

[Adz]

Any degrease or if you have access to www.autosmart.co.uk then use G101 neat & rinse all the above off with a pressure washer.!

 

[Deleted account DD]

Not sure ........no in fact Im dead sure........I wouldnt use a pressure washer inside the engine bay especially on petrol variants.

I usually get a cheepo paint brush, cut the bristles short. Use degreaser or white spirit with it for a good scrub. Then gently rinse. Results ( on normal engine bays) usually pretty good.

Pressure washer will "inject" water into places you dont want it to go

Used to sell Karchers and we had a hoot trying them out

 

[Adz]

Its a diesel so it wont hurt & i don't mean hold it against the engine
Been valeting since i was 16 & always used pressure washers on diesels & on petrol blocks only.! :augie

But hay... What do i know.? :nenau

 

[clivvy]

Its a diesel so it wont hurt & i don't mean hold it against the engine
Been valeting since i was 16 & always used pressure washers on diesels & on petrol blocks only.! :augie

But hay... What do i know.? :nenau

any advice taken with thanks

i do have a pressure washer, and I understand what you mean about not holding it to the engine. I know that pressure washer can inject water into places water isnt meant to be, and often the effects of this dont become apparent for awhile later, but i have heard that on Diesels, should be ok.

I like the idea of shortened paint brush/degreaser and a rinse, presumably with a hose?i was thinking perhaps mixing up a spray, spraying the bay and scrubbing what i can then rinsing, how does that sound?

 

[Adz]

Just depends how mucky it is M8

If its oil & grease then a scrub & rinse will do the job fine with a hose & thumb :lol or pressure washer :thumbs

If its just oil & dirt then spray & rinse & then scrub off the more sticky areas :thumbs

If you goto your local motor factor or Halfords then just ask for a de-greaser BUT NOT a spray can ya need a liquid spray :thumbs

 

[clivvy]

liquid spray gotcha.

its just grease mainly, hardly any dirt apart from the lower half where you would expect it. its all the usual black grease etc i want to clean off so that I can inspect the pipe work properly...

 

[makeitfit]

:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

 

[Derek]

ive just done mine cheapo degreaser from scrooges £1 a can 3 ov and pressure washer looks mint and runs withs no probs mine is diesel :lol

 

[lacroupade]

Take it to your local bus depot and get the bloke who mans the ramp and pressure washer to give the whole thing a good seeing to, underneath and underbonnet with his rod....cost you a twenty maximum but its worth it....:thumbs

 

[briggie]

what about steam cleaning ? is it any good ? :nenau

 

[briggie]

when my brother decided to clean his old sierra ( remember those ? lol ) .. he used something called " gunk "

 

[makeitfit]

I've got gunk :sly

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

I've got gunk :sly

I don't think we want to hear about your gunk, he wants to clean the engine! :lol

 

[briggie]

 

[Simply si]

yep, gunk is the best stuff. im also painting my cam cover with some high temp paint just to tart up the engine abit.

just use a small hard brush and a firm toothbrush for the hard to reach places.

im doing mine before i go on holiday so if you wait abit, ill do mine and you can see the difference.

cheers, simon

 

[Deleted account DD]

just use a small hard brush and a firm toothbrush for the hard to reach places.

Exactly.

If thats done properly, you dont need the force of a pressure washer, a hosepipe will do it. Time and place for everything and around anything that has any electrical connection its never the right time to pressure wash :doh body work, chassis stripped engine blocks no probs :thumb2

Valeters using pressure washers for everything is a "lazy evolved process" :naughty (and thats not my original opinion but once i was shown the results it sure affected how I worked)

 

[clivvy]

when my brother decided to clean his old sierra ( remember those ? lol ) .. he used something called " gunk "

i used to have a sierra just before i got the 6..!

 

[clivvy]

brilliant tips guys. ill be doing it in about 2 weeks. ill go buy some de greaser, couple of brushes and some elbow grease, then simply hose it off. ill also cover up as much electrical as i can, but i need to clean the sensor plugs also. ill unplug the battery as well, just in case.

 

[rustic]

Gunk.
Do it on a cool engine, and on a warm day, then you can leave the bonnet up to dry in the sun.
Only problem with Gunk is the smell, lasts a couple of weeks, more noticable in a garage though.
Be aware that Gunk and most engine cleaners attack tarmac so take care where you do it, think about where all this oil and muck is going.
It make a mess on your drive.
Run off into drains could be an issue.

Do it regularly, and you can spot the source of any minor leaks.
It's amazing how far 1 teaspoon of oil spreads around the engine.

Regards, Rustic.