How to wash your engine bay?
- Thread starter RonK
- Start date
I used this stuff from Griot's to clean and dress. This kit looks good, too.
The Gunk stuff is probably designed for engine bays that are covered in oil so probably overkill for your application.
I'd probably clean twice before dressing. After the first cleaning/rinse, take your time to reapply cleaner and 'agitate' surfaces with brush before rinsing again. Compressed air is great for drying.
I'd watch a few youtube videos for tutorials.
The Gunk stuff is probably designed for engine bays that are covered in oil so probably overkill for your application.
I'd probably clean twice before dressing. After the first cleaning/rinse, take your time to reapply cleaner and 'agitate' surfaces with brush before rinsing again. Compressed air is great for drying.
I'd watch a few youtube videos for tutorials.
you can use a pressure washer just fine in your engine bay. don't spray directly into sensitive areas like the battery and alternator for longer than 1-2 seconds and you will be fine.
Now, I'm gonna take my cars and truck to a hand "wash by wand" (hard to find, nowadays) so as to keep the oil/dirt off of my driveway. My main concern is whether I'll have to sit there and wait for the engine to dry because it won't turn over. That has happened in the past with other vehicles I owned and I was sorta stranded at the car wash until the engine bay dried.
You definitely can use a pressure washer. You just run a higher risk of pushing water into places you don't want it. To me, it's just not worth the risk, but to each his own
If im not at home i leave the engine running
Oven cleaner in your engine bay?
Correct, oven cleaner is basically a really heavyduty de greaser. Takes that oil and what ever build off out really nicely. Again use at your own discretion.
How do I wash my engine bay? I don't, not with px washers or harsh chemicals. Been a mechanic 40 years and 95% of the time it's not needed. I will do a low pressure rinse to deal with salt or to douche out the radiator from the back side, stuff like that. Then a blow gun. Mostly a damp rag with water and wipe down what you can see. But that's just me
- :
- Canada
I've washed my engine bay a couple of times, and posted a crappy video to YouTube as well. Cover the alternator with aluminum foil if you want, and disconnect the negative terminal on the battery and move it out of the way. If you have an aftermarket air filter that has an exposed element, it's a good idea to either remove it and then plug the hole with a clean, dry rag, or cover that with aluminum foil as well so it doesn't get wet.
I used a garden hose, but you can use a pressure washer too, as long as you use it properly. That is, use it to rinse only, not to blast gunk off the surface like you would do with mud on the exterior paint. Use a 40-degree nozzle and keep the washer about a foot away from the surface you're spraying, and you should be fine.
I haven't used those Gunk products, but really any degreaser will work fine, as long as you agitate with a brush after applying. Use a separate brush when you clean the corrosion off the battery terminals.
I always wash the engine bay with the intention of leaving it to sit for the night. This is just because I want to be sure that if I did happen to force water into a component I didn't mean to, it has some time to drain off or evaporate before I start the car the next day.
I used a garden hose, but you can use a pressure washer too, as long as you use it properly. That is, use it to rinse only, not to blast gunk off the surface like you would do with mud on the exterior paint. Use a 40-degree nozzle and keep the washer about a foot away from the surface you're spraying, and you should be fine.
I haven't used those Gunk products, but really any degreaser will work fine, as long as you agitate with a brush after applying. Use a separate brush when you clean the corrosion off the battery terminals.
I always wash the engine bay with the intention of leaving it to sit for the night. This is just because I want to be sure that if I did happen to force water into a component I didn't mean to, it has some time to drain off or evaporate before I start the car the next day.
normandelli
Member
I've always used a pressure washer to clean the engine bay on all my vehicles and make it a point to cover the ECU and remove the engine cover. Once the washing is done, I use a powerful handheld blower (Metrovac Sidekick) to clear all the water off all surfaces, harnesses, terminals, etc. Practically no drop of water left anywhere.
Never had a problem.
I know it sounds like a lot of work but apart from the bay being really clean, blowing all the water out of everything is weirdly satisfying. 
Never had a problem.
I know it sounds like a lot of work but apart from the bay being really clean, blowing all the water out of everything is weirdly satisfying. Typically i leave mine running, but i clean it the most in minus tempratures frozen mud around moving parts sucks
Yeah, I always use a high-powered leaf blower to dry.
