Washing under the hood

[ac0110]

What should I be aware of when I want to clean the engine bay area?

I been doing lots of research but I thought you guys would be the best to ask since I recently got Protege 5 ^^

 

[andrew2]

Cover your intake and fusebox with plastic bags. Don't spray too much degreaser near the belts.

 

[RABID_MP5]

DO NOT GET ANY WATER IN THE SPARKPLUG WELLS! That you will regret.

 

[ac0110]

Intake, fusebox and sparkplugs... Got it..

What degresser would you guys recommend?

@andrew2
Is it possible you could use your picture and circle the components that I should be extra aware for?

I'm pretty new to these stuff.. -_-

 

[andrew2]

For a degreaser I use some stuff from CanadianTire and then use an engine finish on it afterwards.

Do you still have the stock intake on? I have an SRI so it's a lot easier to cover. I didn't get any water in the spark plug holes... not sure how somebody would manage that.. On the left side of the engine, just don't spray around the belts/alternator, etc.. I don't have a pic of that..
Before:

After:

Here's a how-to from my local forum...

How to clean your engine bay

Materials needed:
* Motomaster Foamy Engine Cleaner (or similar)
* Motomaster Engine Finish (or similar)
* 180-200 grit wet/dry sandpaper
* Scotch Brite sponges (dollar store!)
* Unwanted sheets
* Old toothbrush (or dollar store!)
* Microfiber cloth (dollar store!)

Steps:

1) With a cold (cool to warm to touch) engine - start your car for about 3-5 minutes to get the engine warm and help the cleaning process. Turn the engine off for the cleaning.

2) Cover the large fuse box on the drivers side of the engine with a plastic bag. You may cover more but I chose only to cover this. Engines are essentially water proof.

3) Cover the openings between the hood and the engine on both sides to create a "tent" in your engine bay - leaving only the front open for spraying. This will help contain the foam and protect your car and its surroundings.

4) Spray the hole can of foaming engine cleaner on all visable parts of the engine including hoses and wires. Don't over spray in areas such as the alternator or anywhere there should be grease. Spray extra in areas with bad build-up.

5) Let the engine sit for at least 15 minutes. I waited about 20 minutes.

6) Using the rough side of a scotch brite pad and a bucket of warm soapy water, wipe away the loosened grease deposits. Scrub if neccessary in areas such as the to of the engine block and under hoses and such. Use a toothbrush for the hard to reach areas. The idea is not to get rid of the grease in this step but to further loosen up heavier deposits for the next step. Use the 180-200 grit sandpaper to polish the top of the engine block (valve cover?) I used a front to back motion for most of it and a side to side motion for the part with MAZDA on it. Add soapy water to the block and sandpaper as you are sanding. This should get rid of the some of the discoloration.

7) Take a hose and rinse the engine off. I used a "shower" setting for most of it. Dont be afraid to really soak the engine - you don't want to drive around with some of the degreaser left on your engine. Try not to over spray in areas like the fuse box and dont get water inside the air intake.

8) Remove the bags we placed earlier. Take the microfibre cloth and wipe down everything. This includes all wires, hoses, the master cylinder, fuse boxes, engine block, exposed body coloured metal, basically everything. Be sure to wipe all the hoses - there are a lot of them. You will notice that a little more dirt will come off and things will start to appear shiny as well as getting the engine dry for the next step. The more attention to detail the better.

9) Wait until the engine is fully dry (quick if it's in the sun). Spray the Engine Finish about 10-12 inches from the engine in a sweeping motion. Try to get the finish to go everywhere. I literally spray everything - bottles, boxes, on all the hoses and even the plastic ducts etc... I did two light coats with 5 minutes in between and then two medium-heavy coats until about half of the can was finished.

I let my engine dry for about one hour and then I started it up and went for a cruise I've cleaned engines a dozen times and never had any problems but I make no guarantee of these steps not causing any problems but they have always worked for me. Also, you can clean the underside of your hood with the engine as well if it is bad. I chose not to do so.

 

[Ride92]

I did mine and used tin foil to cover things up, worked really well.

After Pics:

I used a general degreaser from ZEP called tough Green RTU, it's alot like simple green, I got it from work, but i would have use simple green if I couldn't get it for free.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

SimpleGreen makes an automotive cleaner that is supposed to be great. Doesn't damage aluminum or anything. You can get it here:
http://buy.simplegreen.com/product.php?productid=16142&cat=250&page=1

Simple Green Extreme Motorsports Cleaner and Degreaser

 

[ac0110]

Thanks for all your help guys
Hope everything goes well for me this afternoon... Haha

 

[andrew2]

It should be alright... almost everything in the engine bay is pretty much waterproof so you don't have to be too worried, but at the same time, don't soak it so bad just because. If for some reason the car doesn't start after you're done just wait until everything is completely dry... but you shouldn't have that problem.

 

[P-Funk!]

Thereafter, when you wash the car - sponge soap and water rinse (not full strength spray/just gentle spray) will be all you need to keep it clean...

Armour-All the hoses and black plastic bits... Just be real careful to keep it off the belts, eh?

 

[99ProtegeKV]

nice thread. subbin for when i get my p5 this weekend =]