Cleaning Engine Bay.

I know plenty of people have had a engine out in here. So my question what have people found to clean the engine bay the best without messing up the paint?

i always used some prepsol, it works great. any type of degreaser is works too

what exactly are you trying to clean? dirt? grease?

there arent many cleaners you can buy that will ruin paint if washed off in a decent amount of time. get some degreaser from autozone and a brush and go to town.

P21S TAW (Total Auto Wash) Or Meguiars APC ( All purpose cleaner, you need to properly dilute this to the correct ratio) or Optimum power clean. There are tons of products on the market but those are the basics that are effective. Your engine is pulled right ? If not you need to cover the electrical componets.

nah, just dont be a idiot about it. ie; no power washer specifically aimed at anything that isnt painted.

I have never had problems with electrical components acting up after washing an engine bay. I power wash mine just about every time I wash the car

Use WD40 first and then use some degreaser its the best way

{WD40 will cut the grim and grease and then the degreaser will take care of the WD40}

Just because you havent had any problems doesnt mean you do not need to cover up the electrical componets. Im telling you that you should cover up the electrical compents and the alternator.

yea the motor will be out of the car. im trying to get like gunk and stuff like that. Think like simple green a brush and just basic hose will work?

electrical components? like what? the fuse box that has a cover?

same thing with disconnecting the battery when welding on a car. are you supposed to do it? yea I guess, does anyone ever do it? no and i have never heard of anyone having problems with that either.

common sense goes a long way.

its also a good idea to drive it a while after washing the bay. that way any water that has pooled up in spark plug holes or in the alternator will be evaporated off. I usually leave the engine running while doing it.

Straight from autogeek.net

The next very important step is to prepare your engine for getting wet. You must cover all sensors, the distributor, spark plug openings and any electrical devices that have the potential for water accumulation (which could cause a short). Use plastic baggies to cover these items. Be sure to use tape or rubber bands to hold the plastic bags in place. You’re only trying to prevent the majority of the water from getting in; it does not need to be watertight. The engine environment should already be waterproof. The baggies are just a precaution.

Keep trying to argue w/ me about the PROPER methods on detailing cars. I will run circles around you all day long.

WD-40

This guy used wd-40, but he replaced some covers.

lol ok ill try it.

wow thats clean wow

greased lightening took off about 3 years of carbon exhaust build up on my friends bumper in about 30seconds.

didnt ruin the paint

i always use it.

also if you had a steamer. I Wish i would have taken pictures of before and after my engine bay on my cavalier. It basically was never cleaned ever from 2002 til 2010, and my detailer cleaned it so good it would bother me to lick peanut butter off the thing lol. It was like brand new from the factory

You fucking better, and I wanna see pics or else.

see why:

WD-40’s formula is a trade secret. The product is not patented in order to avoid completely disclosing its ingredients.[2] WD-40’s main ingredients, according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are:

* 50%: Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits -- primarily hexane, somewhat similar to kerosene)
* 25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability)
* 15+%: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
* 10-%: Inert ingredients

sort of before.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/groundedcavi/317109526789_0_0.jpg
and new motor before.(going to do alot of cleaning and going to get V cover paints before its goes back in.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/groundedcavi/317109442181_0_0.jpg
ill get more detailed pics tomorrow

Also you can used compressed air to blow out any water from any tight spots…

dawn dish soap works wonders too

simple green.