Cleaning Under the Hood

[rc'S]

MCS, can I clean the engine compartment/motor with the $0.25 carwash? Or best way if not....

[ScottRiqui]

You can, but keep in mind that a pressure washer is a powerful tool, and like any other tool, can be misused/abused with disastrous results.

Keep the tip of the sprayer a safe distance away from electrical parts like the ECU & Fusebox to reduce the pressure. Don't spray down the engine while it's hot, and make sure you rinse off all of the soap/cleaning solution.

[OctaneGuy]

Yep when I wash the engine bay I spray on a light degreaser, then I use a soft square wheel brush with a handle and gently brush the parts. I use different sized brushes to get to smaller and tighter areas. The paint on the engine bay isn't clearcoated so it will rub off if you rub too hard. Like Scott said, you need to be VERY gentle. Watch out for the alternator on the left side of the engine by the drive belt.

I use very gently flowing water to rinse off the engine bay or use a bug sprayer filled with water when I need a bit more pressure.

[kenchan]

octaneguy- so basically you wipe off the crud with paper towels at the end?
i use paper towels mostly and use like 1/2 a roll (well, not that much but
feels like it). (more on my commuters).

is there anyother way to lessen the wasted paper?

[lotsie]

Try this. Spray Simple Green on a slightly warm engine, spray it on everything. Close the bonnet and let it sit on there for 15-20 minutes, QD the rest of the car to pass the time. When the time is up, rince with a hose, just watch the air intake, I stuff a rag in it when I start.

Then I spray everything black/plastic with Aerospace protectant, leave that on the still warm engine for a few minutes, then wipe that down. I use QD on the painted parts, and it looks great.

I tried paper towels, but I tended to get paper bits on the pointy bits, so I use older micro towels.

Mark

[OctaneGuy]

I don't think I ever mentioned paper towels. I dry it with an old Absorber. It's great for soaking up those little pools of water around the engine mounts.

The crud is removed with the soft body brush and car wash soap. If I need more cleaning, Super Degreaser or APC (All Purpose Cleaner) are sprayed on first, then brushed with the body brush and car wash soap. Then it's rinsed off.

I then dress the plastics with Hyperdressing (spray on, let dry, wipe off excess with mf towels), a water based dressed with an extremely high flash point that won't ignite or promote engine fires when heated up.

Richard

Originally Posted by kenchan

octaneguy- so basically you wipe off the crud with paper towels at the end?
i use paper towels mostly and use like 1/2 a roll (well, not that much but
feels like it). (more on my commuters).

is there anyother way to lessen the wasted paper?

[kenchan]

thanks, octaneguy. i should get those target/costco MF for such
occassions then... and i'll probably end up tossing them after use.

[OctaneGuy]

That's what I use them for too, but I keep them and reuse them.

They stay black and dirty after washings so you will never confuse them for body towels.

Richard

Originally Posted by kenchan

thanks, octaneguy. i should get those target/costco MF for such
occassions then... and i'll probably end up tossing them after use.

[ImagoX]

Good tip... Thanks!

[Crashton]

Very good tips here. I've used Simple Green to good effect over the years. I'd advise using a somewhat diluted solution. My best tip is clean your engine once a year & it will never get dirty enough to need much cleaning. As for drying I blow the engine off with compressed air & use the cheapie microfibers for any hard to get water.

[ScottRiqui]

Originally Posted by Crashton

My best tip is clean your engine once a year & it will never get dirty enough to need much cleaning.

Yep - my motto when it comes to detailing cars and bikes is "The cleaner you keep it, the easier it is to keep it clean!"

[morknmini]

Originally Posted by rc'S

MCS, can I clean the engine compartment/motor with the $0.25 carwash? Or best way if not....

I did that with old cars (pre-computer chips). Compared to today's engines those things were simple and industrial. I would be afraid to knock something out of place using a powerwash hose on a MINI's compact engine.

This might have been aired here already but I read that the German government, due to potential dangers, may become the first to advise against using power hoses to wash tires and the edge between the rim and the tire. I spent extra time doing that especially because of the brake dust.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by riquiscott

Yep - my motto when it comes to detailing cars and bikes is "The cleaner you keep it, the easier it is to keep it clean!"

hey, that's my toilet cleaning motto!