Hello All.. are there any special precautions concerning cleaning my engine besides the obvious air filter covering? It is getting some dust and road grime and I'd like to detail as much as possible. Would using a garden hose to remove the cleaners hurt anything?

Mike

 

The Air filter is at the top of the Air Filter chamber, the water shouldnt be a huge concern. In fact i just changed mine after spraying the engine down, plus I replaced the Air Filter, the chamber and air filter were pretty clean after going all winter. I just go to the car wash and spray the inside of the hood, around the fenders and the radiator with the trigger pulled, then I rinse the engine itself with the low pressure spray that comes out when you dont pull the trigger. I've done this pretty regularly with all my cars and have never had a problem.

Just water, no soap....never had to...

 

Here's how I clean my engine bay:

Before I wash the car, I cover the CAI filters with plastic bags. I think spray the entire engine bay with Simple Green, more of it in the dirtiest spots. I think close the bonnet and wash the car. When I'm done (about 15 minutes later) I rinse off all the simple green and then respray the areas that still aren't clean and hit them with a soft-bristles brush. Rinse again. Done. Oh... don't forget to remove the plastic bag.

 

Never ever use a pressure washer on an engine. I use Groit's Engine Cleaner and brushes to clean the engine and engine bay. I follow their instructions religiously. Never use their engine shine product, it makes every thing sticky and crappy.

 

There are a plethora (how often do you see THAT word?) of pages devoted to detailing engines and their environs, but you should be guided by common sense when you undertake doing this.
Should there be a paucity of that, cover the air-intake region, and use caution around any electrical junctions.
Bear in mind that engine compartments are subjected to a lot of heat, cold, dirt, road debris, and assorted schmutz.
As such, they are fairly safe to subject to a water spray.
Never, and I repeat, never, subject your engine compartment to high-pressure water spray, like from a pressure-washer. If it won't come clean with a good cleaner like Simple Green and garden-hose water pressure, aided by the brush of your choice, leave it dirty.
You might want to bear in mind that some of our cars have no clear coat on the paint in the engine bay, and as such, you may end up removing some paint from the cleaning action of whatever cleaner you use.
Having said all that, please don't be put off by these warnings. You're car will be much happier with a clean motor.

 

Thanks for all the info .. I know that some C-4 vettes have an optispark unit that hates water ( $800 ) to replace . My C-4 doesn't have that unit but I still use the cleaner and brush method on the Mini ...

 

Bug sprayers works well as a low pressure water sprayer in the engine bay. An Absorber towel is very handy for absorbing standing water.

 

Bingo! I was going to post this... I don't have the actual Absorber, but a towel similar to this... it works wonders on absorbing water in the engine bay!

 

On the days that I'm feeling particularly lazy and and don't feel like bringing out the air compressor for standing water... those cans of compressed air work well too.

 

Dumb question but what's a CAI filters? Is there a chance you can post a picture next time of the stuff you covered, and perhaps touch on any places that should avoid water and Simple Green. That'd be awesome!

 

"CAI" = Cold Air Intake Filter
I just throw a plastic bag over the air filter and the electrical - spray with a degreaser - let sit - rinse off with low pressure - attack the stuborn areas with a brush and more cleaner - rinse again - call it a day.

 

DrkSlvr if i have a r53 with alta cai with the box cover, should i still cover it? any recommended degreasers?

 

So what I do is and I read this in a Lincoln Mark VII news letter. I warm up the car for about 3-5 minutes, turn off the engine, spray it with Simple Green(which is one of the best cleaners around and is biodegradeable), close the hood let it sit for 3-5 minutes, rinse it off with the hose, and if its not clean enough I spray it again with Simple and let it sit again and rinse it off. Now if you have a cold air intake or an aftermarket on you can spray the filter its ok just don't start the car unitil it is completely dry. Now I have sprayed the MINI out yet I will be doing that probably today but I did it to my Spec V about once a month and never had a problem. Just be careful and don't ever use a presure washer it will destroy everything. Good Luck and you won't be disapointed when its done.