winner99

I picked up a can of cleaner/detailer for under the hood but the description about what exactly to cover up is pretty brief. Ive never done this before so could somebody gimme a list of everything that should be covered up? I dont wanna screw up

RyansQuick6

The easiest way to clean your engine in a few siple steps;

Things needed
Gallon of Simple Green (any type is fine, regular, automotive, whatever)
water hose with NO NOZZLE
garden sprayer (around $15 at any home improvement store)

scrub brush, anything with a head bigger than your palm is too big
wash mitt, not the one you use on your paint
No Touch Tire Foam, I recommend this because it's not as greasy as most other products

Depending on the severity of filth it may take a few cycles to get the engine nice and pretty.

1. Get the engine up to normal operating temperature
2. Take a 3:1 simple green/water mixture in the sprayer and spray the engine while it's still warm. Get it everywhere you can just don't force it into sensors or anything, there isn't enough pressure to cause any damage, so long as you don't force it
3. Go inside and watch tv, let the car sit with the cleaning solution for about 30 minutes
4. Use the same mixture as in step 2 and spray the engine down again
5. Use the scrub brush the clean as much as possible, and the mitt helps get around the hoses, vacuum lines and in the pulleys
6. Take the hose, and with the water slowly running out of the end of it let it run over the engine and rinse off all the soap and grime. DO NOT USE A SPRAYER OR ANY PRESSURE IN THIS STEP OR YOU WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS

7. If the engine/engine bayis still dirty, then repeat steps 4-6
8. Once the engine is clean and somewhat dry,take the No Touch Tire Foam and spray all the plastic and rubber parts, try to avoid the belt if possible, but a little overspray won't hurt. Try not to get any on the intake manifold, it makes it look kinda funny.
9. Wipe down all the parts, hoses, vacuum lines, pulleys, coolant cap, fan shroud, radiator cover, etc. to remove any excess
10. Sit back and enjoy the sight of a clean engine bay


This method, when you keep up with it, only takes a few minutes when you're washing your car. Having a clean engine bay will also help prevent issues if a leak arrises or something like that, because everything will be clean and easy to see when an issue does occur.

It really is amazing to see how nicea stock engine bay can look when properly cleaned, espescially if it's been neglected.


You can use whatever product you want to as far as making the black look good, but the No Touch has yet to act like most other products. It doesn't really attract dirt or look greasy or anything, just makes everything look nice and clean. I've seen faaaar too many cars that actually "Clear-coated" the entire under-hood area, it was disgusting, and most of these cars were in the ghetto lol

A nice semi-gloss is about as much shine as some parts should have, going to shiny, unless it's polished, chrome, etc., just looks un-natural.

Ryan

The Yellow Pinto

nice write up, my man. also, after the detailing is done, you can start up your motor, put the hood down, and let the detailer you use "cure" a bit, then after everything is nice and dry, touch up the spots you missed.

tommy2273boy

very nice writeup.

But I usually spray Engine Degreaser on and let it sit for a while then go back to spray again and wipe it down.

RyansQuick6

I prefer the simple green merely because there is absolutely zero chance of it hurting anything. I worry degreasers may affect chrome or polished parts and paint, if not leave a residue.

I use O'Rielly's brake cleaner when I need to clean my pan right under the crank, it tends to get a mist there, I assume minimal spray coming form the front seal. It's such a small amount that there's is barely any showing after a 3k mi oil change, but I'm picky lol.

tommy2273boy

actually I have to go get a seal replaced behind my underdrive pulley. the bottom of my car is slatherd in oil. its a total mess, you can touch anything our you'll have oil all over you. I bet they're gonna charge a ton for labor. it should only be a $5-$10 seal.

RyansQuick6

If it's the seal in the timing cover, then it should be pretty easy to change yourself. You'll just need an impact to get the crank bolt loose.