AJN334

Is it safe to pop hood and spray off engine and use a cleaner?

A6Gary

I use hand-held high pressure washer at your local self-serve car wash for engine cleaning.

petertt

Water will seek out electrical connections wherever possible

Seriously, make sure sensitive areas (air cleaner, etc) are well protected and cross your fingers.

phred

Everything under the hood these days is a) a computer, b) made of plastic. All you need is a damp rag with some Simple Green to wipe the dust off, another to remove, then some Vinylex.

LI-S4

there are tons of online articles on how to clean your engine...

<a href="http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=4">Car Care Online</a> has one I could find quickly..

I do it once or twice a year..much easier than trying to play catch up.. You'll need two one inch paint brushes, a can of (uuggh) Armour All Tire Foam (TF), and a 50/50 mix of Simple Green and water...

First start with a slightly warm engine...not hot, just warm enough that you can feel the metal isn't cold. This will loosen up some of the tough stuff and help dry the water.

I remove all the plastic engine trim and the airbox, and put a plastic bag over the intake tube. That's it for protection...one bag should do it!

Then I use Simple Green and spray everything in sight. Let it sit on the warm engine for about fifteen minutes. Use the same juice to pray and clean the plastic trim pieces while the engine sits and cooks..

<b>Caution!!</b> - Simple Green, even cut 50/50 will remove your wax in a flash, and can even eat you clear coat...be careful! You have been warned!!!!

Rinse the plastic trim pieces and if you have compressed air, give them a blast and let them dry. If not, just let the sun dry them, but get as much water off as quickly as possible.

Then using a one inch paint brush I lightly scrub in the corners around the firewall, around all the electricals and anyplace you need to pay attention to... You'll want to work sort of fast so the engine doesn't cool off for the next step...

Remove the sprayer end from the hose so it is running at about 25% of full. No spray and no hi-pressure. The easiset way to get water where it doesn't belong is with hi-pressure. Rinse everything while you continue to poke around with the first paint brush.

If you have compressed air, go at with the pressure on no more than 40 psi. If not, people have used leaf blowers successfully. I'd be inclinded to just let it air dry. The idea is to get the entire engine and engine bay scrubbed and rinsed before the engine cools off. The warm motor will help dry the water. The rubber will usually dry pretty quick...Metal is less important. Let the engine air dry now. How warm the engine was when you started will determine how long to let it dry...err on the side of too long.

Now take the TF and spray a light coat on anything you want to be detailed. (this technique works great for the grill mesh, wheel wells, and anywhere you want to detail, but usually skip because it is too tedious). Spray the plastic trim too. Use the second paint brush to be sure the TF gets in all the ridges and corners...

Just don't spray it on your driveway pavement..the TF, full stregnth, will leave a stain on asphalt and brick. I keep a hose running under the car so that any TF that drips on the driveway gets immediately diluted and washed away. Water is less expensive than bricks!

To speed things up, you can start the engine again, but again...don't let it get hot...just warm. with the hood down it will dry the TF pretty quick.

Last step...

If you like a "boy racer-Wet look" leave it alone.

If you prefer an "obviously detailed" shiney, but not wet look, rinse off the excess TF, blow it off again and let dry!!!

If you like a "like new" matte black look, rinse off the excess TF, blow it off again and wipe it with a soft rag!!!

Your mechanic will love you!

LI-S4

some have never had a problem doing that...I wouldn't even take a chance..

CTA4AVANT

How about using one of those small hand-held steam cleaners with a small nozzle?

Robert F

Thanks. BTW Great Sig!