How to clean an engine bay.

[Frisman]

Could some one give advice on how to clean the engine bay of my LC 80. It needs it bad. thanks in advance
Frisman

 

[Upland80]

High pressure steam from a detailer is really the only way to go!

 

[94SRUNNER]

Any before shots of the engine bay prior to the steam cleaning?

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Ha you could do like the car lots and just squirt lots of armor-all over everything.

 

[summerprophet]

Face shield, degreaser, and a toilet brush.

 

[peneumbra]

And the question for the above post is:

Name three items kinky people keep in their bedrooms...

 

[Frisman]

Thanks for the replies guys. I definitely will take pics of before and after. any more tricks on how to do it? do I have to cover anything? Alternator, battery, etc.

 

[86tuning]

Plastic bag over distributor if you want to be able to start it afterwards. Avoid direct high pressure spray at anything with a lid. Brake fluid reservoir, power steering, etc.

 

[Elk]

I go to the local self serve car wash because I don't want the residues in my driveway. The one near me allows engine bay detailing. The pressure washers at these locations are also lower in power than a consumer unit for liability reasons, and in turn you don't have to worry about the stream eroding any hoses or seals. Once you arrive, pop the hood, wet the engine on low pressure, spray down with dilute simple green in problem areas if you have grease issues, let sit while you wash the rig, then return at the end to rinse down the motor. Avoid a high pressure spray at areas like the fuse box, sensors, etc. Use the higher pressure for the corners of the engine bay where crud accumulates, just be judicious.

It works very well for me with road salt in my region. This winter they've applied so much that I've washed my truck weekly. I seem to be the only guy in the bays with the hood popped and washing under the chassis, everyone else focuses on the paintwork. :Mechanic:

 

[Danimal]

Seriously, consider having it steam cleaned by a detailer. You'll only need it once a year at most and it makes everything (wiring harnesses, hoses, hard to reach brackets/components) look factory fresh. You'll never get those results any other way, IMHO.

Dan

 

[doug720]

Be cautious with "Simple Green". It is hard on many rubber parts, causing them to harden.

After the cleaning, take a long drive on the highway and use all the systems, AC, heater, lights, etc. Get it nice and warm to dry any water out of connections or parts.

Doug

 

[Grim Reaper]

The big thing to be careful of is the alternator. Try not to give it direct high pressure shots especially if it's hot from just being run. The back side in particular where the brushes and regulator are housed.
Be carefully around the radiator. Higher pressure can bend the fins and cause you a cooling issue.

Warm engine usually helps soften grease and simple green or engine degreaser before you start. Again trying not to get to much into the alternator. Also if you have a idler pully on your belts sometimes direct shots can get water in the bearings and kill them. "Sealed bearings" does not apply to 2600psi pressure washer blasts.

Bring some WD 40 and the tools needed to pop the distributor cap off if it's not happy after the wash. The WD 40 will help get the condensation out of the cap.

 

[Upland80]

High pressure steam from a detailer is really the only way to go!View attachment 211028

Simple Green, WD40, A-Jax, whatever the **** you want to spray in there isn't going to come close to level of clean shown in my bay...once a year is all it takes...nuff said!

 

[Elk]

Simple Green, WD40, A-Jax, whatever the **** you want to spray in there isn't going to come close to level of clean shown in my bay...once a year is all it takes...nuff said!

Definitely an impressive level of cleanliness. I use a more basic wash more frequently to get salt off my engine components.

Is there any truth to the claim that mileage increases slightly after steam cleaning a substantially greasy, grime coated engine? Maybe an improvement in thermostat functionality? A few buddies of mine with the straight 4.0 in their XJ's claim this.

 

[colodak]

If using Simple Green, dilute it first, instructions on the bottle. Also there is some stuff made I think by Castrol it's really super strong, it will change the color of painted items like valve covers. Personally, I like the cheap spray degreasers from my local parts stores, some are listed as environmentally friendly, for the occasional cleanup. When I want a super good cleaning, I take it to a full service car wash and pay them to it. They have the correct equipment and water treatment to filter the stuff out of the drains later. I do this once a year, the $150 or so they charge is worth it.