Since my engine hasn't been cleaned since the depression, j/k, I'm wanting to clean it up. It's got some nasty crap all over it from all the years it's been on the road. What would be the best way to clean it up?

I'm wanting to cover the air filter and battery and then spray everything down with engine degreaser on a warm engine and then spray it down with low-pressure water. Can I do this without worrying about hurting all the electrical connectors and whatnot? I was told that when I do this on a hot engine, the engine is so hot that the water just evaporates on contact with the engine, so I shouldn't have to worry about that.

Is this all true or does someone have a better way of doing things to ensure a better clean?

 

Water and electricity = bad
Just try to avoid pouring water directly into the plugs.
Clean the enginebay in sections, this way you will avoid having to spray the entire bay at once.
It aint easy and engine degreaser wont remove all the large chunks of dirt and grime. Its time to get dirty

 

Really, I'm wanting to just clean the engine itself. I've tried cleaning in sections, not happening. Too much crap in the way. There's gotta be an easier way compared to just ripping everything out.

 

Water & Hot Aluminum?
Just be careful that the Enegine is not to Hot or you take a chance on Warping the Housings.
I do not know if thats and old wives tale.
I would just warm it up alittle to loosen up the old crusty oil.
steve

 

Hotsee and hotsee soap is the only way to clean an engine. That or purple power or w/e its called.

 

Simple Green, Shop Towels-on-a-roll, elbow grease and lots of time.

Best way possible. Just don't get the Simple green on anything aluminum and you'll be fine.

Jon

 

Just take a day where you're sure you don't need to drive the FB anywhere, rent a power waster and have at it. Cover anything you think you need to cover with something sturdy. When done dry what you can by hand and let is set in the shade with your hoold up to air dry the rest. You shouldn't have any problems.

 

For the power washer, what should I cover to ensure no permanent damage? I know to keep the power washer wand a certain distance away, however.

Hotsee?......never heard of such a thing.

 

The way detailers do it gets it the cleanest in the quickest time. Start the car and let it run soak the engine bay with degreaser then pressure wash the engine with hot water. Then you have no risk of warpage. All this is done with the enine running that way if you do get anything in the filter it'll burn up instead of hydro locking the engine. I detailed at Lexus and Dodge for 3 years, so I know I'm right...

 

Awesome, thanks, man. How long do I let the engine run after I've washed it to ensure there is no water residue that could do any damage?

 

A hotsee is something you can rent. Its a kerosene heated (up to 450 degrees) pressure washer that also allows you to use soap in the spraying cycle with the flip of a switch.

 

Hotsee = steamcleaner ?

 

Kinda. Hotsee = 120psi, 450degree, water and soap slinging, badass 5min engine clean machine. Like I said you can rent them from some places for like 20$ a day. We use one at work and it will peel 2in of greese dirt grit and grime off of an engine and frame rail in about 5mins.

 

I spray my engine bay down with SeaFoams Deep Creep spray. Then I let it sit abit. I then proceed to pressure wash the engine bay after that. My engine bay looks extremely clean. Factory like new shine to it. When the engine bay dries spray some black magic on it and you have a bling bling engine bay.

Thats what I do to mine with Very Excellent results.

 

I also have used tire foam on my hoses, gives themn a neat looking clean shine. DONT spray on belts though as they will squeel alot, and any excess will burn off and it smells kinda funky.

 

Main things you want to cover are your distributor and air cleaner... all else should be okay.

 

I cover the fusable links also.

 

When I clean up an engine bay, and I have had some very sad ones that I have bought for parts cars, I spray eveything down with degreaser, start the engine and fire up the power washer. I do not take steps to protect any of the electrics. I do avoid hard, direct spray on the dizzy, radiator and fan belts. A good powerwasher nozzle will chew up belts and dent the radiator core. If the engine dies, it usually has water in the dizzy cap. Take it off, blow dry and fire the engine back up.

I've had some that were so caked with grease, it takes 3 washing to get them clean.

Even using cold water in the powerwasher, I have no worries spraying any part of the engine. Cracking housings is NOT going to happen. If anything, worry about the headers and only if they are old, rusty and thin. Think about it this way. It's a boiling hot summer day, there is a sudden cold rain shower and you drive through a big puddle, what happens, absolutely nothing unless the puddle is several feet deep.

 

just take out all the radiator and battery and stand in the bay for a couple hours and scrub everything with gung, thats what i did. and paint all the parts you take out so it will leave you with a nicer looking engine bay.

 

i dont know who said it on here but i give mad props, (if i didnt suck at names) but i went through with aluminum foil and covered all electrical connections put a couple of sheets over the carb ( i took off the airbox) then you dont have to be SO careful alittle over spray is ok, and the foil comes off no mess no fuss. with VERY minimal water. putting on foil took about 5 min to do a good job, taking it of took about 3.5 minutes (.5 mins to make sure you got it all started with engine brite from gunk, works well on lightly covered areas, had to brush with alittle elbow grease to get the covered stuff. but all works well and looks great.
and i agree with above paint everything you can for a nice touch up.

 

I'm starting to run out of things to paint. I've taken care of the metal panel that covers the evaporator core and the A/C bracket. I'd like to also clean up the, I hope I'm calling it right, throttle body assembly (that big thing with RE-EGI imprinted in it) and only other things I can think of that I *can* do on the weekend is the alterntor bracket, and a few other wire brackets.

Thanks for the help on the cleaning bit, looks like I'll have to contact Home Depot about their pressure washers. I guess I won't have to worry about covering up the battery then?

 

I cover the alt, carb, remove the spark plug wires, battery, ignition coils and anything else thats easly removed. Then I spray either degreeser or purple power everywere. I wait a few minutes and then spray everything with a pressure washer. Then get a can of that spray that drys wire connection.. reconnect everything, remove the bags, install everything that was easy to remove, turn key and drive away.

I usally take an hr or more doing it this manner but it works out really good.

 

Easiest way is with a Hotsee. Thats how I do it, and you'd be amazed at how much junk you can blast off with hot presserized water.

Mind you I work on desiel engines (I own a truck wash), but here's generally how I do it.

If there's not to much gunk, ushally the hotsee will take off more or less everything. However, if there's a whole ton of crap, your better off presoaking it. I ushally use regular heavy duty soap mixed as strong as I can get it, and spray that on and let it sit for a little while. (try it on bugs they litterally melt and run off the car) Just buy a bottle of car soap from walmart and put it in a spray bottle in your case.

After all that, and lots of pressure washing, if your still not happy, then its time to get the brake clean out. You can buy brake clean at one of two places. Walmart, and auto places will sell it to you for $5 a can. Places that do fleet services, and the like, will sell it to you for $2. Get as much of the baked on stuff you can off, most of it will come off, then rinse. Becarefull, if you let it sit for to long it will just dry up and get stuck there again.

After all that, you'll have a nice clean engine. If your going for show quality, then its time to get the toothbrush out and get dirty.

A couple more tips. Don't do this on a hot engine, water just evaportates off, and you can risk warping somthing (not likely but meh...) And cover, or avoid directly spraying anything that might be damaged by pressure or water. Most engine compartments have no problem being washed, so long as your not spraying down the intake or somthing.

 

nothing like using a handheld steam cleaner with some purple power

 

Here's my experience with cleaning the engine bay. Turned out nicely..https://www.rx7club.com//showthread.php?t=441703