Hey, I searched and didn't come up with much. Most I found was in the 2nd gen forum and there were some decent tips but I'll ask in here anyway. I stored my car for the winter and for some reason decided to leave the hood open so a lot of dirt/dust collected inside the engine bay. What's a good way of cleaning the engine bay? I heard to watch out for water on the alternator, intake, etc. I guess if you let things dry it shouldn't matter too much. Anyhow I'd really like to soak the area clean of crap. Any suggestions on what to do and not to do?

 

Simple Green is good.

 

keep in mind simple green isn't recommended for aluminum. I'm sure something under there is aluminum.

 

I use Gunk Engine Brite. Spray it all over the motor, agitate the heavily soiled areas with a brush, then hose it all off. No need to cover anything unless you have a cone intake. Go for a drive to dry the engine. I do the same for both my FD and TII and have had no problems.

 

sounds good - I'll just make sure whatever cleaner I get is not too strong. I'm lucky that my engine bay is very clean from stains and grease - it's just dusty. Thanks

 

Is pressure washing a bad idea?

 

Yeah, if it's just dusty, take it to the car wash and spray it. Just be careful of your intake(s) and electrical connectors and spray from a couple feet away...

If it's grease, do the same thing but spray everything with Engine Brite before you go.

 

this is what a friend of mine does, I haven't tried myself but his engines are always clean!

with engine warm (but not hot) spray everything with WD40, specially the greasy areas. Let sit a few mins, scrub and respray heavily soiled areas.

Fill an empty spray bottle with a liquid dishwasher soap (dawn) and water solution and spray all over again, this will clean the wd40 off. Scrub and respray the heavily soiled areas, rinse and repeat if needed and drive around to dry it.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/i-want-clean-engine-manifold-any-ideas-84187/

 

Bag the alternator and pressure wash the engine bay. Simple green works well but it WILL discolor aluminum very quickly so keep it off anything polished.

 

Mahjik, I'm surprised you guys let so much exterior/interior stuff slide in this section... If you search for cleaning engine bay in the interior/exterior section, there's quite a few threads about it, w/ specific product suggesstions and reviews. I think there may even be a sticky about it too...

 

Engine cleaning is one of those "gray" areas. It's related to engines and can be a technical discussion so I don't move them. However, I do try to redirect them to threads where it has already been discussed.

 

Gotcha.

 

I'd use a pressure washer over a regular garden hose w/nozzle anyday. I've used Simple Green, Purple Power (I think thats what its called), and those foam engine cleaners. IMO, those foam engine cleaners suck ***. I've had very good experiences with either of the two degreasers and a pressure washer. I think a pressure washer works best on an engine since the water is pressurized coming out and doesnt leave puddles on the engine like a garden hose does. The only thing I cover on the engine bay are the cone filters. Some people cover the alternator, battery, ignitors and other people dont. Its up to you.

The only time I cleaned my engine with a garden hose w/nozzle, my engine was shaky afterwards and I had to get water out of connectors and other stuff. My friend had the exact same thing happen to him with a regular garden hose. Maybe we're just retarded but we've both cleaned our engines many many times with a pressure washer and had the car start right up with no problems.


If your engine is just dusty, you can probably get away with using just a pressure washer.

 

i tried the engine brite foam and it left a residue on the engine bay paint..it showed heavily by the strut towers, it almost looks like that the paint faded after i wiped everything down..

and i didnt even leave the foam on there for a long time, maybe 4 minutes tops, then i hose everything down and idled the car while wiping some stuff..

from now on, ill use the normal engine brite degreaser, no foam..

 

I only had 5K on my build before I sold it,but always used a car wash pressure washer. I also would do it while the engine was running. You have to know your equipment to do that safely. Normally my engine would have only run a few minutes and was not up to full temp. I used to do F/I work at G.M. dealerships and would always clean the engines after a tune. The FD under-hood temps just evaporate the excess after the clean up. I wouldn't spray directly on the coils or the TPS just to keep the chances of shorting at a minimum. After cleaning take a long drive on the freeway.
John / V-8 914/930 trans.

 

Ok so my buddy uses wd 40 to clean his engine bay. Which is better? Pressure washing it or using wd 40? Wont pressure washing it fry the iginition system?

 

I use wd-40 and a rag. Just spray and wipe.
Heres a old pic .

 

I know Paul (Rotorbrain) swears by the Kaboom stuff (which now has some OxyClean formula in it). It's actually a kitchen/stovetop/oven degreaser, and works wonders on that very old, burnt, caked on grease and oil in the kitchen. So chances are it'll work just fine in the engine bay too

 

thats nice

im gonna try that

 

Thanks

Also regular car polish is good on metal stuff, like the IC pipes, UIM , anything you can shine up a little.

 

bringing this thread back from the dead, any other products you guys use?