I'm looking to clean up my engine bay before carlisle this weekend but i seemed to find some contrasting stuff while doing a search. It seems there is some debate as to what cleaner to use. Apparently Simple Green is too harsh? If so, what do i use? What exactly are the steps. Here is what I have figured out so far:

1.painters tape mask off the fenders
2.spray some type of cleaner into the engine bay along with water
3.wipe stuff off
4.spray everything off with water
5.let dry
6.wax any painted areas of the engine bay if you want

Will this produce some good results?

 

I just bought some engine degreaser sprayed my whole engine and sprayed it down....then I let it dry for 1 week....so as to make sure all water was gone...2 days l8er after I cleaned it I found water on my intake....so I just let all the water evaporate for a week....now Im going back to replace parts....EVEN CLEANER!

Some people will tell you to cover ignition parts and wires....etc..I didnt and have no problem but you might if you dont get all the water out...just so you know.

 

Is Your motor TPI? Anyway simple green is not that harsh, just has to b diluted right. I used to detail cars and still do my wifes and my jeep all the time when i wash them because of the dust we have down south. But anyway u may use simple green, I use a much harsher chemical call red hot.
This is what I do STEP BY STEP:

1. lightly spray water on bay area.
2. then spray cleaner which may b in your case S.G.
3. Wait about .30 secs and lightly pressure wash off!
4. for stubborn grease use a soft bristle brush and spray more cleaner and lightly rub. NOTE: If u are doing this right u will need no major elbow grease at all.
5. then rinse clean.
6. let dry and spray whole engine with a light coat of armorall.
7. After wiping the armorall spay armorall again and let dry. Looks like a showroom finish.NOTE: any and all chrome should be wiped clean of all armorall, makes chrome hazy and dull, best to use windex or glass cleaning agaeny on a rag to get it off.

 

A can of gunk and some armor all works miracles on an engine bay...

 

I too detail engines and I agree with the above post. I have done many engines and never had to cover electrical parts. Maybe I am lucky or whatever as long as the electrical are not soaked you should be okay.

to add a few of things to the above list...

1. I do my engines in bright daylight. That way I can see every piece of dirt.

2. I actually like to start every spring with an engine de-greaser if the car is driven in the winter. Inexpensive at $4.00 Gunk with get a lot of the stubborn stuff and save you some wiping and rubbing. I apply it to a dry engine. Let it soak about 10 minutes and then power wash.

3. I dry with a leaf blower. I start the engine immediately after the power wash for 10 minutes. Then I bring in the leaf blower until I see no water.

4. I wipe from top down of the engine and from underneath up. They first thing I wipe is the under hood because it likes to drip. Next I hit all metal using a spray cleaner like the Simple Green for areas the engine de-greaser misses. Then I move on to all rubber and anything black.

5. I keep a rattle can of Glossy Hi Heat Black and a can of Alumn. / Silver. Also a can of flat black can come in handy too. There are plenty of rough looking areas on a 15 year old car that can be made to look new. If needed I will paint something that does not look good. A good masking is the key here.

6. Instead of Armour All which will work for detailing shiny stuff I prefer to use an aerosol detail spray or tire dressing (Looks Wet No Mess at www.supershinedetail.com/lookswet.html. In aerosol form there is no rubbing and it is easier to spray evenly than to wipe evenly. And less time consuming. And there is no splatter once you start driving.

Here is a picture of my engine I did Memorial Day weekend.

 

Though aerosal is no mess after prolonged use it can actually eat through some plastic ...dont get me wrong i used to use it too. Then I saw what it can do to plastic with prolonged use. The main reason i really stopped detailing under any hood except my own is because i like the customer to see what he or she is getting by buying one of my cars. Also the laef blower is a good idea ..I use a tumbler fan from an ac unit. that is mounted on the ceiling of my carport. I just let it blow @ all times after i rinse and start the engine. Nice engine bay pics, ill have to take some of my wifes,can't take none of mine cause still havent finished the vaccum hose routing and the distributor,and the headers.