Howdy folks. Looking to really clean my engine bay up but am terrified ill blast somethin to pieces and it will be a nightmare to fix. Looking to just pick up a decent garden hose nozzle and some bad *** cleaner (any advice on which to use?) My car is a 305 TBI. I need to know what to cover and what to absolutely stay away from...Thanks guys. Attached is the only recent picture of my engine bay. Thanks guys!

 

What to avoid: Getting water in the air filter assembly, then making its way inside the engine. I suggest taking the air bowl assembly off and putting a garbage bag directly on the throttle body. Then tape that sucker on.

The rest is pretty much fool proof. I use Gunk engine cleaner for this type of work and it has always performed perfectly. Spray on, let it act about 5 mins, then spray it off with a hose. A soft brush for the very nasty areas or hard to reach places is the best too.

Keep us posted!
GL

 

Gunk works great for gettin' grease and grime off. Problem is, depending on your goals for the car, it can tarnish the finish of things it comes in contact with. Now I understand lots of people don't care, and truthfully, it's not like it eats away the car, but I've had some hazy and worn spots appear from "gunk".

....I use simple green automotive grade. I wet the underhood area with water, spray on simple green, let it soak, spray again and wipe with a rag, then rinse with water.

 

If you want it "really" clean, plan on getting a toothbrush and getting to know it.

 

I second simple green. Works great! Alternators don't like water either btw.

 

I used Goop hand cleaner, towels and took my time. it worked great

 

Probably want to cover the Distributor too.....moisture isnt good there.

 

I didn't use water at all, just clean with a cleaner and wipe off dirt and grease, it took a week but isn't your car worth it? Then polish all metal.

 

I detail engines all of the time and we use both Gunk on non chromed engines and simple Green on less greasy chromed engines. I use aluminum foil to cover certain areas like distributers and then power wash the entire bay starting with the underhood. Comes out great everytime. I also use a leaf blower to dry the engine. Works fast and gets areas that water will settle in.

 

i used gunk cleaner stuff and it works pretty good. and its dirt cheap.
just cover the alt and distributor. and the TBI. cover it up so water can get in there.
i believe thats about it.
or you could just take your alt off. could make things alittle easyer.
my engine was real bad. so i boiught 2 cans. came out good.

 

+1 for simple green. The stuff is great and wont mess with your paint/finish. Never tried gunk. Is there anyway to clean up the rubber hoses and make them look new? I seem to be able to clean anything but the rubber. The best i can do is scrub them down and then rub them with vaseline. I also use that on my t top/weather seals and it keeps them nice and soft, although it gets dirty easily. Any suggestions?

Edit: Also using a compressor and air tip works great in place of water, and also works for drying hard to reach areas!

 

Simple Green works good, but I have been using Castrol Super Clean lately. I use a little spray bottle with water to gently spray of the extar residue, then dry with a towel/rag. Takes lots of time and elbow grease. Check out a pic of my underhood in the post "summertime photos of 92".

 

Pressure soap & water at the car wash.
I remove the (paper) element before blasting.

If you want clean and quick. You're going to need a pressure wash.
Water in the engine or basically anywhere in the engine bay is fine.

If cars (engine/electronics) were that sensitive to water, we would all be screwed on rainy days. If your car is water sensitive, there's a problem or you own a ford (an older ford anyways).

At 190k miles, it doesn't look new obviously but, you won't get dirty working on it....

 

Your engine bay is spotless, compared to mine....

 

My engine is so dirty I had to replace the engine......

 

Well I guess my post earlier didnt go through. Appreciate all of the input sounds like I have 2 products to try and see which works best. I will be sure to post pics after I go grab that stuff tommorow. Thanks again guys. More pics to come!

 

well you can pill everything out so it would be easier to clean. see what I mean?

 

- As mentioned before, I too endorse Simple Green as a good cleaner. Another product called Spray Nine works well too.
- I don't like to use high water pressure to clean. Sorry, but comparing residual spray under the hood from rain to a focused 1200+psi stream of water is a little extreme to say the least. If anyone has tried this and claim they haven't had any problems, it would be more accurate to claim they've tried this and have been very lucky. Let the chemicals do the work and gently rinse. Agitate stubborn areas with a brush.
- Avoid electrically sensative areas and the air intake. Wrap those areas using plastic or something that can act as a protective shield.
- A warm engine (not hot for safety's sake and you don't want to risk cold water on hot metal parts) can help promote the cleaning process and the break-down of grease and grime.
- By the look of your engine, you may want to repaint the black air intake and brackets, etc.
- Take a look under the battery at the battery tray. It's prone to a lot of rust and corrosion. It will likely need at least a cleaning or even removing the rust and prime/repainting.
- Replace the rad hoses and plug wires, etc. Not very much $$$ and improves the appearance quite a bit (even performance if the wires are failing). Use some rubber dressing to improve the looks and protection of the new hoses and any other soft or rubber parts.

Here's my engine. All stock including all parts, hoses, wiring, etc. All I've had to do since new is a different battery & serpentine belt. I wax the all the paint and have a seperate chamois for wiping down all the surfaces (no need to wash anything, just the occasional wipe). But my ride has never seen salt or snow and has always been driven as a "sunny Sunday" car.



Good luck.

 

Simple Green works the best

 

fleet brite truck cleaner.......its the best mild cleaner ive ever used...i do however have a 55 gallon drum of dragon slayer i bought when i bought my presure washer that will clean very very well....right down to the bare metal ....i give you a piece of advice on cleaning solutions.....if you can get some on an open cut and it not burn and hurt like your going to die.....its no good.....ps the only reason the some cleaners tarnish paint is because you dont get it off quick enough

 

Dude! What alt bracket are you running? I love that setup! Very clean engine bay! How is driving/being caught in the rain in that thing?

 

march power underdrive pullies and their bracket kit. 520.00 worth of a pain in the a$$. But I still love them, for my next camaro I'm just going to buy the pullies and fab the brackets. it so easy a caveman could do it,lol. Water and rain are not a single problem. I haven't had an issue since doing it all.

 

use tire shine on any rubber hoses. it gives a nice clean look.

 

I will vouch for Simple Green...that stuff works like no other, spray on, let it sit for 5-10 min. then hose off and wipe!

 

simple green works well. I usually leave the engine running at the car wash and spray some on then rinse the rest of the car then power soap it and then rinse and good to go. Ive always heard to leave the engine running so I always have, i dunno about everyone else???


Grease lightning works good too

 

just a little update, wrapped the tbi in a bag and protected the cap as best I could then used an entire can of GUNK. It worked but not well,It started raining so it limited my time. Gonna go out tomorrow or whenever it clears up and get some simple green. Need to snap some pics.

 

Just leave the car running and you should be fine with spraying the engine outright. You want it running so if any water gets into the distributor cap or ento the TBI it will be able to run it out. I've sprayed off my TPI 350 and I even have the ozone holes drilled in my distributor cap.

 

Yes, you CAN spray everything down without covering. I have some friends who don't cover anything, and use a pressure washer. But why? Why not take the time and cover what you can? Sure, the engine should be just fine, but why risk a loose connector or a dry rotted rubber weather pack/connector? If our cars always did what the "should" do, this hobby would be boring!!!

As for hoses, I use Meguiars exterior trim detailer when i go to shows, but for everyday driving, anything you put on there is just gonna collect dirt and grime. I'll spray it while parked at the show, and wipe off as much as possible before driving home.

 

It is exactly how I have cleaned the engine bay in every car I've ever had over the many years. The only car I've had to ever show a problem is an 86 dodge daytona I had as my first car (fortunate it just ran at all). A small bead of rtv around the dist. cap solved the problem.

There is no luck or magic to it. I pressure wash the engine bay every time I take it to the car wash.

I wouldn't use the same approach on a nicer (non-daily driver) engine bay.

 

Your specific experience doesn't change the general fact that using a high pressure water stream (or more accurately "misusing") carries a higher risk than low pressure.
There are almost as many different ways to approach cleaning using high pressure as there are people. Some may use a "lower" high pressure (~1200psi) held at a distance. Others may grab a wand with double that and hold it very close to stubborn areas or be naive to the dangers (overspray of released grease and/or chemicals, wet electrical, cut or punctured rubber, plastic and other soft materials, the need for eye protection, etc.)
Life's tasks are about risk assessment and we all draw the line at different places. Some may feel the risks are minimal (like yourself) while others feel the risks outweigh the benefits (like myself).
I mentioned my opinion for those who feel the same and to let them know that alternative lower risk methods exist that can accomplish the same results.
If anyone disagrees, grab a wand. In the end, it's all for the love we have for our 3rd gens, otherwise how can you explain the passionate responses.

 

409+Rags and some time... Mines not perfect, but It looks pretty good to me.

 

Some kleen-flow and a huge pressure washer made mine look like this the engine was running when i did it just to make sure of things!

 

the smurf on the upper radiator hose has got to go.

 

Everyone heard about my story.... I pressure washed my engine with SimpleGreen at 1200PSI and moments later my car ran extremely rough!!!! No one knew what was wrong with it so I took it to the stealer ship... spent 300 dollars just do find out what was wrong with it. Im never going to pressure the wash the engine again at least not from the top...

 

FS simple green in one hand, FS purple power in other, spray it like crazy, let it sit for a few, and spray it off

we used pressure washers all the time detailing cars, never had any issues with the motor messing up


there is a product out there that will make everything shine also, it engine detailer, and its at most parts stores.......

detailers use a armor all like product, just spray and go

 

Did you cover anything? Probably not.

Next time cover the distributor and don't spray directly at electrical connections and you should be fine.

People would be amazed how fast a power washer can do its work...can take hours of elbow grease, done in 15 minutes with a power washer.

 

I'm bringing this thread back from the dead to ask if armor all is ok to use on the plastic inside the hood?

 

im on the same boat as you man heres the engine bay on the iroc i just bought.

this simple green you guys are talking about, do you use just regular simple green that i can get at savemart, or is it a special simple green that can be found at autozone or somthing?

 

Its all the same stuff if i do recall.