I am pulling the motor out and going through it. But before it goes back in, what would be a good cleaner for the engine bay? I am going to repaint it but I don't want to do a whole lot of scraping and pressure washing. It's a repetitive process for anyone who has done it. So I'm looking for any advice on what y'all have used that has dramatically reduced the work load pre-paint.

 

Oven cleaner works...good ol degreaser works as well

 

Be cautious with oven cleaners as they can cause etching and pitting. Simple green is good and doesn't cause any surface degradation. No matter what cleaner you use it will either need a pressure washer or lots of nylon bristle brushes.

 

I agree with Tibo. Start with the mildest of cleaners,a nd wor your way up as necessary.

In cleaning some of the thincker caked-on oil leak spots in my engine compartment, I ended up finding that WD-40 did a very nice job, and took off less paint than 409-type cleaners. See posts 101 here. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...ml#post5819586

 

Save some time and effort & start with what works,.....Castrol Super Clean. Comes in a Purple bottle and is probably cheapest @ Wall-Mart.

Don't bother with the cheaper "purple power",.. that stuff is good about 1/2 as strong as Castrol Super clean. If your planning to paint under the hood after the clean-up then at a bare minimum your going to want to use green scrubby pads to scratch what-ever finish is under there so that your new paint will stick. Do the work in stages,... 'Super' Clean really well first, then scratch with scrubby/sandpaper, then completely rinse, let dry, then mask/paint.

Rust removal is a whole-nuther story,........ !

 

Well I appreciate the comments and suggestions. I do have to say though, for a25 year old car it first have much grease and oil cashed on like I was assuming would be there. And there is no rust. Not visible anyway. I'm sure I may find some when I get to sanding and prepping for paint.

 

The '80s are when seals got a lot better and cars stopped leaking as much. If you remember, 20 years ago the middle of highway lanes was extra slippery with oil and grease from worn out '70s and early '80s jalopies dribbling as they drove around.

 

I used Goof Off in the spray bottle version(Home Depot,Lowes)spray it on,let it sit awhile then spray it again,then wipe it down.it really cuts the grease.WD40(the gallon version,put into a spray bottle) for the bare metal parts,leave it sit overnight and the surface rust is gone the next day.

 

Nice tip there, Fran! Thanks. I'm gonna try that!!

 

I sat in my engine bay with an assortment of brushes, plastic scrapers, purple cleaner and Dawn dishwashing liquid. My favorite brush is the long brissel end of a motorcycle chain brush. Very stiff plastic brissels that get into the nooks.