I need some advice on how to properly wash and clean my engine bay. Ive wanted to wash the bay ever since i got my Z but i know how many electrical components are in and around the engine and so have never risked attempting it when washing my car. Now ive been looking up guides and vids, on cleaning the engine bay, to see what other people/professionals do when it comes to washing/cleaning engine bays and it seems wetting the whole bay is the first step, before applying a engine degreaser and then rinsing off after 10 - 15 mins. Some vids, show covering of electrical components with tin foil or plastic bags and others say no protection is required??. Ive read that steam cleaning might be harmful to electronics so don't know if thats the cleaning route i want to take either. here are some vids ive been watching regarding the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcVbg3viMP8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH_UbFAfrjM&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOxSJDPvmgc&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQh16JTgU5w&feature=related Here is a Meguiars Engine Bay cleaning vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGXMPtMtGs8&feature=related Now i do realise some of the cars featured in these vids are old cars and have as many electrical components as the VG30D is but is it ok to wet the engine down with a pressure hose at a distance or do i have to do it by hand with say a toothbrush and a bucket of water? Normally when i wash my car i got to one of those carwash shops at a local petrol station. I did see the engine degreaser option, is it worth using their product or should i get a off the shelf product for degreasing the engine. Yes i have searched and Ive read the tech article http://www.pexcom.com.au/z32cms/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.262 but where do i get the INOX or LANOX sprays and what do i need to spray it to. So whats your thoughts guys.
i would love to clean out my engine bay aswell, i'm considering having it resprayed black just so it looks clean as the white shows every drop of oil, all the dust and crap that floats around in there can be seen and it really makes me think twice about looking in there. i've used a pressure cleaner on mine before, but i didnt have much deagreaser so it didnt do too much. the way i did it was spray as much degreaser as i could onto to pretty much everything but the plenum and the connectors and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then i set the pressure cleaner to low and did my best not to direct the jet of water onto anything that looked sensitive. once i did that i turned the car on, let it idle for a bit and went for a spirited drive up saddleback mountain(great little road ) to make sure everything was good and dry, stopped up top to check and then back down as fast i could go....legally of course not much but i hope that helps
if you really want to do it Adam i suggest you get a pressure washer to start off with a hose wont help get rid of alot of stuff as what a pressure washer would... Mercs are known to have misfires etc after engine bay has been steam cleaned... They are pains in the arse when it does happen and just need a good drive after washing the engine bay to get rid of water build up. 1. Pressure washer, compressor as well as air hose air gun etc that you will need. You will need both to make the job worth while. Your garden hose can do the job if your engine bay is a little dusty but if its got alot of build up a pressure washer is alot better. 2. Some good degreaser and Inox can pick some up from autobarn, supercheap auto etc 3. Spray all electrical connectors in the engine bay with the Inox so when pressure washing water does not fully get into the connectors. 4. Spray the degreaser on the places you wish to wash. Alreadys read the label as some degreasers you can pressure wash off right away but some are good to sit for a couple of minutes and what not. You will also find some you have to water down this is a good idea as if you get it on the paint work it can leave you with lines of degreaser marks down the sides of your paint work which you will then have to cut out using a buff. 5. Wash engine bay 6. Use some old rags or an old chamois to wipe away the water from the engine bay after you have finished washing your engine bay. 7. Use the compressor with an air gun to get rid of any water that is left in the engine bay as there sure will be water in parts you cannot see or get too with a chamois. Use the chamois to wipe away any water you see after 8. You can spray the electrical connectors again with some Inox if you wish So that any water that is still hanging around does not enter the electrical connectors and cause a misfire. 9. Take zed for a drive not just around the block a real drive and at different speeds to get some heat into the engine bay as this will help get rid of the remaining water that is left in the engine bay.
Cheers thanx nathan, just wanted to make sure i wasnt going to jump into something that could potentially wreck my engine. What degreaser do u recommend?
I steam clean new honda engine bays every day and they have a shit load of plugs and what not plus most engine bays are so dirty from just sitting around As for degreaser i would goto supercheap etc and take a look at there degreasers. I am not sure what they do sell there as i have never had to buy it from there. So many on the market its not funny. Dont buy a cheap one as one in a can they are not the best. you could try something like this one http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=FG&Range=1 its sopose to be good and do the job well... Yo ucan use a brush too if you wish i tend not too but for harder stuff yeah use a brush if you please or if you want and got heaps of rags use them. The one i use you can't get from supercheap etc. I do have to mix as its 100% degreaser when we get it so i pretty much do around 10% 15% degreaser and the rest is water its powerful stuff and smells likes lemons lol
Adam, for years I used Armour-All Tyre foam to clean my engine/enginebay. Spray liberally onto all exposed surfaces, including electrical connectors (silicon base so no electrical issues) and let it run off. Polish with soft cloths. Had no problems whatsoever, UNTIL it got into and KILLED the Crank Angle Sensor.
I found the best degreaser is the cheapo $2 stuff from supercheap in the big blue can, always worked on my motorbikes and such. Think its called Export degreser
