How do you clean your engine bay?

[portlandareae28]

Figured as long as I am going to clean the bottom side of the engine looking for a leak, we should talk about cleaning/detailing the top of the engine and the rest of the engine bay as well.

 

engine on or engine off while hosing and degreasing?

 

cover electronics/alternator or don’t cover?  (If cover what are you using?) BHAF of course should be covered or removed, but stock airbox?

 

is there a good dry enough finishing product worth putting on?

 

thats a good start, I would love to hear what everyone uses and their method.  Obviously pictures are always a bonus.

 

 

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

plenty o simple green and pressure washer

[IBMobile]

1 hour ago, portlandareae28 said:

engine on or engine off while hosing and degreasing?

I like to clean the engine bay wit a cool/cold engine.  A cold engine keeps the cleaning agent from flashing off due to the heat and the steam that is produced when hosing a hot engine down can get into electronic connectors.  Once the steam condenses in the connectors corrosion can occur. This will leaded to high resistance, inaccurate sensor readings, poor grounds and other electrical maladies.  

 

1 hour ago, portlandareae28 said:

BHAF of course should be covered or removed, but stock airbox?

Cover the opening on the fender side and it should be OK.

 

Simple Green, Grease Lightning or any good degreaser will work but be carful of some cleaners, like Purple Power,  will etch aluminum.  I put the cleaner, full strength, into a spray bottle and use an old paint brush to work the cleaner in to the really dirty areas.  You can let it soak in for a few minuets but some of the cleaners evaporate rather quickly.   Hose off with water hose and nozzle or a pressure washer.  With a pressure washer be carful how close the wand is to the more delicate components like vacuum hose connections.     

[Stormin08]

a good de-greaser of choice and IF AVAILABLE...a steam pressure washer. otherwise a simple power washer works great.

[Dieselfuture]

I work on mine often enough dirt gets wiped off periodically, usually with clean clothes  

Edited March 24, 2019 by Dieselfuture
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[Max Tune]

Brake clean. Works best for me.

[Mopar1973Man]

I'm going to bring up something... Some of you know I've been battling bladder cancer. Personally, I think my bladder cancer is from all the brake cleaner and carb spray and carb dip I've used over all these years and now caught up to me. I would look for other options of engine cleaning other than these toxic sprays. 

 

Myself I use Home Depot degreaser concentrate which is an acid based cleaner. Then lots of power washing with 3,000 PSI power washer. It keeps it clean. Another one that works too is just spraying diesel fuel on a cold engine and leaving it to sit a bit and the power washing off. 

[Bullet]

Cool/cold engine, wrap up all vulnerable electronic connections with aluminum foil, use half a bottle of degreaser sprayed from all angles, come back 20 minutes later and use the other half of the bottle again from all angles, come back in another 20 minutes with red tip on 3200 psi cold water pressure washer starting from bottom up to top and then back down to bottom so it gets hit twice, remove all aluminum foil, let idle for 5 minutes, go for a drive to check operation and dry completely, drink a beer or two...or six. 

[Max Tune]

On 4/8/2019 at 2:51 PM, Mopar1973Man said:

I'm going to bring up something... Some of you know I've been battling bladder cancer. Personally, I think my bladder cancer is from all the brake cleaner and carb spray and carb dip I've used over all these years and now caught up to me. I would look for other options of engine cleaning other than these toxic sprays. 

 

Myself I use Home Depot degreaser concentrate which is an acid based cleaner. Then lots of power washing with 3,000 PSI power washer. It keeps it clean. Another one that works too is just spraying diesel fuel on a cold engine and leaving it to sit a bit and the power washing off. 

I agree brake cleaner and all the other stuff used in the automotive field is rough, but unless medical science has said that's what caused the cancer, I personally wouldn't make that assumption. Nothing is 100% safe and everyone has their own thoughts on life and what changes it. I hope everything is going well for you and that you have it beat.

[Tractorman]

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 10:55 AM, Dieselfuture said:

I work on mine often enough dirt gets wiped off periodically, usually with clean clothes  

 

I use the treated wipes the guy hands me at the car wash for interior cleaning.  They are white so I can see when I wipe off a dirty spot on the engine.

 

- John