got a question, how do you guys clean your engine bay?
Is it safe to just soap it up and spray my hose right into the engine bay? i know a few people that do that and am just wondering if it can damage anyting? cuz have read that power hose wash can harm electrical parts , so planning on my one but would like tips? tricks? products you use ? and any steps u use ? what to cover , what not to wt, etc etc thanks : )
p.s. i have a corolla 1998 and would like to wash the engine cuz had a oil leak at the motor gasket and is all dirty and full of grime and grease all over the motor and its hoses : (
For the most part - no issues with hosing down the engine with water, though you do have to pay attention to where you are directing that cleaning solvent and water spray.
Keep it away from the more sensitive electrical components - like the alternator and any exposed connectors (coil packs, sparkplug wiring, battery, etc.) Don't spray into openings - like the intake, directly over fill caps, etc. Engine was designed to be exposed to the elements, so you have a fairly wide safety margin. Pressure washing is a different situation, as you could easily force water into connector ends or even blow parts off the car. How you apply the solvent is also important - some require some contact time (spray and let sit for --- minutes), some require warming the engine up first before spraying the solvent.
Having an air compressor handy is a big plus - as you can use that afterwards to blow connectors dry and remove most of the water. Generally start the engine up after cleaning to help drive off any residual water and check for operation.
Also add that many like to spray on protectants after washing the engine down. Some are designed to be sprayed on then have the engine brought up to operating temps to "cure" the protectant. Don't use just any protectant (Armor All, silicone spray, WD-40, etc.) without first checking to see if it is safe for the plastic/rubber parts. Many don't really "protect" - just makes parts shiny. Good example of a quality product is CD2 Engine Detailer spray - safe for most plastics and rubber parts, and won't stain or damage chrome or paint if you accidentally get overspray. There are others out there as well - just search for engine detailer sprays and spot check for safety.
Solvents - not just any "soap" will do. Some like Simple Green solvents, some like a petroleum based solvent. I've used Simple Green and Gunk Foaming Engine Degreaser products will good success. Read the directions carefully - some need to be applied to a cool engine, some to a warm engine. Some require some contact time, some do not. Simple Green - you'll have to play around with the dilution ratio to get it to clean certain parts. Straight Simple Green may not clean as well as one that is mixed with some water.
look at this product has any of you guys used it ?
Never heard of that one. It did mention Carnauba on the bottom of the page - which is good for painted surfaces, but looks bad on bare plastic and rubber parts.
Never heard of that one. It did mention Carnauba on the bottom of the page - which is good for painted surfaces, but looks bad on bare plastic and rubber parts.
ok got a look at CD2 Engine Detailer spray and seen some before and after pics and the product looks works very good , but would like to know how to use it? so after washing with simple green do i have to wait until the engine is completly dry and then spray it on and leave on for how many min ? and should i only use it on the plastic and rubber parts of the engine , or do i have to spray it on all the engine ?
Penetrates best when the engine is dry and cool. Supposed to leave it on for 20 minutes to penetrate - then go over and wipe up any spots that haven't dried.
Some spray it on just the rubber/plastic parts - some just hose the whole engine down with the stuff. A few mentioned that they got decent results when they sprayed the CD2 on when the engine was almost dry, started the engine to warm this up and dry off the product and any remaining water - then went over the sprayed surfaces with a slightly damped rag to cut down on the shine/remove spots.
Just follow the directions on the car and go from there.
I've been working on getting my engine cleaned up after many years of pretty much never doing it. My concern is working around the injector rail area where the injectors seat into the manifold.. They seem to be sitting loose in the receptacles, and I'm concerned about getting water and soap down in there.. But shouldn't those be pretty air tight anyway? This is a 4afe on a 97. I want to just take some dish soap and water to the whole manifold and injector assembly, clean the gunk off, and rinse it off with the hose. Am I going to get water where it shouldn't be?
Those injectors have an o-ring seal into the fuel rail and into the head. Those loose bits might be the spacers they use to properly offset the rail from the injectors. You should have no issues running water and soap around there. The issue is not the injectors but the wiring to the injectors, as long as you don't direct water into the electrical connector, you should be just fine. The engine is pretty tough, pretty weatherproof - you have to try hard to get water some place where it shouldn't be. Not sure about dish soap though, may not loosen up much there - might try something like Simple Green or similar, something with a little more solvency/detergency.
