New to this forum guys after just purchasing a '97 5.4 litre XLT. I love the truck so far and am getting it in acceptable condition before doing some mods, etc.

I am a bit compulsive and want to get the engine compartment clean and was wondering what some of you do or use as far as products go for the initial cleaning. It is not super bad but there is a ton of dust and road grime.

My initial thought was to do a 50%/50% mix of Simple Green and water...put it in a spray bottle and spray it all over. Wait ten minutes and just spray it off with a hose.

Anyone have a better product or method to recommend?

Best,
JB

 

Hi JB,

You will hear various methods of cleaning the engine compartment. Some people start by spraying the compartment with some type of cleaner without covering certain components. Then, they will rinse it down with a heavy spray of water. While many people get away with that, you only have to get "burned" once by screwing something up.

Here's my advice...

Get yourself several disposable, or cheap brushes of various sizes.

Get yourself some inexpensive towels... both MF and cotton.

You can use the 50/50 mix of Simple Green or another All Purpose Cleaner. I prefer a good non-caustic APC.

Begin the process by starting the engine up and letting it get just a little warm. However, do not let it get HOT!

Next, shut the engine off and cover the sensitive stuff with plastic wrap, bags or even aluminum foil. Stuff like the alternator, computer, or anything you think might be sensitive. You can come back and clean those items more carefully.

Now, spray the engine compartment (or part of the compartment) down with a light mist of water. Then, lightly mist you cleaner over everything. Immediately start lightly scrubbing the areas you can reach with the brushes or cheap towel.

Next, rinse the compartment with a light spray (not heavy) of water. At this point, I would lightly spray the compartment again with your cleaner... let it set for a couple of minutes and rinse.

After cleaning and rinsing, I highly recommend that you start the vehicle up and drive it a few miles to get rid of the excess water and dry things off.

When you return, let the vehicle set until it has cooled down. Then, take a good water based protectant and spray down anything you want dressed. Let the dressing sit for a while and use some of the cheap towels to lightly spread the protectant and remove any excess.

If you have any aluminum, billet, or chrome accessories under the hood... clean/polish them with the appropriate products.

In the end, the best advice I can give you is this... Once you have the compartment clean, keep it clean by "touching" it up after every car wash or two.

Hope this helps.

 

Like boss says I will eventually get burned and mess something up, but I have always used a good cleaner/degreaser and a pressure washer with heat. I know this is not the best way to do it and be safe, but I have yet to mess anything up.....YET

 

Once you get it clean, just every once in a while use a diluted APC and some shop rags and clean it out. Then use a product like Meguairs Natural Shine for rubbers and use it on the hoses and plastic pieces in your engine compartment. This will make them look good and help prolong their life.

- Chris

 

Hey...
some great advice there guys.
What an awesome forum...
If anyone else has something to add, I am all ears.
Best,
JB

 

I don't know about you, but I don't have too many people looking under my hood to see how clean my engine is... but here's a quick 10-15 minute method I use.... works fine and looks great when finished:

1. Warm engine a little
2. Spray "Scrubbing Bubbles" all over engine and let sit 5 min (yes, the bathroom cleaner)
3. Rinse with hose on gentle/medium spray
4. Dry off with electric leaf blower
5. Spray engine all over with Vinylex and let sit for 5 min
6. Blow excess Vinylex off with leaf blower. Clean any small amounts of overspray off fenders, etc with cheap microfiber cloth.
7. Close hood.

 

I do this all the time at my car wash. The biggest key here is, leave the engine running! That way, if something does get wet that doesn't agree with water, it will USUALLY evaporate quickly and the problem is averted before it starts. You can use just about anything as a cleaner. We use a citrus based carpet cleaner combined with a multi-purpose cleaner 50/50 on most engines, as some cars have aluminum uppers that certain acidic cleaners will discolor. Spray on your cleaner, and as soon as you have covered, use a pressure washer 15-20 inches away from the components you are spraying and hose it all off. This won't work for OLD baked on mud. Old baked on mud requires elbow grease!

 

Man, I thought I was the only one that did this....

If you are cleaning for the first time in a long time, its going to be tougher, but once you get it going, it gets easier.

Wash the engine however you want...when you are finished use one of the Tire-Foam products. I prefer the ones that say they clean and shine in one step.

If that doesn't work...try something I learned at a Note Lot....after you have it clean...get clear spray paint and go to town. Cover the fenders and glass....BTW, this is a trick that a lot of used car lots use. if you happen to see a totally clean engin, chances are it has been spray painted.

Amazing how it looks.

Good luck.

 

Man RR I read that totally wrong. I thought you meant spray the fenders and glass with the clearcoat too.

 

I've seen some engine compartments painted with clear coat paint. Some look good, some don't. Some only look good for a while... until the clear starts to peel and chip.

Just my 2 cents.

 

I beleive the manual actually shows you what to cover when you clean the motor. Not too many things. Beyond that I have nothing to add.

 

That's a real good point Boss... making paint stick to a semi-glossy plasitc surface may be a booger.

I know when I painted my radiator cowl on my old King Ranch, it was a CONSTANT uphill battle to keep it touched up and keep it looking good; even with several coats of 'clear'.

When paint is flaking off, even clear paint, it looks pretty rough... A person could do it right though and take everything off, lightly sand it, and then paint it. At that point though, you're really tacking in some serious hours.

Also, if you decide that you'd like to do something like this, I'd highly recommend removing the part and painting it... overspray on your paint is always a booger to remove.

-RP-

 

Yeah, I shouldn't type so darn fast...


Just and FYI, spray painting isn't what I do....i use the all in one cleaner and shine products for tires and trim to clean mine after a good waching with simple green.

 

Obviously you haven't had any problems doing this, but... I've heard/read that spraying a hot engine with a burst of cold water can actually crack the block! Very hot metal and cold water usually don't mix very well.

 

One of the handiest things to have around for a detailing project like this are toothbrushes. Never throw them out after you're done using them for teeth. It's even worth buying new toothbrushes just for detailing -- they get into lots of tight places, but they're soft enough that they won't hurt most finishes.


Dave
http://www.autiv.com/articles/drive_...stang_gt_1.htm