Cleaning the engine bay
 

I want to clean my engine bay but im scared.

My plan would be spray it with degreaser then turn the truck on and hose off with regular hose no pressure.

But ive heard stories about knock sensors under the intake failing etc.

im thinkin rag and wd 40 i cant afford to mess anything up


thoughts?

I do it at the carwash. I apply water, then the engine cleaner, then wash again with water. DO NOT use the high pressure when spraying and you'll be good to go.
People knock off sensors and mess up coils and such when they clean it with high pressure. Just let it come out of the nozzle and you won't hurt anything. I learned this the hard way!

We just about always use the pressure washer when cleaning engines. Spray it all down with degreaser, let it sit for a minute and blast away. Just don't concentrate the stream on any vital components and you'll be fine.

I use Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner. You can spray it on everything, let it do its thing, then lightly hose it off. Does a great job, but douches your driveway with grime.

Here is what I have done for years with no problems.
Of course there are inherent risks in it. But it has worked well for years.

1. Cover computer and cold air intake with plastic bags
2. Cover entire bay in degreaser (Meg's APC+ cut 4:1)
3. Let soak untill APC is about to dry but don't let it dry
4. Hose off (I use a pressure washer with a low flow nozzle)
Repeat 2-4 if needed
5. Remove plastic (don't forget this step if you have a cai, starting will crush the filter)
6. Start engine
7. Blow dry with leafblower or compressed air (if it is oil less)
8. Spray bay down with Meg's Hyperdressing (cut 4:1)
9. Blot excess
10. Air dry

Here's an example of one customer's farm truck before and after.

Attachment 32011

Attachment 32012

If you use the "search" function here, you'll find lots of advice - and lots of war stories. Personally, I've pretty well given up on doing any serious cleaning under the hood of my Ford trucks - and I absolutley refuse to do anything with customer vehicles. Why? Because there are more things you can do wrong that you can do right. And, most of the things you can do wrong will end up costing you money.

Somewhere back in the forum archives is a post from me about cleaning the engine compartment on my 2002 F-150 just before trading it in. After all, doesn't a well detailed vehicle bring you more in resale value. ( Yes, if it's running.) As carful as I was, I wiped out several coil packs. When talking to my dealer about it, he told me he recently fired a detailing guy because he'd caused so many under the hood problems on cars he detailed.

So, if you follw JGG's advice, you'll maximize your chances of success. However, I did virtually the exact same thing and it end up costing me several hundred dollars in repairs. You'll find some folks here will claim to have blasted away with pressure washers and never had a problem. To that I ask you, "So, do you feel lucky today?"

I have the same question, my truck engine compartment is pretty dirty to me (as you can tell from the picture below) and I want to clean it up a bit, just afraid I might mess something up.

Attachment 32013

It's interesting that some folks will tell you to just blast away (and they claim to never have had any problems) and others (like me) have learned our lessons. I guess you'll just have to make your own decision, but I'd suggest taking a careful look at what Jolly Green Giant has said. He's good and he ought to know. As for me, the strongest thing I use under a hood these days is a hand pump garden sprayer.

The biggest piece of advice I can share is from a conversation I had with the owner of a local Ford dealer earlier this year. He'd just fired a "detailer" for pressure washing - and screwing up - his 3rd used car. There's just too much electronic stuff under the hoods these days and if you don't do immediate damage, you're probably starting damage that will show up down the road someday.

It does seem to risky for me to use water in the engine bay. I have aftermarket HID's and I really dont want to try it. Would WD40 and a rag really do the job? Can I use it on all parts of the engine?

For light soiling like yours as strange as it sounds I would recomend one of those foaming no touch tire shine sprays. Not a super slick kind. Just the normal STP foam type stuff. It does a pretty good job on just dust and such. Worth a try if you're super worried.

A side note on the previous list.
I think what keeps it from damaging is the blowing of the water out with the leaf blower. Water never sits in the wells surrounding the COP's and such if you blow the water out asap.

windex and a rag work great for me. no this isnt a fast method.

Attachment 32014 that BLUE WIRE has got to get moved :lol:

hahaha yea you need to run that AMP wire a little better!!!

and you think thats nasty!? then you dont wanna see mine :coffee:
see post 5..im running a close second!

After reading this I think I will pass on cleaning my engine bay when the time comes.

I just recently washed my engine bay.I started out by covering the alternator and computer with aluminum foil.I then sprayed everything down with Simple Green and used a soft bristle brush to scrub the very dirty parts.I then rinsed everything down and started the engine to make sure it would start.After everything dried I sprayed everything down with silicone spray and wiped off any excess.It looks just like the day I bought it new! :thumbsup: