the time of year for auto shows is coming around again, so i have to start to get my HD all shiny and clean for the upcoming shows of 2002. (any new tips would be appreciated, such as using windex on chrome before a show for extra shine- i heard it on my classic car, but i never tried it- does it work?). anyway what i wanted to know was how should i clean my engine bay? i didn't do it last year cuz it wasn't that bad, but my truck is almost 2 yrs old, and it needs an engine cleaning. I've heard alot about using simple green, but i don't know what i should use. ANy precautions of what i should cover to protect from water? my engine is all stock, no fipk or k&n, well yet anyway. also, i've heard alot about using certain vinyl/plastic protectants after the 1st washing. I've never cleaned it before so any help would be apprerciated. Even links to other threads concerning this. Thanks a lot.

 

using windex on crome works great i use it every time i wash my truck....

 

Only thing that I know for cleaning the engine bay is to cover the battery and alternator(if you can) with plastic. Also any major wiring that doesn't have a harness around it. Of coarse if you have an open air filter, you want to shelter that from moisture. As well make sure you hose down the engine when it's totally cold. If it's still kinda warm, use hot water. More advisable to wait 'til she's cooled down completely, or do it before you take her out that day. There's all kinds of engine cleaners and degreasers at hardware/auto parts stores that you can use. I bascially just use the same car soap used for the rest of my truck that dispenses through the pressure hose. Then again, mine's still a new truck. But if you do notice a good build up of grease, oil and such, better get the good stuff out. It'll cause your engine to overheat due to it acting like an insulator.

 

no build up of grease or anything that bad, she's only got 18K miles on her. Just alot of dirt and dust that i wanna get off. Thanks for the help