Engine Compartment cleaning

[littlebob]

What is the best way to clean the engine compartment? Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

[ProjectSW1]

Go to your local AutoZone and grab a can of "engine bright"!

I just got one the other day and it works awesome!

my engine was absolutely gross and that stuff took it off!

Good Stuff!

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[willy_g]

I'd go to one of the coin operated car washes and use that along with some Simple Green. Just make sure you don't give a full blast to the spark plug boots.

[ProjectSW1]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention sumpin'...

Last weekend when I cleaned my engine for the first time since owning my car, i used that engine bright stuff I talked about earlier...

and while rinsing that stuff off a ballpoint pen that was coated in grease fell off my engine!?!?

It must have been stuck on the engine from all that goopy crap! We laughed and laughed for about 5 minutes...

anywayz... I wouldn't recommend Engine Bright for extended use... USE IT THE FIRST TIME ONLY then go with simple green from then on

Engine bright will eat your hoses if you use it every time...but if your engine has never been cleaned before Engine Bright will get all that crap off!

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This is an earlier thread on the same thing. http://www.saturnfans.com/cgi-bin/UltraBoard/UltraBoard.cgi?action=Read&BID=12&TID=10439&SID=33 133
And like I said in this post, NEVER spray water on your engine, it can lead to very serious and EXPENSIVE problems.

[wei_]

I just used a damp cotton cloth. My engine doesn't shine, but everything is clean now. I'll have to take a pic before I put too many miles on him.

BTW, I let the car cool with the hood up for two hours and some parts were still warm to the touch, so do be careful.
- wei

[willy_g]

I can't even tell you how many Saturns I cleaned with a pressure washer and Simple Green at the Saturn dealer I worked at. I never had a problem with spraying water in the engine compartment. I will also say that the engine was cool, NEVER hot and I never gave a full blast of water around the spark plug boots. Just my $.02.

I use full pressure from my pressure washer with joy dish soap in the soap tank. i have washed motors for years and all has been good.

I detailed cars at a Ford dealer for years, and I have seen the bad effects of water on an engine. Know why they put hoods even on early cars????? If you put water on an engine that isn't hot enough to steam it off right away, you run the risk of getting water into areas that it shouldn't be in. For example, having it get into the cylinders. But you also can't put it on a hot engine, because it will cause things to crack (i.e. engine blocks, exhaust manifolds, etc.). When metal is hot it expands, and then when you spray water on it, it cools it off very quickly. This quick cooling makes the metal shrink, thereby essentially pulling away from itself, causing a crack.

[traveler]

The PRO"S use "STEAM". It melts away dirt, grease, grime, bug parts and just about anything else. Of course avoid openings in the engine area and around the spark plugs. Also avoid boots as well, you can clean them but at a considerable distance. I am ordering a "Steam Buggy" as advertised on TV for this as one of it's purposes. I have used steam in the past and it works like nothing else. A professional typically will charge around $75.00 for such a service. You can buy a steam device for as little as $160 so it would pay for itself soon.