Underhood Detailing

Having survived it's first midwest winter, my 04 Taco looks ugly under the hood. I have salt corrosion starting all over the place. The silicone based crap that I sprayed on everything didn't do too well. (poor advice from a bodyshop forum, no not here!) The frame treatment and body rustproofing that the Toyota dealer did looks great. All the brackets, nuts & bolts, hoses, etc, still look like new.

This truck came from Arizona in mint condition last fall. I would really like to restore everything the under hood to it's former glory! What do you "Salt belt" guys use to detail underhood after winter? What will remove the salt corrosion especially on the intake? Any tips? I have never had a truck that I cared what it looked like under the hood before this one!

Thanks, Jay

 

I just use a power washer - it gets a lot of the gunk off.
I do this to prevent corrosion and to have a clean working area since I do all my own wrenching.
If you get really picky you can put armor all, etc. on the hoses & plastic - I don't.

 

Pressure wash to knock all the salt and crap off but thats about it. If you have a steam cleaner, those are probably the best.

 

I use the Mr. Clean sprayer wash system and a brush under the hood every time I wash. Just spray the soap on everything and give a decent brushing, use a rag on spots that the brush doesn't do so we on, and rinse. 90,000 miles and still looks new. As for rust on the bolt heads and stuff, thats a fact of life.

 

What are you guys that use a power washer cover up before washing the engine, I am afraid of something electronic getting wet and f**king up.

 

I wear safety glasses - that is all I am concerned with messing up, my eyes.
Oh, and don't FORCE water into the alternator, bushings, etc.
That seems pretty commen sense.

 

If you're going to wash under your hood, you should cover the fuse box and any other electrical components. Make sure your engine is warm but not hot. Use your water hose and lightly spray your engine compartment. Spray your favorite degreaser all over the engine bay. Take a scrubbing brush and scrub away all over the place. When you're done scrubbing, rinse and spray some foam tire shine all over the engine compartment. Let it sit and shine.

 

i always leave truck running for 5 minutes, pressure wash, stop and degrease everything including under the hood itself, pressure wash, wipe down, then cake it with plastic dressing

 

mmmmm cake

 

I sprayed it off once, but it turned into an icy mess. I was thinking more along the lines of aluminum jelly, or mag wheel cleaner or something. Wuddaya think?? Jay

 

buy a interior dresser i didnt mean cake it but make sure every inch is hit

 

Corrosion-X or Salt-X probably wouldnt hurt either. We use this stuff on all of our boats out here. I would spray if off with this then coat in Fluid Film.

 

ive only done washed under the hood a couple times but what i do is cover up all electrical components (fuse box,battery,alternator,any electrical connections,etc), then lightly spray the engine with a hose,followed by spraying the engine with some degreaser and then i begin scrubbing with a brush once done that then i spray the engine off with the hose again.remove all tape/bags used to cover up electrical components then fire it up and take er for a drive,let the heat do the drying.then ill usually go back and shine up all plastic parts with some armor all.

 

I usually use one of two things, Krud-Kutter or Palmolive Dishsoap. Surprisingly enough Palmolive works pretty good on grease and dirt. I then take a garden sprayer (type that you pump up) and put hot water and soap in it, pump it up and spray that all over the engine. I also avoid spraying any electrical components and try to stay away from the dip stick and oil cap, just for good measure. I start scrubbing the areas that i can reach then spray it off with a gentle stream of water, repeat if necessary. While the engine is still wet i then take a rag and wipe down any electrical components that i avoided with the soap and water. Start it up let dry, take for a drive and im done.

 

Thank's for all the good tips. The grease and dirt sprays right off. However, pressure wash doesn't do anything for the dull gray aluminum. The original question stands.

Thanks, Jay

 

Hmmm...interesting thread. Learned something.

 

Great thread guys... pics are great....I am in the same boat as the OP...got my Arizonia Taco last Sept and I live in a snow belt in Salty Ontario.

In the fall I had the truck sprayed with "Krown Rustproofing".

I also use Fluid Film as it creeps.

I was advised not to wash the undercarriage in the winter as it speeds up rust...wait till spring when the salt is off the roads. Seems that really cold weather is not so bad, but wet salt and warm temps are the worst

I think I will use some of the methods above to clean under the hood and apply fluid film to visible rust areas after the clean

 

What other "common sense" items do you avoid? you know... just for conversation sake and all

 

I just go to car wash and power wash it clean then after it dries I spray a whole can of wd40 on everything metal but avoid the alternator and belts and hoses but I do spray the hose clamps, then wipe away and overspray and wipe down the hoses with the rag afterwards. it comes out looking new and stays looking new for about a month or two for me or maybe less for you depending on where you drive.

the wd40 instantly treats and stops any rust or corrosion anywhere (don't forget the battery terminals)

 

Simple green, power wash, then spray with tire foam. Works like a charm. Only downside is that it will attract dust quicker especially if you drive on dirt roads.