clean engine bay

but you must. so it can perform at its maximum.

 

I've always wondered how to do this safely. I have heard horror stories. Glad I found this thread. I may have to actually clean it finally.

 

Just cleaned my engine.. ill post the video later.

 

Ive detailed cars before and we always use a degreaser on the whole engine bay and pressure wash off. Make sure the truck is running, if it starts to bog down back off that spot. After the bay dries I like to use spray tire foam on everything plus it will clean some of the missed spots. Also dont spray the ignition coils to hard or much just to be safe

 

The best engine bays I've seen were steam cleaned. They looked like they came of the show room floor.

 

The method I outlined basically does both of these. I'm telling you, it's the best method that I've perfected over decades of doing this with MANY cars. It just works and I've never had a problem from doing it this way either. Total cost is like $2 for a can of degreaser and another buck to start the car wash.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGuge_m74Es

 

I try to hose my engine off a couple to three times a year. I don't do any off-roading, so it's really road grime and dust. One thing I go get is some seepage around my pass. side valve cover gasket. Once a year, I go to the wand wash, which has an engine degreaser option. It's a low pressure, highly effective cleaner. I spray that where I want it, making sure to clean off the grease from the valve cover and P/S pump, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then with the rinse setting, I hold the wand around 3-4 ft from the engine, and spray it all off. Then when I get home, a little hose dressing, and it's good to go. Clean and ready to show off.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXVhPE4y-fo&feature=youtu.be

 

Just got mine done. Post pics later when I get on my laptop.

 

Awesome background music Blueinstinct haha. I'll probably attempt to clean mine for the first time on Wednesday since I'm off for the 4th. I'll try to post pictures as well.

 

I let it cool before cleaning. But I spray a liberal aount of degreaser on it, then use a stem pressure washer our car lot has. Works great! I am constantly in the dirt but my engine bay looks like the day it rolled off the showroom.

 

haha BF3.. are you on ps3 or xbox?

 

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alright heres what i did..

1. basically presoaked engine
2. sprayed generous amount of degreaser (dont be afraid)
3. let it sit a couple minutes
4. sprayed off (didnt cover alternator but did avoid as much as possible)
5. dried it off with a compressor air gun and towel
6. when it dried up a little more came back with towel for an extra pass to wipe off any dirt



i turned on my engine like 10 minutes after all the drying and whatnot. what do you know she turned on! after all it is a YOTA!

my pops did his too after i was done..

 

Looks nice! The best part was when you're done and you're looking at your engine bay like "yup, I did a good job"

Ps3 man lol

 

noice. add me: same screen name

 

I might do it wrong but I've been doing this for 30+ years. I just go to a car wash and first hit it with soap and then rinse. I'm knowledgeable enough to know what to not hit with pressure. The only issue I had was with my old '86 Accord. I accidentally blasted the distributor. I blew out the water and it worked just fine.

One issue I found on the Tacoma is that if you hit the temperature sensor in front of the radiator with any pressure it will give a reading of the water for a few hours. It will be 90 outside but the gauge will show 60 until the water evaporates.

 

Here's what ford says.

 

It says "Cover the highlighted areas . . . " What are the highlighted areas? I'm guessing battery connections, fuse box, altenator, power steering fluid resevoir, brake fluid resevoir, etc.?

 

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