How do all of you get/keep your engine and engine bays so clean? I have not had this car very long, and the engine bay is very dirty, but not to the point of which it causes problems.. i just want to know how to clean it up, and keep it clean? Thanx
-Chris

 

if you want to get it really clean, find someplace that will steam clean it for like 10 or 15 bucks.

 

Do you know of anywhere that will do that for me? Or What kind of place would i go to? Pep-Boys, or a Good-Year type place? Also, this doesnt mess anything up? hoses, belts, plugs, anything? Thanx!

 

Professional detailers..

give you local car dealers a call and see who they have do their trade-in cars. those are the guys you want to talk to.

also just regular auto detail places can do it, but they usually want about $60 to do that kinda stuff.

 

Engine Pics Make certain that they cover the rotor and distributor and any electronic parts... make certain that you dont start the maxima up with a wet motor.. Water could seep into the spark plugs and may cause rough ideal.. but after a couple of hours of drying or even days.. the max should be back to normal.. and you will have a nice and prim engine bay... good luck.. btw you can use engine cleaner and hose off with water.. that another alternative.. but get some pros to do it for you...

 

Bah...
just be careful not to hose down the distributor and you'll be fine.
when I take my car to the car wash (do it on a cold engine of course), I just pop the hood and spray it down with the sprayer while I'm letting my wheel cleaner soak in.

Of course, that's because it's already clean under there and doesn't take much to stay there.

The first cleaning(s) will take a bunch of engine cleaner and/or degreaser. After that, just hose the engine bay off when you was the car and it'll stay clean.

When I'm done washing the car, I fire it up and drive off.
Just be careful not to hose down the exhaust manifolds if the engine was running more than a minute or so. spraying a hot manifold with cold water is a good way to crack the manifold or snap exhaust studs.

 

and to make it really look good, apply armor all on all the hoses and any black plastic and your engine will look *zoolander face* like a model!!!

 

what matt said

i never cover anything up...just be careful what you're spraying

 

My detailer uses a heavy duty degreaser and a seperate dressing that even brightens up the intake plenum. It makes all the hoses and black plastic nice and shiney without the greasy feel of Armourall. After that it is nothing to keep up with.

 

I used that gunk off or whatever engine cleaner and didnt cover my electronics. BIG MISTAKE!!! Now my car doesnt run right, and even the dealer doesnt no whats wrong

 

http://autopia-carport.com/forums/sh...&threadid=8608

 

never use silicon based products on hose's or junk under the hood, its ok on the distributor cap cover, but i dont recommend it on hose's, vacumme lines or anything else that wears and tears.

 

out of curiousity...why not?

 

to be honest i really dont remember all the details to why not, but i do remember its bad, over time the silicon will break down the hose espcially heater hose's and water hose's like ur radiator one.

but not only that i think the silicon will seep into the hose and into your coolant or whatever else those lines carry,

but i dont remember everything, i just remember its bad, i can just remember the detailing guy saying its bad! never do it! never! hhaha

 

I think I've said this once before, and I'll say it again for those of you who weren't listening.

CD-2 is the BOMB!!! Check my website pics on p.2

Make sure you cover up all of the electrical stuff, and your intake has to be covered as well. I just used plastic sandwich bags to cover up the spark plug area, and used a couple of plastic grocery bags for the intake and the battery. Don't spray high-pressure water on the electrical stuff and be careful where you spray otherwise and you should be fine. Oh, and make sure that the engine is warm and not HOT!!! Good luck, it's not that hard to do...

peace2u

 

Not that my input will be seen nor acknowledged but I used to work for a Dealership as a detailer and when we would do engine bays we would clean with a heavy degreaser and a high pressure washer, then we would spray the engine bay with wet tire shine. I still use this method on my max and every time, it looks brand new off the lot. Just thought I'd put in my 2 cents. Might I just add that you wash the engine bay with the motor running, in case you didn't know.

-Sean

 

One thing, Keep engine running? Why keep it running... Wouldnt the running engine cause a spark or a current with the water? As for the tire shine, not a bad suggestion.. Makes sense that the rubber lines would benifti from the treatment..

Hey you are a newbee status, mean you havent been posting on the org for long.. It doesnt neccessarly mean That you know everything or nothing.. Every thought or suggestion, is viewed.. so kepp posting your thoughts...

 

i need to clean my dads durango engine compartment, its pretty gummy or cruddy.
MrGone

hehe i love the v8 though, 318 kills 360ci. and Dodge just introduced a 5.7l hemi, first one in 31 years, yeah! i love the cuda

 

I got some of that too...and it works great...my engine is new again!!

 

I cleaned my altima engine today...got 1 more time to go to get all the gunk off. However, I got some water in my spark plug hole and the check engine light came on. The obd-2 scanner code was P0130, which's O2 Sensor circuit malfunction...which's bs cuz the 02 sensor was replaced 3 weeks ago.
I'm gonna dry out the chambers, reset the MIL, and hope everything's all gravy

For those who pressure spray their engines, do you have problems getting water into the valve cover, sensors, or electronic connections w/exposed but insulated wires?
Jae

 

I've heard bad things about Armor-All too. Something about the silicones in it causing the rubber to crack over time. Can't remember if this is just with age, or if you stop using Armorall.

I've seen 303 Aerospace protectant or Vinylex recommended instead.