Can I just wash the engine with degreaser? Do I need to cover anything from getting wet before I do this? Thanks

 

cover plastics, rubbers and all the electronics

 

When I had a civic before I remember I just covered the distibutor cap witha plastic bag and it was fine when I washed it. But on this maxima I dont know. Sorry I am a newbie just go the car. By the way its a 99 Nissan maxima SE. Thanks

 

any mods?

 

Not much yet just a greddy cat-back and some rims.

 

can anyone tell me more detailed on wat to cover? I mean has anyone on this board wash there engine before? And if you do what did u cover up? Thanks

 

I have. I just put a big ole plastic bag over my cone filter and it went ok. But may I reccomend a few other things:

1) Cover up the vent panel right in front of your windsheild WELL. If you don't your car will smell like engine degreaser for weeks. Trust me, it sucks.
2) Scrub well, because just spray and wash doesn't do too well.

Good luck!

 

cover your battery and your intake

always wash your engine when it is cool, I wash mine first thing in the morning when the car is cool then let it dry while sitting the rest of the day......

 

hmmm

lessee... I clean my engine alot but usually I just use simple green or armorall glass cleaner- i keep my engine clean so it never gets dirty enough to have to hardcore clean everything

now with the engine degreaser, cover up all the electronics you can see like the fuse box, emissions control plugs towards the front of the engine, the MAF, radiator hoses,everything with wires poking out and that is made of rubber cover it up or just use the engine degreaser sparingly and use other less harsh cleaners for anything else that needs cleaning

and dont let that stuff get on ur hands!!

personally i find the best way to clean the engine on my max is to use simple green and do a little scrubbing, I personally dont hose off the engine, rather i fill a spary bottle with water to only direct the water where its needed- I'm paranoid about my electronics goin funny

hmm another thing you can do is do a search of the forums using the search function!!

anyways good luck and have a nice day ... oh yah welcome to the org

 

When i clean my engine i find the best way to do it is use tire foam for cleaning the black hoses or any rubber, and also the plastic, by spraying the foam on the plastic/hoses and then wiping off. I use engine degreaser on the head and the manifold by spraying it and rubbing it out. Thats the best way that i found to do it.

Hope this helps,
Nick

 

go to schuks or chekers depending on where you live. get a can of "STEAM" it comes in a black can. usually a 2 pack of the stuff. thats step one. follow the instructions on the can, i dont cover everything up cause that stuff will clean everything in site so i spray it all. step 2. detailing: in the same store pick up a product called "TRIM SHINE" cheap looking can, but it works. has a yellow top.if you have a k-mart near by go to automotive and pick up a can of "C-D2". it was out of circulation for a while but now its back. spray everything! from your grill to the fire wall manifolds,hoses even the vents by the windows. it wont hout your car. these products work. i use them on my car and my van. but do what you like.

 

I would never recommend "washing" an engine and I would never use Simple Green or other products like that on my engine. They're just too strong. Simply using an hour of your time and a wet rag, you should easily be able to clean the entire visible portion of the engine bay. Simply washing the engine won't really remove the grime. You need to get in there and remove it with a rag. It would be like washing your car and never using a rag to remove the dirt. It would look clean, but when you take your finger across it, they're black with dirt.

Take a look at this:

http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...=259675&page=2

That's the engine bay of my 7-year old SE. No fancy shine products or grime removers. All I use is 20 minutes of my time every month or two, some elbow grease, a wet rag. If you clean under the hood often, it take no time.

BTW, I've had plenty of friends who washed their engine bays only to short circut something under the hood. Sure, most late model cars have all weather connectors, but they're made to keep moisture out, not a drenching shower of water.


Dave

 

i use to work at a junk yard and the motor guy they had there that spent all day just doing engine jobs for them...after every job he'd pull the car out wash the outside then open the hood and hit it with the preasure washer while the car was running and it never seemed to cause a problem, he said the only concern in doing that would be the distributer because they would crack from the temp changes when the water hits it...thats just what i heard though, i'll be cleanin mine up in the spring and prolly using simple green cuz i've used it on friends cars and its worked out good but i'll probably spray it down to because i can tell the motors never been cleaned...

 

go to a pro. it's worth it

 

I have a 95 and I didn't clean the engine until I put a CAI on and noticed how dirty the tranny and all the hoses under the stock intake were after 90,000 miles or so. I used Gunk Engine Brite and was quite pleased with the result. I would warm the engine up a little if it is really dirty or greasy and be a little careful where you spray the stuff. The pressure of the spray out of the can is easy to control so you will be able to get it right where you want it without spraying it all over the place. I did spray everything under the hood including the battery and fuse/relay panels but I did it very carefully both when putting the Gunk on and when I washed it off with (low pressure) water.

You dont need to worry about ignition problems with this engine because there is no distributor or cap to deal with. If you have a shop vac it would be a good idea to vacuum the water out of the bottom of the "vee" between the cylinder banks below the intake. Otherwise the knock sensor will be submerged until the water evaporates. I didn't have a vac the first time I did it and had no problems whatsoever but I didn't like the puddle. You could soak it up with a towel or something but the vac works like a charm.

 

yes cause I cant find a distibutor cap or in fact where my air filter is.

 

ok I've worked for a detail shop for over 1 1/2 years. I have washed tons of engines before including my own. Here is the deal if you are gonna do it at your local carwash they should have all you need.
You don't have to cover anything unless you have an aftermarket intake. If you do then just get a plastic bag and cover the air filter cone. In the car wash they should have engine degreaser just spry it all over the engine. Then with the steam gun or pressure gun just wash it down. Pretty easy, isn't it?
Try to do this during the morning when you first drive your car, and try to drive to the closest car wash so that the engine is not so hot. It doesn't look nice when water get on the exhaust manifold, and is its an older car cold water can crack your exhaust manifold. When you spray the engine with the pressure gun try to leave the car running. That should be pretty much it. I have washed my engine a million times and no problems yet.

 

I agree with Exhip95. I used Gunk Engine Brite on all of my cars for the initial cleaning when they were greasy and nasty. Once initially cleaned, it is so easy to maintain a clean engine compartment. Just follow the directions on the can (I never covered anything on my Maximas because I have a stock airbox-no exposed filter-and electrical connections are water resistant)). Just use a little common sense. Only use it on a 'slightly' warm engine if it is really greasy. Only spray it where you need to actually degrease. Scrub or wipe with a toothbrush and rag if needed. Rinse off with low pressure water, from top to bottom, using least amount of water necessary. Remember that the engine cleaner just loosens the crud up; you still need to wipe or rinse it off. Hopefully your Max isn't really greasy, in which case you can use car wash (not a wax type like Zip Wash that will get on belts and cause slippage) and a rag, followed by a rinse. You can suck excess water out of valleys with a shop vac, or blow it off with a shop vac or leaf blower. Follow with a towel if wanted to prevent water spots on black plastic (if you have hard water). Or just get in it and drive for a few miles. Keep in mind that you'll smell the engine cleaner burning off when it first warms up. That will go away. Put a rubber protectant on your hoses if you want (stay away from the belts), but I stay away from Armor-all types that will attract dust and end up needing cleaned later.
Once it is initially cleaned, keep it clean every few months with just car wash and a rag. And wipe up any spills when they happen. This way you can enjoy the sight of a spotless engine compartment and spot minute leaks you'd otherwise miss. And you can amaze your friends with the sheer beauty of the VQ!

Dave

 

I agree with Dave Holmes & optimus310.
I don't cover anything, spray degreaser only in places that have heavy grease, and use a mist from a garden hose to rinse it down. Then I will wipe it dry, and use rubber protectant on the hoses, but nothing on the belts. Let it dry in the sun and enjoy!
I disagree the comment about Simple Green being too strong, it just cuts the grease and you are going to rinse it off right away. If my engine compartment can make it through the dirt, snow, tons of salt from winters in Vermont that sits for weeks, it can handle a little Simple Green.