GBAUER

iTrader: (2)

It's ugly! I hate it! I hate it soo bad that I'm going to move the batter to the trunk, put in some more chrome piping, a snail, and an intercooler just to cover things up! Nasty under there!

KCMC582

iTrader: (4)

so just shoot any old wheel cleaner in there, let it soak in and then rinse it off? is this as effective doing it at home with a normal hose? i HATE how dirty my engine bay is inside and have always been scared of messing something up.

GBAUER

iTrader: (2)

NOOOO!!!! the home-type bottle wheel cleaners are WAY too harsh! That stuff is actually acid. DON'T USE IT, EVEN ON YOUR OWN WHEELS! Unless you have non-finished wheels, don't use it.

The stuff at the carwash is actually meant to clean rubber (tires). It does a great job under the hood. You can wash your entire car for under $10 if you do it right.

JaKillz2

gbauer theres an engine wash and wheel wash, which would you rather use at the car wash?

so points to remember
-avoid harnesses
-avoid filter
-drive afterwards to evaporate collected water? I should be set right?

GBAUER

iTrader: (2)

If they have a separate engine wash, I'd use it. However, I think it's all the same stuff.

KCMC582

iTrader: (4)

okay, we are talkin about the DIY places, i got ya.

and i found out the hard way about the wheel cleaner...peeling clear coat FTL...hopefully axis will do something tho, since i used their recommended stuff, anyway, thanks, i will try that.

JaKillz2

someone earlier said that the engine wash ruins paint... how is it possible to avoid paint, they wouldnt put that in a public wash for so many people to use if it was that strong, should I not be worried about paint?

IWNTMORHP!!

iTrader: (5)

ARE YOU NUTS? WD-40 is flamable! DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT IS FLAMABLE UNDER YOUR HOOD!

no flame intended, but just pointing out that this is not a good idea.

armor all works fine because it is water based...make sure you don't use anything with silicone base. it will start a fire. i've seen it happen at a friends detail shop. a new kid was working on the car and didn't listen and used the silicone based tire shine! customer came to pick up his car and started it and came back in to talk for a few minutes and when he came out 20 min later, smoke was comming out from under the hood. we got the fire out but bottom line was the tire shine had gotten on the exhaust manifold and started the fire.

side note: careful with the simple green. it will discolor some unprotected paint if isn't diluted enough. i like to use purple power diluted to 50/50 and spray the entire engine bay when it is cool. let it soak for a few min. if there are really nasty areas use a med bristle brush and scrub it, don't forget the underside of the hoses! then rinse it down well. (note the above posts). i let the water dry for a few minutes then follow up with armor all or gliptone's equivilant. then just let it sit. you don't have to dry it off. it depends on the look you are going for, but if you try this, your bay should look like a new car. you may need to do the first step twice if your engine is really nasty. you can also use the aluminum wheel cleaner on the intake manifold...(not the actual intake berk/franken/jwt/stillen/aem/injen) or any other aluminum part if it is discolored but be careful of overspray. with any of these, keep it off the paint and if you get some on the fenders or bumper, rinse immediately and follow up the wash with wax in that area.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

I contributed to an early death for my KS in my A32 this way... Just use a towel or something to make sure no water sets in there or around it. The 2k2 is easier to keep safe since the valley is easier to gain access to.



I don't even have an engine cover to wax.. It's somewhere someplace I dont know, been there for over a year.

2k2nismo.PL

Have Fun Watch Out For Sensors

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

whelp, just did this last night. I used diluted simple green and a garden hose, covered only the intake up.

The car is still running so far haha. There was some massive belt squeel for a few minutes after I started it up to dry off the water.

ryanjimz

you guys are using regular hoses right...? ..(not like a pressure washer)

Yayomax

when I purchased my car used, I guess the dealer sprayed it down because it is rather clean in there. At first I thought someone took a fire extinguisher to it, but soon realized that there are very thick hard water/calcium deposits everywhere. be careful about rust, as mine now has it on just about every exposed bolt an a few exposed pieces of metal. Does anyone know a way to remove the deposits?

RR5

iTrader: (6)

I would feel it is safe to say try using DILUTE CLR (Calcium Lime Rust) remover and when I say DILUTE, I mean like 10-90 DIULTE. If you notice no improvement, add a LITTLE more CLR until you get the results you want.

super6

iTrader: (5)

C O R R E C T !!!! oh and cover up the alternator!