Sorry if this is a repost, but I had a few questions on engine bay maintanence for anyone who has done it successfully. I've read somewhere in the past that with 6th gen you don't need to cover anything in the engine bay, but I'm not sure on it. Do I just use soap and water to clean everything under the hood or do I need to avoid soaping some parts? Should I use high pressure water to clean everything under the hood? How long do I need to wait before starting up the car? And any other major questions I may haven't asked.

If anyone has any experience with engine bay cleaning it'll be great if you could post some pointers up. Thanks.

 

Check here: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=348622

Silverbelle04 has it down patt:


Nice Job Bob!!

 

04SEelite- Arg.....I knew I saw that post somewhere on this forum, but I just forgot how long ago it was. Funny thing is I actually posted twice on the exact link you sent me

Thanks a lot for refreshing my memory on this topic. Any other ideas/pointers not stated in the thread above would be great!

 

Not a problem - glad to help. I also have a California Duster (small) that I reserve strictly for the wheels and engine bay, and for the occasional dusting (like twice a week) it works GREAT for keeping the engine bay spotless and dust free - here's a shot of my engine after 1.5 years doing maintenance this way...

 

you dust the engine bay? your engine looks really clean, is there a technique to this process?

 

very very nice 04SE........I gotta do the same after I get back from college.

 

Engines are not much different than anything else - they get dusty - and as long as there isn't any oil anywhere, weekly dusting keeps them clean. The process that I use involves an overall dusting with one of these - the small California Duster:

Followed with a damp rag lightly sprayed with a tire dressing spray for the hoses and other black plastic areas, and then an overall detailing in the hard to reach areas with the same rag on the metal parts, firewall, and surrounding metal surfaces. Once in a while I have to get after some of the small crevices with a swab or two,

but overall, if you do it regularly, it doesn't take more than about 15 minutes to detail the bay.

Also, about once a month I give the intake a polish with Meguiar's NXT metal polish just to keep it shiny!


Make sure that you do this on a cool engine otherwise you will melt the wax in the duster and have a h+++ of a mess! Guess I am just a fanatic about a clean car...

 

Thanks for the compliment!

 

Okay, okay... Someone has to ask the question...

ARE YOU MARRIED...W/ CHILDREN???

...and if you are, where do you find the time to dedicate to your car THAT MUCH?!!

Heck, I'm lucky if I can was my car once a week...and I'm VERY **** about cleaning my car!!!

When I was single, I would wash my car every 3 days @ least! But, it's not feasible when you have 3 boys to raise!!!

 

Well, call it being really **** - if you do the California Duster routine every night, it helps to keep a slightly dusty car clean, and after a rain, if you can at least give it a dry when it's wet, your trips to the car wash will be fewer. I find it really relaxing after dinner to do the cars (mine and wifey's '03 Altima SE) so we both have clean cars to drive, get a little exercise, and end up with a great looking ride everyday...

Kids = gone, so don't have that to be too concerned about, except for paying the bills...HAHAHA!!

 

You know what? I hear you loud and clear!!! That sounds like how I would like to be when my kids are out of the house. I would like to be like that now, but I just don't have all the time and energy. HERE'S TO YOU AND YOUR WIFE!!!

 

Thanks!! I'll make sure and pass it along to her - here is a pic of her car...

 

Same as 04SEelite ......daughter moved out last year......and its nothing but free time to do whatever we want ! lots of time on Saturdays/weekends to give ol' SilverBelle ALL the attention she deserves, not to mention going to car shows, car meets, long drives, etc...........

Bob