Hey guys,

I recently had some minors leaks from some hoses around my rack and pinion and tranny hoses. I had them tightned and wanted to make sure they are not leaking anymore. I want to clean up the oil, dirty and grime from the hoses and surounding area that the oil leaked on and wanted to know what is the best clearner or degreaser to use. I dont wanna use any chemicals that might damage the rubber hoses or seals.

So can anyone recommend something that they use to clean up these parts?

I cant use a engine cleaner cause it reqires the area to be spayed with the cleaner and then flushed with water...some of these places are hard to get to, so i just need some type of spray or something that I can spray and remove the oil, dirt and grime without damaging any seals or rubber hoses.

-Ken

 

A customer called me over the summer to clean her engine bay after she had an oil leak in her Camry. The thing was absolutely covered in oil and grease and grime. I thoroughly sprayed the area with Simple Green and just hosed it down and the difference was amazing. Simple Green and hose water should be fine for the hoses and such.

 

Thanks for the tip! Acutally I was looking for a safe cleaner that I can buy which i didnt need to risen with water because I do not have a water hose avaliable in the apartment where I live and plus its too cold outside to put water because its really cold outside and i water will just freeze.

So if there is any safe cleaner that I can buy in a can with which i can clean the oil and dirty off of the engine and rubber hoses please let me know.

thanks,
Ken

 

Get 4 quarters, a spray bottle of Simple Green at Walmarts and go to a do it yourself car wash!

 

if your trying to clean a hard to get area of oil and grease, use brake cleaner. Its high in protroleium (i think thats how u spell it) and evaporates quickly and you dont need to use water. If you want to use water (I would only use presssure hose!) then get a bottle of GUNK engine degreaser (not foam, works like poop) and use that. I keep my engine super super clean, kinda of a hobby of mine.

If u wanna make it look new email me and I will give u some tips I invented to make her shine and look brand new. Good luck.

 

I do engine bays by hand every time. If you did the cleaning by hand, you wouldn't need to rinse the area with a hose afterward. You would still need to "rinse" the area by wiping it down with a wet towel to wipe off any degreaser though.
Just spray the degreaser on a terry cloth, wipe down the engine bay, and then wipe again with a fresh towel wetted down with water. Then dry with a 3rd clean towel.

 

cool! thanks for the advice! regarding using brake cleaner, I was wondering if its OK to use it where rubber hoses connect to metal piples and things like that where leaks from the hoses over time have caused a build up dirt and black spots. I would love to clean those area's out but I dont wanna spray brake cleaner on rubber hoses if it damages rubber or causes them to crack or create leaks...

Let me know if you guys have used them specifically in area where rubber hoses are and if its ok to do so.

thanks,
ken

 

I've never used brake cleaner in my engine bay before. I just use a generic Simple Green on the cotton terry cloths and that's it. I don't know about brake cleaner being safe/harmful to your hoses, but whatever you use, you are best to rinse off any excess chemicals that you apply to them.

 

Greased Lightning works well too. All of the above will work well, the key is to make sure you hose down the area after each application of cleaner. That insures that no parts or paint will be damaged.

 

castrol super clean

 

I wouldn't use brake cleaner anywhere in my engine bay. Just read the warnings on the can....that stuff's like acid.