Good evening orgers... I want to have my engine bay cleaned, and I was wondering what a safe way was to do it. On my old pontiac, the mechanic I went to just sprayed some engine cleaner on there and then sprayed the entire area with a high pressure hose, and it just didn't seem like the best way to do it given all the electrical connections and parts under there. Another mechanic told me that you should NEVER spray the engine bay with a high pressure hose for the same reasons I felt when my mechanic was doing it. What do you guys suggest?

 

spray down with foaming degreaser
let sit for 10 minutes
hose off
spray down with foaming tire cleaner/shiner
let dry
use towel to rub off excess

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=483901
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=402935
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=427449
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=31983
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=333323
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=259510

 

 

cool.. thanx guys... according to the other threads theres been some debate about whether or not to use high pressure water.. i think i'll play it safe and just use a garden hose with my finger in it.. so i'll cover up my battery, alternator, intake filter, fuse boxes... anything else?

 

oh, i also didn't get a clear answer on whether to drive the car right afterwards or let it sit for a bit... what have you guys done?

 

Knock sensor valley and injector ports in front.

I usually take it for a spin a few minutes after.

 

yeah, drive it afterwards. the heat will help dry and the movement will prevent water from collecting anywhere

 

makes sense... both of you guys have alot of posts, so i assume you know what you're talking about.. lol

 

can you describe to be where those things are?

 

Even if puddles collect, if you drive it a little afterward, those areas I mentioned should dry out rather quickly, so there really is not need to worry about much if anything aside from the obvious (intake)

 

These guys, yes. But you can't always tell because a lot of other guys spew cr@p just to boost their post count.

 

the Friday Washington DC thread comes to mind

 

Join date > * ..

It doesn't matter post count/join date. Knowledge > * .. . Some guys on here know way more than me and haven't been here that long, same goes w/ PC.

 

just cover up the electricals and you should be safe. Let us know how it turns out!

 

i will... i'll probably do it tomorrow after i wash the car.. i would take pics, but i dont have a digital camera

 

but I'm moving it to Detailing.

 

Spray with simple green, let soak, rinse, spray with self cleaning tire foam. Ten minutes work and a huge improvement if your engine bay has been neglected. I only use a garden hose, don't cover anything and have never had a problem. I use my shop vac to blow things dry, the air is filtered so there is no chance of blowing a small pebble at your car at 200MPH

Before


After


If you really want it to look good you need to spend a little more time with armor all, metal polish, and a rag.

 

I use simple green myself also, works pretty good. I usually only cover up the battery and altenator with plastic wrap