Cleaning engine bay

[KerTiZ]

Hey, I was planning on cleaning my brothers engine bay for him on his 84 corolla. Its carburated and I was wondering what I should cover before washing it down.

[project trueno]

take your time and cover all electrical connections, air filter, battery, mmmmm and any place you don't want to blast with water. Use plastic bags, and my favourite: aluminum foil

also look for places in your engine bay that might collect water

wipe down the really nasty spots first with cloth/brush, and then spray engine cleaner and let it sit, then rinse your engine bay thoroughly, until you are positive all the cleaner has been washed off. I prefer to use a low pressure garden hose when i do this. Anyway start your car and let the water evapourate, take it for a drive, etc etc

[toyotaspeed90]

ya can do it the same way i'm doing the mr2...... keep working on the motor..... the dirt transfers to your hands and your tools.... then ya wash your hands off..... go out again & get all dirty again.... repeat daily

[project trueno]

^ahhaa, unfortunately thats true

[ractive_roLLa]

just get tons of rags if u can/have... then keep wiping til it gets back then trash it, keep wiping til it gets back then trash it, keep wiping til it gets back then trash it
thats the safest way but time consuming
thats what i did, didnt spray n e thing.. just rags+water+a bit of degreaser+ a few days hehe

[Alpha]

do you guys recommend any brand of engine cleaner?

[project trueno]

^any brand will do, i just grabbed a can from crappy tire, it was some generic orange cap thingy....although i've heard good things with Simple Green

but like ractive_rolla said, wipe as much grime away physically (with a rag) first, even that will yield a big difference...i just finished it off giving a good spray

[rollatuner110]

I used Engine Brite. Works pretty well.

[toyrolla]

Originally posted by Alpha
do you guys recommend any brand of engine cleaner?

I use Simple Green....great results, rinses clean, and no smelly fumes.

The only thing better than that is an actual steam cleaning, but you have to be careful with the gaskets though.

[Lostboy]

Cover the electrical wires that are exposed... the fuse box, battery, diag, alternator and anything that doesn't look like it should get wet. I used plastic bags ... large thick ones just in case... cover them well cuz water gets held in some places.

I hosed down the engine ... (oh make sure the engine is cool) just letting the water shoot out (no pressure).

Get simple green automotive degreaser. Spray the engine and let it sit for a little bit. I had some nitrile gloves on and i just sprayed and rubbed the tough stubborn parts.

Hose it down and it should be nice and shiny. I waited for the water to evaporate... with the hood up ... careful when removing the plastics ... it'll be holding water.

Simple green is nontoxic and cost 3 bucks... but engine runoff is toxic and the runoff should be collected in a large container and disposed of properly... it is illegal and it is damaging to our environment for runoff to get into the sewers/drains...