all wires should be insulated .... all electronics should be encased .... new car, same old tricks

 

Here you go.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t207527.html

 

Here you go.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t207527.html

Thanks! I'll take a look at some of those products.

 

the guy in the link made his engine look like new alright.
i find that gunk and engine bright dont do quite as good a job as simple green...Cover the alternator for sure and the distributor if your engine has one first.
Then soak it in simple green. dont be afraid to use the whole bottle if you have to. The important thing is use low pressure water only - (the spot free rinse, or a garden hose), do NOt use the high pressure hose - the high pressure at the car wash is not going to clean anything the low pressure + simple green wont, it is not a steam cleaner.

Actually truth be told, i clean engines at work all the time with a steam cleaner and never had one fail to start yet. Modern engines seem to be sealed from water pretty well. And i dont cover ANYTHING when i steam clean these engines either. Nonetheless, i wouldnt treat my own engine this way, as i would never steam clean it. (but when i do them at work i am usually in a hurry and there are no plastic bags around for covering.)

 

ive just always used simple green and GUNK engine cleaner + low pressure from my garden hose.....i never have covered anything up either, and all i do is fire it up after cleaning the engine, let iot run for a bit, and let it sit in the driveway with the hood up so everything can dry....it does a really good job actually and makes teh engine look brand new

 

oh and aerospace 303 is the best product to spiff the clean engine plastic up with.....its non greasy, unlike armour all and gives a minor shine to plastics

 

oh and aerospace 303 is the best product to spiff the clean engine plastic up with.....its non greasy, unlike armour all and gives a minor shine to plastics

+1 on the aerospace 303. Using a foam pad to apply makes it much easier to apply. No overspray and the foam works the 303 in really easily.

 

i use one of these little numbers to carefully was the engine areas that are not electrical.

works like a charm. also dont worry about the alternator itself getting wet. just dont get the alternator connector wet. dont spray any electrical parts period.

 

The best way is wiping down the engine weekly. I did that and my Camry SE is still spanking clean and it is 1 3 months old .

 

Check out this link:
http://www.carflipper.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2
I was scared to degrease my engine, until I read this article

 

First off, it's much easier to keep it clean if you clean it regularly.

I wipe down most of the engine compartment every time I wash the car. That keeps it really clean. If I have some oil residue in a certain area from a spill or something I use NON flammable brake cleaner to clean it up. Glass cleaner also works very well for cleaning. Many engine cleaners/degreasers actually etch the aluminum making it look worse and wrecking the polished areas.

If a lot of sand or dust builds up I use low pressure water to rinse the engine and engine compartment off. I make sure that the engine is completely warmed up so that it dries off quickly.

It's worked for me on my Formula for 243,000 miles...

 

Dont forget to take of the engine cover and clean the valve covers too.

 

The only thing i can think of is to avoid the alternator. The rest is pretty much like cleaning any other car. And if you have time as others suggested wiping it down every car wash would make it alot cleaner. I usually wipe mine down when ever i clean the interior of the car. Looks like new

 

I need to be extra careful now because of all the wiring I have going on under the hood from my HID's, fog lights, and warning equipment. I may use the brake cleaner idea on certain areas though, it seems to be a lot better at isolating spots rather then spraying the entire engine even plastic areas with engine degreaser, then you have to worry about all the residue that comes off and goes on the driveway.

 

I found that using degreasers based on citrus oil works great. As soon as you spray the engine, the grease/dirt begins to run. It also rinses off with a light mist from a garden hose.

Lastly, drying the engine compartment with compressed air will gaurantee you that your engine is dry before re-connecting the battery.

 

Compressed air can also force remaining water into connectors and and other places where it isn't wanted. I don't recommend it.