IAIA

I'd never steam clean the engine compartment (would I?), but what is recommended to clean out some small areas where I have with some greasy-looking black dust? I was thinking about spraying small amounts of simple green or Castrol degreaser, and just rinsing with a water pistol to keep it limited. What areas do I steer clear of with the water....or should I just use a hundred or so Q-tips and get in there inch-by-inch?

Thanks.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

a good APC, a soft tooth brush, some water, and a couple ok towels. Spray, agitate, wash down, and wipe clean. Cover with a good AIO like Klasse or XMT360 as possible.

water should never go under the engine covers (coils) and near the air-intake. Tread lightly a spray bottle is a better choice over running water.

bugman

Start the engine, keep it running.
spray dirty areas with simple green.
use various brushes to get into tight areas (the EZ Detail brush is excellent for this).
scrub
then rinse with hose on very light mist.
I just avoid the battery, avoid the alternator (thing with a belt on it, on the driver's side, near the front of the car).

I use a very light mist - just enough to wash away the simple green. If the engine starts to sputter or stall -- that's a good indication that you're getting water somewhere that it shouldn't be.

daddoe

I like to cover my alternator with a big zip lock baggie to keep the water out. Some people like to cover it with aluminum foil. I mix a 50/50 solution of Simple Green to water and spray it on the area to be cleaned. After it sits for about 3 min. I do a little cleaning with a brush and soft sponge. I mist the engine to rinse of the solution and complete the job with a finishing product to make the engine look clean and shiny.

IAIA

So the alternator is the only part I need to be careful of, as long as I don't spray water underneat the engine covers? I thought I needed to be careful of the distributor, too. HAhahahaha. Just kidding.

daddoe

I know what you mean, that's why I clean and then run my engine before I begin rinsing and why I don't get too crazy with flooding the compartment. I try avoid the battery area, alternator and "mist" off the cleaning solution.

Adams site has some pretty good tips on engine cleaning at:
http://www.adamspolishes.com/t-Videos_DVD5_5.aspx

Dale@Adams

Nicely explained and thanks for putting up the link !!!

bugman

oh yes - DALE : thanks for the fantastic videos at the Adamspolished web site. A great resource for us all

IAIA

Yes, thanks very much for posting that. Helpful.

Dale@Adams

Thanks bugman and IAIA for the kind words !!! Evil_C5 has been working hard to get the NEW videos up and running on the site.

Thanks again,

-Dale

Bandit1

You may want to cover the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and the cooling fan motors also. Just cover them like you would for the alternator. Definitely not good places to inject water.

jzhawk

This has always worked for me.

IAIA

Um....although I've done a lot of automotive repair including rebuilding an engine, I don't know where my TPS is. I imagine it's near the throttle itself?

....a little help?

Thanks.

Black-Tie

It's on the throttle body on the passenger side with a two wire connector going to it. It is opposite the motor that sits on the drivers side of the TB.
It has two small screws that attach it to the TB.

LV Vette

I’m new to this section, but a friend of mine uses very diluted simple green and some brushes and rags. To rinse, he uses one of those plastic pump tanks one would use to spay bug killer or weed killer. Works great and the water (distilled) only goes where he wants it to.


Thanks,

Clayton from Las Vegas

KARLDDS82