Engine bay cleaning?

preludemanh22 · Post by **preludemanh22** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:52 pm

Vtecmec wrote:Just do a small area at a time, say a square foot, douse it with degreaser, work it in where necessary then rinse off with a small spray bottle and wipe dry.

exactly what I do takes longer but good results

Post by **Donald** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:20 pm

^ I started that the other week. I found on the already clean stuff an old electric toothbrush and some Autosol worked well to bring it up a bit

Post by **SPYDOR** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:37 pm

Cheers, junked the Gunk!

I've seen lots of people recommend Surfex HD and they are selling it for only £6.37 for 1 litre at the moment, which is half the price of the Gunk stuff anyway! Ordered 2

Still have a bottle of "S Doc 100" I bought for the bike a couple of years ago; that stuff gets incredible reviews everywhere, although it is pricey.

Post by **Gayno** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:45 pm

I'll be honest, if I do it I just use the normal car shampoo bucket once the rest of the car has been cleaned and a wash mitt.

Then start the engine and rinse off with pressure washer taking care not to direct water at the important parts or air filter. Leave engine running for 10 mins while you dry down the car, the heat will evaporate any excess water in the engine bay.

Space1999 · Post by **Space1999** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:49 pm

Buy a can of WD40, and spray it on every electrical connection in the engine bay. Put a plastic bag over the dizzy and the let rip with the jet wash. The water will blast off the WD40 but the insides of the electrical switches will still be protected by WD40. Pull the bag off, start the car and go for a drive to shake off excess water. You might get your alternator or PAS belt slipping a little at first but it will settle down.

I've done this on about 20 cars over the years and I have rarely had problems. Worst case scenario is that it won't start and you need to spray a bit more WD40 on the electrics, then it will!

nitin_s1 · Post by **nitin_s1** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:28 pm

Vtecmec wrote:Just do a small area at a time, say a square foot, douse it with degreaser, work it in where necessary then rinse off with a small spray bottle and wipe dry.

I will go for this idea..

but instead of wasting money on gunk (like Gayno suggested) I'll just use a normal car washing shampoo with my sister's old toothbrush..

I have a big can of WD40 as well, but can I really spray it in the electrical components.?? Would that not bugger the electrics ??

Post by **SPYDOR** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 4:16 pm

Remember to be a considerate brother and give the toothbrush back once you are finished

nitin_s1 · Post by **nitin_s1** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:16 pm

SPYDOR wrote:Remember to be a considerate brother and give the toothbrush back once you are finished

Post by **Pushki** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:44 pm

I've been cleaning my engine bay this past couple of weekends.

My methods;

BH Surfex full strength in a spray bottle, using a variety of brushes. Rinsing with an indoor watering can.

Autosol with 'Firm' toothbrush on the aluminium, (IM, block, alternator etc..)

Autosol with cloth for strut brace.

Autosol with Dremel for VTEC lettering.

AutoGlym Bumper Care for plastics and pipes/hoses.

Carnauba wax for the rocker cover.

It's nowhere near finished yet. Photos to follow when done.

Space1999 · Post by **Space1999** » Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:58 am

No - it won't bugger the electrics, it will prevent them from being damaged by the water. One problem with not using WD40 is that lots of the water you spray on during the cleaning will lodge in switches, relay contacts, etc., and start to bring about corrosion. WD40 is oil-based so it will stop this - it's what it's designed to do.