Best way to clean engine and Engine Compartment?

[petee33333]

I think I have my work cut out for me... Very dirty engine compartment on my 69 D100.

Forgive the rookie question, but I don't want to cause any damage.

What is the best way to clean out an engine compartment? Power Spray at the car wash? Plastic bag over the distributor cap? Any chemicals you guys use that you would reccomend? I am a computer guy by trade, and I don't want to mess stuff up! So any advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

[hampstead38]

It depends. Are you prepping to paint the engine compartment or are you just "degunking"?

When it comes to repainting, I use a degreaser like Gunk foam and "elbow grease." Then I do the standard POR-15 prep approach with Marine Clean and Metal Prep. If all you want to do is clean things up, you can have a shop steam clean it for you... but this process may take off some paint and some guys hate using any water under the hood. Personally, I'm not a fan of the car wash approach. There are a ton of cleaners on the market. Some are "citrus" biodegradable, earth friendly etc. Some guys use old-fashioned approaches like diesel or a 50/50 water/kerosene mix.

[Oxdodge]

Best way? Steam cleaner. The water it leaves behind evaporates quick.

[712edf]

While it'd be a PITA I'd remove the plugs wires and use heavy plastic bag (miniature hefty) over the distributor. Bag over starter and removing the alternator wouldn't be bad either. Gunk type products help too. Steam rules!

Bucky

[wally426ci]

I like to use something like Grease Lightning or Marine Clean. Gunk is basically Diesel fuel, a no-no if you want to paint anything....

[JimsRatRod]

De-gunking......I use Purple power (available from Advance Auto). I have one of those attachments that go on a air hose and pulls the degreaser up thru a hose. I soak it then a little while later hit it with a pressure cleaner. Works great.

[Oxdodge]

hey Pete, you can get that done cheap at Elite Auto Detail & Reconditioning‎. They're at 8820 Susan SE in Albuquerque. Their phone number is 259-7483‎. Give them a call and ask what they will charge to steam clean, it's usually something reasonable (I had one done for about $50). They are really close to the base. Tell them you want it spotless & sanitary and they can make it happen.

[hampstead38]

I like to use something like Grease Lightning or Marine Clean. Gunk is basically Diesel fuel, a no-no if you want to paint anything....

I've used different things to break up crud but after Marine Clean and Metal Ready on the "back end," I've had success shooting POR-15.

[uffdaphil]

Any detailer can clean it great, and shouldn't cost too much. I paid $50 for car. We used to have a station that would let us use his steam gun for 50 cents. OK that was in 1965, but still worth checking what places might have one with a long hose you could use. I had a job as a kid steaming out old trade-in refridgerators. Must be other re-condition places with them. Just be sure to baggie off carb, coil, etc and don't try to get 100% clean. Forcing every bit of gunk from every seam is going to force moisture where you don't want it. A quick 90% clean still saves a lot of elbow grease. I would drive it for a while right after to get it good and dry too.

[nfury8]

Oven cleaner is a good budget, DYI option for really baked on junk. My 70 had an oil bath breather on it when I got it, the top of the motor was an unbelievable mess. The citrus cleaners barely touched it, but a 95 cent generic can of easy-off whipped things in shape quickly! Lye is powerful and potentially dangerous stuff!

For lighter weight cleaning, Simple Green is very good, and eco friendly. Although the material you are cleaning off isn't.

Cleaning under the hood isn't big a deal as long as you think a little about what you are doing. As mentioned, cover the carb and distributor. Other general maintenance items can also help when cleaning under the hood. For example, pulling the bulkhead connections for cleaning and coating the terminals with dielectric grease is always good insurance against electrical woes, but will also protect water from getting in and corroding the terminals. Spray some silicone on the back of the terminals to keep water from corroding the back side as well, green patina may look good on the Statue of Liberty, but not terminals! The same would go for all electrical connections bumper to bumper. Silicone is excellent for keeping water out, basically what dielectric grease is. BUT be very careful if you intend to do any painting, trace silicone will wreak havoc on the painting process!!!

Some WD-40 in the boots for the plugs will dry them out and some dielectric in the boots will keep the connections clean over time.

Most items under the hood are moderately tolerant of moisture, but take a moment and give a good look and if in doubt WD-40 does mean Water Displacement. If using a pressure washer, the high pressure is more a risk then the water to most items.

Welcome to the site and don't think of your "geek factor" as a handicap, there are more than a couple geeks running around here. My self included!!

[PatS]

I use a 50% solution of Zep Purple Concentrate in the gallon size. (Home Depot)
Spray it on, let sit for 10-15 minutes and then a pressure wand wash. Not quite as good as steam but close.
We also have a local tire shop that will pressure wash the chassis up on the hoist for $80.

Makes things nice to work on and easy to spot new leaks.

The Zep Purple does a GREAT job on tires at the wand wash. Just spray on and then get real close with the wand...make sure you don't miss any parts of the tire...that's how well it works, you'll have streaks of dirty tire!!!
After you do it once, then it's simple to keep the tires clean without the phoney Armor-All shine.