Cleaning the engine

SubaCool

SubaCool

Forum Member
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
414
Location
Brighton, Colorado
I've never cleaned an engine before and I'm terrified of doing it. There, I've said it. Now, the OBW being my wife's car, how do I get the muddy coating off the engine? What do I cover with what, do I unplug anything, what do I spray it with, how much, etc, etc. Basically, when you open the hood (bonnet), it's all dried muddy brown. I've driven through a big mud puddle that I believe got it so dirty, but there were few other fun puddles that might have contributed :iconwink: Hep me peeze! :raspberry:
 
Waste of time/money cleaning with anything other than a rag and elbow grease. Spray water in there and you're likely to wind up with gunky brake fluid requiring a replacement reservoir and master cylinder, a stuffed starter, corroded terminals, ...... the list goes on.
 
iv'e cleaned my engine countless times with 2 products.
1st.CT18 truck wash (the best). FIRST COVER THE ALTERNATOR+FUSE BOX WITH A PLASTIC BAG mix with water as directed spray all over your engine and wait 15 mins then spray again and wait 10 more mins then wash off with hose with good pressure.

2nd. is a product called simple green. same sort off process but will require a bit off a scrub.

for some reason dirt tends to stick on the rubber hoses quite well so they need a bit more attention.never had any probs with any fluids as subies are very well sealed. not to sure about autos? i think they have a breathing hole somewhere. you might want to check that out
 
eden said:
2nd. is a product called simple green.
Click to expand...
Mine is well & truly overdue for a good clean.
I might have to give that simple green a go.
I take it that Supercheap & places like that would have it ?

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
mr turbo said:
Mine is well & truly overdue for a good clean.
I might have to give that simple green a go.
I take it that Supercheap & places like that would have it ?

Regards
Mr Turbo
Click to expand...

it's actually pretty hard to find. i prefer CT18 which was recommended to me by someone on this forum. yes you can get it at supercheap:)
 
Keep high pressure away from the engine bay, unless you can cover the electrical connections, especially those to sensors. Obvious ones would be the cam and crank angle sensors, AFM, etc. I think I have seen simple green at bunnings.

Anyone who does not have any mud in their engine bay? A written explanation is required no latter than COB Friday! :)
 
Hehe, you clean the mud off? I just knock the big chunks off, check the connections to make sure they're still good, and keep going..
 
Has anybody tried steam washing their engine?
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfoWdbNVMDU"]YouTube - Steam Clean Engine[/ame]
 
mr turbo said:
I'm with you Smash81, & thats why mine is going to be a pain to get clean. :twisted:
It's been at least 18mths (probably closer to 2yrs) since I did mine :o :huh: :eviltoyou: :biggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo
Click to expand...


I've attacked mine with a hose when it got really bad, just knocked the big gunk off. Never really cleaned it and I've owned it since new...
 
I've always used copious amounts of a quality degreaser using a spray bottle, leave for about 1 or 2 minutes and hit it with the high pressure water cleaner.

The high pressure cleaner uses very little water and I've only ever had to use the WD40 (dewatering fluid) on old cars. Never any problem with the Foresters.
Just don't hold it directly on electrical components.

I clean under the bonnet of new cars every day at work using this method and it works a treat. It works great on rubber and plastic parts on older cars and makes them look like new.

Trust me, I'm a car detailer! :discomonkey:

IanC
 
Ok, finally got my lazy butt out and washed it today. Just took it to a local self-car wash and hosed it down. I've said f* it and didn't cover up anything. We'll see if that was a good idea in the future ;) I've pre-soaked it with whatever soap they have, let it sit a few seconds, and rinsed it off. I still wouldn't eat off of the engine, but it looks a lot better now.
BEFORE:
Image025-1.jpg

AFTER:
Image026-1.jpg
 
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