engine bay clean up
08-07-2003, 04:32 PM
#1
TECH Addict
Thread Starter
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Honolulu HI
Posts: 2,513
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
engine bay clean up I was wondering, what is the safest way to clean the engine bay??? I don't want to ruin any of the electrics or sensors..... any help??? 
08-07-2003, 04:37 PM
#2
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Austin, Tx.
Posts: 1,640
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up I would advise against using Simple Green and water. I used to wash mine about one every three months. Then, I started throwing codes for the knock sensors. Upon the removal of my intake, you could see where the water/Simple Green solution had seeped under the intake, corroded the aluminum valley cover and killed the front knock sensor.
Now I just use a wet rag and wipe it down regulary.
Now I just use a wet rag and wipe it down regulary.
08-07-2003, 05:04 PM
#3
Re: engine bay clean up What if your engine compartment looks like this?
Yeah, that's the mess I'm trying to clean up. With a wet rag, I already spent 3 hours cleaning it up, and haven't even put a dent in it. A wet rag would probably take me a month to get the whole thing.
Any ideas?
Yeah, that's the mess I'm trying to clean up. With a wet rag, I already spent 3 hours cleaning it up, and haven't even put a dent in it. A wet rag would probably take me a month to get the whole thing.
Any ideas?
08-07-2003, 05:22 PM
#4
Re: engine bay clean up DrEvyl - I say that you should use a little bit of simple green and water, and to also spray it down as long as you cover and major electrical area's. And don't chug bunches of water over it.
Simple green will NOT eat through anything, its not acid based. But yes water can get in area's you don't want it if your not careful and mess things up. Once you have it nice a clean the 1st time just wipe it down with a wet rag each time you wash the car.
Simple green will NOT eat through anything, its not acid based. But yes water can get in area's you don't want it if your not careful and mess things up. Once you have it nice a clean the 1st time just wipe it down with a wet rag each time you wash the car.
08-07-2003, 07:10 PM
#5
TECH Enthusiast
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 697
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up i have a 93 LT1 and when i first got mine, it looked pretty bad. Not as bad as that picture, but it was dirty. I powerwashed it several times and never had a problem.
08-07-2003, 07:43 PM
#7
Re: engine bay clean up That's not a bad idea, I never thought of that... my engine bay is really crusty. 5 years of Texas dirt caked on there, I don't think it's been cleaned since the day it rolled off the showroom.
I want it to look like my T/A's engine compartment did.
I want it to look like my T/A's engine compartment did.
Trending Topics
08-07-2003, 07:53 PM
#8
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Austin, Tx.
Posts: 1,640
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up
Simple green will NOT eat through anything, its not acid based.
Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum?
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
08-07-2003, 08:02 PM
#9
Re: engine bay clean up What I have been using to do it so far is a little bit of Zaino Car Wash, mixed with water in a spray bottle... it seems to do pretty good, but I definitely needed a better way to rinse it off afterwards... In fact, most of what's in there would probably wash off with a simple water spray.
I've just been leary of taking a hose or something to it, I wanted a very low pressure, low flow sprayer..
And the weed sprayer idea is a really good one, that would work pretty good.
I've just been leary of taking a hose or something to it, I wanted a very low pressure, low flow sprayer..
And the weed sprayer idea is a really good one, that would work pretty good.
08-07-2003, 08:13 PM
#10
Launching!
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas
Posts: 244
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up I use a engine cleaner that attaches to my air compressor. The solution is Zaino and water. Then I rinse it down. Lastly, I use my leaf blower to dry it and a clean rag to touch it up. Looks like the day I recieved it from the dealer!
08-07-2003, 08:16 PM
#11
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Austin, Tx.
Posts: 1,640
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up The way the water "seeps" under the intake is that there is foam under the front and back of the intake (LS1 intake) and the foam "wicks" the water underneath. This was later changed with the LS6 intake, there is no foam. According to the TSB, when you change out the knock sensors, you are to remove the foam from the intake and run a bead of RTV around the knock sensors to build a ridge to keep water out.
Evyl, you could probably get away with washing your motor with the hose, just keep any water away from the intake. Especially keep it away from the front of the intake and you should be fine.
Evyl, you could probably get away with washing your motor with the hose, just keep any water away from the intake. Especially keep it away from the front of the intake and you should be fine.
08-08-2003, 02:55 AM
#13
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (18)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: NW Houston, TX
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up Go to auto zone and get this stuff called GUNK its cheap it works. Use the whole can (again its cheap) and I used a water hose and only thing I really did was rinse it off. I even got some water on the computer and nothing happened, just dont soak it, and dont use and water hose attachments. Spray the gunk on, let it set and then rinse it off with an open ended water hose, (but you can use a sprayer for the sides and the intake) Do not use this on a hot motor. this stuff smells like gas, its really strong and be sure to use a lot of water to rinse it off. Start the motor and its gona start steeming, and smell like gas, but dont worry. Only down side is that the AC will have a gassy smeel to it for like a couple of days.
08-09-2003, 07:33 AM
#14
Re: engine bay clean up My cars engine compartment was so dirty when i got the car, my friend went out and got me this stuff from CD2 its 2 cans in a package, first u start the engine for like 2-3 min, just to get it kinda warm, then u spray it down with water, then spray this stuff on it, let it sit for 15 min, spray the engine down with water, then let the engine run for 10-15min at idle, then once everything was dry u spray the detailer spray on it, then let it run for like 10 more min, the engine looked better then it would coming out of the showroom
08-10-2003, 03:36 AM
#16
TECH Senior Member
Re: engine bay clean up Just before I sold my LS1, I took it to a local detail shop and paid them $25 to clean the engine bay. I figured if one of the sensors got messed up, they'd be liable, not me. The results were fabulous:
www.geocities.com/gattsls1/engine.html
www.geocities.com/gattsls1/engine.html
08-10-2003, 09:22 PM
#17
On The Tree
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Muscatine, Iowa
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up Every car I owned or driven I have used degreaser and power washers on and never had a problem except for an old Datsun truck, but a shot of WD40 cured that. The electrical connectors on the Camaros use weather tight connectors with a rubber seal. I never had trouble with water getting into the connections and causing problems. I didn't spray full force water spray right on any electrical components, but everything got sprayed indirectly at least. I always hated working on greasy dirty engines so I always clean the engine and undersides of any car I buy right away. Be careful on an LT1 though, the Optispark is very bad for getting water in it and causing problems.
08-10-2003, 09:55 PM
#18
Re: engine bay clean up
Go to auto zone and get this stuff called GUNK its cheap it works. Use the whole can (again its cheap) and I used a water hose and only thing I really did was rinse it off. I even got some water on the computer and nothing happened, just dont soak it, and dont use and water hose attachments. Spray the gunk on, let it set and then rinse it off with an open ended water hose, (but you can use a sprayer for the sides and the intake) Do not use this on a hot motor. this stuff smells like gas, its really strong and be sure to use a lot of water to rinse it off. Start the motor and its gona start steeming, and smell like gas, but dont worry. Only down side is that the AC will have a gassy smeel to it for like a couple of days.
I second this. I do this once every other month or so, and my engine looks almost as good as the exterior. Make sure to take time and put a rag in the intake, and cover the fusebox, battery, and computer with a towel/plastic bag of some sort. I use those large black trash bags and they work great. Then just get in there with a wet towel for the underside of the hood, any area's still dirty even after the GUNK stuff, the lid and any painted areas. Then hose the whole thing down nice and good (don't worry about the water, I was too at first, but as long as everything is covered your fine. Then let er rip. You'll see some steam like they said above, but after around 3-5 mins of idleing it will all go away, then u can turn the car off, and use a dry towel to dry up any puddles of water.
That thing will look as good as new in 20 minutes, guaranteed.
08-10-2003, 10:17 PM
#19
Launching!
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: engine bay clean up Dr.Evyl,
with your car being so dirty i would not start with water. It will just make it worst. Get a damp rag and just start wiping it down. Once you get all the dust off, then you can *lightly* spray it down. I have never used any water hose on mine, just two fingers and if you maintain it, it shouldnt be a problem again.
Good luck
with your car being so dirty i would not start with water. It will just make it worst. Get a damp rag and just start wiping it down. Once you get all the dust off, then you can *lightly* spray it down. I have never used any water hose on mine, just two fingers and if you maintain it, it shouldnt be a problem again.
Good luck
