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Cleaning Under the Hood

4K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  dynobot 
#1 ·
I'm interested to learn about the proper way to clean / maintain everything under the hood. Lord knows this stuff gets dirty, how should I clean it? What should I use? What might I ruin and should be cautious around?

Along those lines... when is it prudent to replace the hoses and lines running around down in there?

Nobody wants to be embarrassed when they drop their shorts... I mean... pop their hood. :-[
 
#2 ·
Simple Green, my friend, Simple Green.

Wet the engine down, spray Simple Green all over, use a brush to scrub and areas that are noticeably dirty, and then hose down with water. Don't forget to give some love to the underside of your hood. After you've got everything clean you can use a spray shine to make it sparkle if you really want to go all out.
 
#5 ·
Did you let it sit for a while then it started? A buddy of mine had this happen before after he washed his engine. Turns out he got some water on the electronic parts. After letting it sit long enough it started again. Just be REALLY careful where you are putting the water...you don't want to just pour water into some electrical connection.
 
#8 ·
Don't wet a HOT engine!! Make sure you give it atleast 30 min. to cool off if it was driven. Cover the Alternator and intake with a plastic bag. Water can be you enemy in those cases. Simple Green works so does GUNK or any engine degreaser.
 
#10 ·
Since owning my car, I have detailed it every saturday morning, as it has been sitting cold and I can pop the hood, I use the armour all cleaning wipes to clean everything thoroughly the under the hood looks brand new after its first 3000KM and I'm sure if I maintain this schedule it will continue to remain that way.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, try not to wash your engine bay too often if you can prevent it but if you live in the snow belt areas then it's advisable to wash it down annually. Simple Green works well but can be a bit abrasive for your hoses etc long-term but are perfectly fine for your metal parts. As mentioned above it's critical that you wash a cold engine as washing a hot or warm engine might lead to cracking your engine block or vital components. It is also vital that you run your engine for a good ~10 mins after you wash down the engine bay as sitting watter in the engine may seep into electrical components (running your engine after the wash will bake off any remaining moisture that might damage your engine). After you run it and most of the moisture has baked off you should let it cool and then use protective anti-rust agents and wipes to detail your engine bay. Repeat annually. ;)

good luck with that.
 
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