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one of the topics that i get the most questions on is engine cleaning.
the most frequent question is whether engine parts have to be masked first-
this really depends on the age of the car- cause all that really needs to be masked is the distributor and carb (most recent model cars dont have 'em!). if you have a distributior or carb, you should cover them with plastic first.
any other electronics in the engine compartment should be masked too.
i start up the cold car that i will clean and back it into the driveway. i find that this gives enough warmth to the engine to help dissolve grease, but does not make it too hot. the engine should not be hot.
yesterday, i took my wife's 5 year old lexus and did a prelim detail to its engine-
first step was to spray the entire engine with citrus degreaser (i was testing the eimann degreaser)...
i then took a long handled brush and brushed the really dirty areas to loosten the grime.
finally, sprayed off the engine with a light flow (not a power spray) of water.
a bit more brushing, and then started up the engine for just a couple of minutes (to make sure it ran fine and to warm it to help with the drying).
dried it, sprayed on 303, wiped the hoses-
and thats all there is to it!
will repeat this next time the car is washed and the engine will then be like new (pretty close now).
a new tip:
i detailed this car near our front lawn... after spraying the engine i noticed that i was covered with bees!!
(i remembered that i was using a citrus degreaser- guess the bees liked the smell too!)
so the tip is, try to use this product away from bees!
Best tip, keep it clean. After I wash my car I take a cotton towel and dry the doors & trunk seals and wheels. Then I use this damp towel to wipe the engine bay down (it takes less than 2 minutes). My engine bay looks brand new after 25000 miles.
william- good point... i do the same with my s (and like yours, it looks just like new always).
should have mentioned that i dont do the details on my wifes car normally, which is why the engine was dirty!
I'm with Will and Wanabe a five minute wipe down after washing will keep the engine and compartment looking like new. If do have to wash and are paranoid about getting electrical parts wet. A great tool is a leaf blower or compressed air, or both. Just blow out the part in question after washing.
Question regarding the citrus degreaser if you have experience here...
I have a LOT of billet aluminum pieces in my bay. Also have the Cusco strut bar (with hand-applied vinyl lettering). Also have Injen CAI (ith its manufacturer's label).
Will the citrus degreaser be harmful to any of the above aftermarket concerns?
...Sadly, this fall/winter I have been lax in my engine bay cleaning effort & up until now I've always just used Windex & a towel to stay on top of things. Now its a bit cruddier than I would wish to "wipe around with a rag"...so a spray degreaser would be of interest to me!
wingman-
citrus degreaser is basically just citrus (like orange or lemon juice)... it is an acid, but a mild one.
i have never heard of it etching any chrome or metal. it is used because it is gentle and will not harm the rubber that is in an engine compartment.
i would be careful with the decals in your engine and would not spray it on them (it might remove them, as it is good at removing some glues). for those areas, just clean around the decals or use a chrome cleaner on them.
hope this helps!
Thanks. Yeah, I polish with Muthers [ Mother's (sp?)]...anyway, with *that* stuff . I just need to loosen up the winter grit that's in the bay, then gently hose 'er down & dry everything. Then I'd follow up with a polish on the billet pieces as per the norm.
And of course as they say it never hurts to test out a little area first. I could use the citrus product on the underside of a billet piece to see if its too acidic (before putting on whole engine bay...less the strut bar).
wingman- just did two engines yesterday- one had chrome and aluminum parts... citrused them and it worked great.
as i posted, be careful of labels-
i did get a label loose in the cleaning yesterday (one that we didnt care about anyway), as the citrus is very good at removing gums of any type.
i read a few months back that if you use the gunk engine degreaser... let it work its magic... then spray the foamy armor all tire shine around the engine... turn on the engine to let it evaporate... it gives an awesome shine!
i tried it and it works!! the only thing is that when the tire shine foam is evaporating it gives off a lot of smoke and smell... but once thats gone it leaves the engine all shiney!
gunk is good stuff...
and very strong- it contains petroleum distillates, and is a much more aggressive approach than a citrus degreaser.
btw, they clearly say not to spray on and start the engine without first removing the product.
more info at:
12-07-2003, 12:42 PM
Sadly, this fall/winter I have been lax in my engine bay cleaning effort & up until now I've always just used Windex & a towel to stay on top of things. Now its a bit cruddier than I would wish to "wipe around with a rag"...so a spray degreaser would be of interest to me! 
Mother's (sp?)]...anyway, with *that* stuff 
. I just need to loosen up the winter grit that's in the bay, then gently hose 'er down & dry everything. Then I'd follow up with a polish on the billet pieces as per the norm.
