my how to clean your engine bay, the complete guide...

there have been many posts asking for on how to clean the engine bay - well i figued i'll do it today and take some pictures

PLEASE NOTE ENGINE SHOULD NOT BE HOT WHILE CLEANING


Tools needed

1) old towel

2) a hose

3) one SOFT brush

here are the products i use




here is a picture of the cleaner i use



a picture of the Engine Dressing - CD2 (can be found at AutoZone)



a picture of the soft brush i use



start by mixing 50/50 water and APC in a spray bottle





ok time to open your hood (before pic)





next please note where your alternator is - you do not want to blast this with water



now take your spray bottle mixed with 50/50 APC and water and soak all the parts you wish to clean (not the alternator) - -

One Note - APC will remove wax so take care not to spray your fenders or nose

next take your SOFT brush and agitate the areas where you sprayed

wait a minute or two

and then use a garden hose to remove the cleaner and the grime (make sure the hose is not at full force but rather very low pressure)

and then take an old towel and dry of the excess water

now you can spray CD-2 engine dressing over everything (i use a good coating)



wait ten minutes - (top speed up the drying process you can start the engine and close the hood for a few minutes )







if you have excess engine detail - simply take a napkin or rag and wipe the excess off

hope this helps - please feel free to critique

Great write-up. I need to clean my engine soon, and I've done basically the same to clean except for the CD-2...that's new for me.

After cleaning it, I just used to take armor-all and pass it over anything plastic in there.

Very nice write up Steve. Do you find that the CD-2 collects dust and dirt?

Thanks Jim - the cd-2 dries pretty hard. i have not noticed any additional dust or dirt

Do you coat the entire underhood area with the CD-2 (plastic, rubber, metal, etc.)? Just making sure I understand you correctly.

yup everything.... it gives a really nice shine to everything under the hood

thanks Steve. I will looks for this CD2 stuff at the local autozone

Glad i could help George J/K Vic

as a side note Meg APC can be found at most autobody supply shops for about $10.00 a gallon - this stuff can be used on everything it just depends on how you delute it

Any of those goodies likely to wreck vinyl rub-ons? I have a "The Bruised Banana" vinyl decal on my Cusco STB...I'd like to keep it and its colors .




I would imagine it would be safer (and a more effective cleaning effort) to remove the various billet aluminum pieces within my engine bay and clean them by hand?


Also, could I assume [correctly?] that this diluted cleaner, safe enough for everything under the hood, would be acceptable for my 3-pc Racing Harts?

Since I have it here at the house already, would diluted Simple Green be just as effective as the Meguiar's APC?

if i recall correctly simple green is not good because it is highly corrosive on aluminum (please read 1/4 of the way down on this post http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...simple+green%22 )

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/ash...mourreaders.htm

Hey Dave - great question i am sure Meg APC+ would be great for your wheels BUT i would dilute it quite a bit so that you do not remove / harm your S badges - as for the stickers - i would take the extra protection top mask off the area with some masking tape just to be sure

we did two cars Sunday and Thehoth (aka Thomas) had a sticker on his airbox cleaner and it stayed put

It also take off the wax, too. I wiped off the excess and splash on my fenders with eagle one wax as you dry and water mixture right away.

BTW, my engine looks clean huh!

Awesome job

I use the ol' foaming tire spray method, I'll have to try this one.

Nice, guys.

Steve, I'm diggin' the strut tower brace with the S2000 on it. Did you keep your Whiteline X-brace too?

yup both my strut bar and x-brace are from whiteline though Muz

Very nice and clean engine bay.
What I had done for all my cars was spray Castrol Super Clean on slightly warm engine, wait for 5 minutes then hose it off with cold water. Close the hood and drive away.
I will try CD2 next time to see if I can get the same result.
Thanks for good write up.

Bass,

I have a few questions hoping you can help me. Now I have a year 2000 S and I like to clean the engine this weekend.

1. Now how did you keep your alternator dry free of water?
2. So once my I brush my engine bay with 50/50 APC and water I can just get a hose and gently spray the engine right? I know to keep the alternator away from the water though. This is a stupid question, but I can spray everything else in the engine bay excluding the alternator and my engine will still start?
3. Lastly, can I use the 50/50 APC and water on my exterior battery? Can I get the battery terminals wet? won't it corrode?

Thanks for the help.

First congrats on your new car

as for the alternator - some people place a plastic bag over it but i didn't bother as a little water won't hurt it. i was careful when i hosed of the engine bay so that i didn't place a direct stream of water into the alternator

yes you can hose off everything once you use a cleaner BUT use low pressure -
don't blast the cleaner off - i just turn my hose on and use a light mist from my hose nozzle - once done wipe away the excess water with an old towel – and spray CD-2 on everything

you can use apc on your battery with no ill effects - however if you have some corrosion on your battery terminals a better way to clean the terminals is to use a paste made from baking soda and water as this will remove any built up corrosion – then simply coat the thermals with valisoline to prevent any corrosion


hope this helps and please report back

Bass,
The car looks great, I have a quick question. I like how you coat basically everything under the hood, have you had any problems with parts of the engine getting hot enough to melt the products and cause them to start to smell? I'm sure we've all made the mistake of dripping some excess oil onto parts of the engine and having to deal with the reeking burned oil smell as a result, do you notice that at all with the products you've used?
Also since the stuff seems to be pretty glossy, has it made the engine appear spotty in certain parts that are exposed heat, now that its startign to wear off, or has it all kinda faded away at the same rate? I just picture the red block becoming polka dotted at certain points where the heat is most intense, has this been a problem at all?
Again great job. thanks.

I use the same method as Bass (APC & CD2). I have not seen any ill effects with the CD2 in regards to spotting. Stayed very consistent for months. Also, there was no "melting" or "burning" that I noticed. Just follow the instructions on the CD2 bottle and wipe off any excess with a rag. In terms of covering the alternator, I use tin foil. I find it much easier than plastic bags since you can form-fit it around the alternator.

-sam

With the exception of the undercarriage, I've pretty much sworn-off using a spray nozzle anywhere around the cars and motorcycle.

I've found that fitting a large volume shut-off valve on the end of the hose and a steady single stream of flowing water is far more effective and causes less trouble when rinsing off with any type of nozzle.

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDet...-AS1FF&pad=true

For wetting down the vehicle before washing -- where the benefits of the single stream aren't as important -- the shut-off valve can be opened a 1/4 way to produce a flat spray.

Just something to consider.

This post has been edited by DosEquis Driver on Apr 12 2005, 06:42 AM

Great write up......Who makes the CD-2????

My .02 cents...
I don't like the CD2 stuff. I have used it twice and I wasn't happy afterward either time. I followed the instructions to the "T" and when I was done I had what the guy above feared, spots. It wasn't horrible or anything, but to me the OCD king I wasn't happy. No problem though I figured I would just go over those places again, but still no coverage when I was done.

#2, everyone raves about how it doesn't leave a greasy feeling and that it doesn't attract dirt...
In my use anywhere that didn't get hot enough to basically bake this stuff on does stay greasy. And something that stays greasy, attracts dirt and dust.
Like I said I used it twice (once on my S2K and once on a friends 93 RX7) and got the same results both times. Maybe I got a bad batch, maybe I can't read, who knows... but I stick w/ a thorough clean and my 303 for the engine bay. A clean engine bay speaks volume, so the need to have it shiny isn't a priority for me.
Although to all that use this stuff and like it, more power to you.

hey bass... thanks for the write-up... this is exactly what i've been looking for... i do have a question though: I've got a spoon valve cover and was wondering if there's a chance that the cd2 would mess it up (ie crack or spot the finish/paint)... thanks in advance...

paul