i was just wondering the best way to clean some of the dust and road grime from my engine compartment. is there a preferred cleaner solvent? is a power sprayer ok? thanx for the advice.

 

I have used Simple Green or a product like that for years. Stay away from pressure sprayers. They get water into places that will cause problems. Also stay away from Steam cleaning for the same reason plus the steam heat will harden plastic quickly. I flush with water from a hose and then blow dry the engine compartment.

 

do you use a leaf blower to blow dry?

 

Are there any ignition components that we should be aware of avoiding?

 

I'm sure that a leaf blower would work, but, I have access to compressed air. I haven't had electrical problems because I am not using pressure water to wash off the engine cleaner and the compressed air cleans all the water off.

 

Simple Green is corrosive to aluminum and can cause crazing in plastic! Be very careful when using this stuff, or better yet, skip it altogether!

http://safety.army.mil/pages/lessonslearne...mplegreens.html

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

I use a few micro-fiber towels dedicated to getting grungy with a damp wipe. If anything is too stubborn, a little WD-40 on a seperate cloth will usually clean it up.

If you do use a power washer, be very careful to avoid spraying directly at seals, gaskets, and any electrical components.

 

So then what would be a good subsitute for Simple Green?

 

geez paul, what are you doing hanging around those sites?

do you use any cleaning solvent?

 

WD-40 is a cleaning solvent...

From WD40.com:

[QUOTE]
WD-40's Five Basic Functions

CLEANS:

 

I wanted to mention, as the above poster:

STAY AWAY FROM HIGH-PRESSURE.

I went mud-bogging in my truck once... decided to take the garden hose w/sprayer and clean up a bit.

It took me 1 >week< to get it started again. Everyday was 100f+ out too, and still took at that long to dry out.

I'll never-ever-ever do that again.

-- Aaron