[DreamsOfMoab]

I was contemplating just hosing the thing down but i thought twice agaisnt it
So is there a "right way" to engine cleaning or should i just tackle it with some soapy water, a sponge and a rag? BTW its dirt/mud residue

[meat12]

Yea I would say get it wet, then wipe scrub, scrape, etc. Then hose it off again, repeat until satisfied.

Dont use high pressure, since electronics dont really like it.

For grease and grime, i use purple power, which is like simple green, a degreaser that is not terribly strong and wount dry your hoses and wires out so bad. Then I just hose it down.

Hope that helped answer your question.

[balloo93]

I would cover every elec piece under the hood with plastic bags! Use a low pressure hose, but not anywhere near the intake area. Basically I would say hose off anything under the head, but nothing on or above it. For that, use a sponge, wet rag, or brush and wipe clean.

Im VERY anal about intentionally exposing my engine to water.

[Twisted]

I've detailed many of my cars under the hood to be show ready and have had great success with the following method.

1) Get a spray bottle and mix Simple Green and water at 50/50. Try to get actualy simple green as it seems to work better than the other super orange cleaners and other degreasers. I actually go to the dollar store and get their equivelance of simple green because I bet its the exact same thing.

2) Get your motor warm but not hot. The rule of thumb I used is you should be able to touch every part (except exhuast maifold) and not yank your hand away. If you can hold your hand on it it is cool enough.

3) If you want you can cover your electrical stuff. I never do and never seem to have a problem but I think I'm just lucky.

4) Spray down the whole motor with the simple green/water mixture. It seens that if I start at one side and work my way to the other it takes a few minutes to do such so when I get it all sprayed I start over again and spray it down once more. The mixture only works when wet so this helps keep it from drying up.

5) Let it sit for a few minutes. If it starts drying just spray more on it. After a few minutes just hose it off. You will be surprised how much it removes. Only the most stubborn build up will be left and for that I just spray it again and brush loose with a cleaning brush.

I've gotten many motors that were filthy to look brand new doing this method. On my personal cars I do this a couple times a year and it helps keep any gunk from building up. And for that extra touch you can dress all your hoses and such. And don't forget to wash the underside of your hood as its seems to always get over looked but makes a huge difference in the over all cleanliness appearance.