Cleaning Engine Compartment & Engine

jwilly2 · 02-25-2009, 08:22 PM

First of all I'm new to the forum and a new (old actually, 2000 xj) Jeep owner. I need to clean my Engine & Engine compartment....how risky is that? Do I run the risk of damaging electrical components. I was planning to Gunk down the entire engine compartment and maybe garden hose it off.... I have a pressure washer, but figured that might be a little much especially on the electrical parts. How should I go about this....any advise much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Love My Jeep!!
Jwilly2

byrinxx74 · 02-25-2009, 08:41 PM

Well i know for my 93 i put a plastic bag over the distrubuter cap and intake, then put the solution on wait the just take a garden hose and hose it off, YOU DO NOT WANT A POWER WASHER ON IT TO MUCH POWER.

edolivett · 02-25-2009, 08:52 PM

i power wash mine at least once a month without covering up anything... been doing it a year+ with no issues whatsoever...

Dew159 · 02-25-2009, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edolivett

i power wash mine at least once a month without covering up anything... been doing it a year+ with no issues whatsoever...

X2 once every six months.

cademan04 · 02-25-2009, 09:13 PM

what kind of "gunk" do you use? some type of degreaser?

Dew159 · 02-25-2009, 09:17 PM

I think its black magic. Napa has it. $10 gallon, works wonders man.

jwilly2 · 02-25-2009, 10:52 PM

I was thinking of just using the 'Gunk' brand degreaser in a spray can. We use a cleaner in our construction equipment garage that does a really good job.... it's a citrus based cleaner. It's cleaned anything we've ever tried it on. I believe there are several citrus based cleaners on the market that can be found at AZ, Advance, etc.. They are probably not as strong as the cleaner we use, but should still do an excellent job. The only problem with the high strength stuff we use is if you get it on a painted surface, it will sometimes leave it a little 'cloudy' looking...not every time, but when it does, you can usually go over it with a little polish and get the haze off. Shouldn't be a problem with the diluted versions available in auto parts stores though. Anyway, the citrus based cleaners are excellent!

mason_msw · 02-25-2009, 10:56 PM

My favorite way to go about this is use Simple green concentrate, it comes in a spray bottle and is meant to be diluted 16:1. I just spray the entire bay with that let it sit about 10-15 minutes then rinse it off.

jwilly2 · 02-26-2009, 12:22 AM

mason msw....
Do you spray/rinse even the electrical components?

**tjwalker** · 02-26-2009, 07:45 AM

There are PLENTY of posts on this forum and others of guys who have had trouble (driveability symptoms, no-start) with water intrustion into secondary electrical, sensor circuits after cleaning their engine bay without taking precautions.

Never spray directly on electrical; covering the suspect stuff is always a good idea. Don't be too anal about getting all the dirt off; it's not necessary. A large buildup of oil/grease is really what you should be targeting.

jwilly2 · 02-26-2009, 10:30 AM

TJ Walker..... That's what I was expecting to hear all along. I will take extra precautions with my electrical components. Also will assume that it would be much riskier if the engine & compartment are hot, so will let it sit overnight and do the cleaning next morning. Thanks to everyone for all the input!
Love My XJ

aero3685 · 02-26-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwilly2

TJ Walker..... That's what I was expecting to hear all along. I will take extra precautions with my electrical components. Also will assume that it would be much riskier if the engine & compartment are hot, so will let it sit overnight and do the cleaning next morning. Thanks to everyone for all the input!
Love My XJ

Although its not good to spray a hot engine with cold water, if you are going to let it sit overnight, I would start it up and let it run for a minute to warm the dirt and gunk up. Then you can throw a bag over things like the fuse box, dizzy, etc. Then spray everything with the degreaser and close the hood. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, open it up and rinse it off. You could grab a scrub brush to get it out of cracks and stuff.

jwilly2 · 02-26-2009, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aero3685

Although its not good to spray a hot engine with cold water, if you are going to let it sit overnight, I would start it up and let it run for a minute to warm the dirt and gunk up. Then you can throw a bag over things like the fuse box, dizzy, etc. Then spray everything with the degreaser and close the hood. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, open it up and rinse it off. You could grab a scrub brush to get it out of cracks and stuff.

Good suggestion, the little bit of heat would serve to soften the dirt/grease/grime. I'll do that....Thanks!

c0ncEpT · 02-26-2009, 01:04 PM

If your really worried about it just take little plastic bags and put them over any electrical components you think might not like water.

That glad press and seal stuff works wonders for this type of thing.

jwilly2 · 02-26-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c0ncEpT

If your really worried about it just take little plastic bags and put them over any electrical components you think might not like water.

That glad press and seal stuff works wonders for this type of thing.

Wow!! this is a great site...getting all kinds of good suggestions.
Thanks