sandman

... What do you guys do and what do you use for cleaning products, etc?

I never really bothered cleaning my escort's engine when I had it, but now with my Pro, I want to treat it right and with the nice weather we've been having, I figure now's a good time.

Let's hear it!! I'll also compile the responses into my car cleaning doc for the next version...

macdaddyslomo

coupla tips..do not,I repeat,do not use a high pressure spray on your engine at all....everyone that has don this has had problems....actually even a regular hose can be bad if your not careful.....this is what i did....got some armor all wheel cleaner(the kind safe for aluminum )and some of the wipies from armor all ....clean everything down by hand and wipe off with damp shop towel....then take a regular bottle of armor all and DRENCH the engine in it...makes it all look nice and SHINY-(dealers do this with used cars)

sandman

When I had my escort, I had this citrous based degreaser I used to use. I just sprayed it all over the engine and compartment and let it soak in, then LIGHTLY sprayed it out with my hose. Is that safe to do? I found the degreaser worked pretty well at cleaning up the engine bay.

Is that armor all stuff kind of like the same stuff?

macdaddyslomo

its not citrous based but yes its a degreaser-thats safe for aluminum....if you have aluminum valve covers,be VERY careful about using a citrus based degreaser..it can royally srew up the finish...use something that specifically states ok for use on aluminum....lightly spraying is ok just be VERY careful arund electrical components-water and electricity dont mix well....if you take the extra time to wipe the degreaser of by hand youll be pleasantly surprised,plus no chance of f-ing something up

sandman

Yeah, I'm not planning on spraying in my p5 bay. Just what I used to do with the escort cuz I didn't care. Thanks for the tips!

Pro_fan

Check out this thread from www.autopia-carport.com

http://www.autopia-carport.com/forum...&threadid=8608

sandman

From the thread: 'If you have compressed air available, this is the best way to remove old leaves, dead cats, and such. If you don't, a simple hand brush will suffice. '

LMAO!!

Pro_fan

LOL!! But I've heard that ACTUALLY happens sometimes. The cats will crawl up into the engine bay b/c it's warm. But when you start the engine and the cat's still in there, the fur flies!!!!

sandman

Oh yeah - i know it happens.. Not so much with our little cars and tiny engine bays, but on older cars and pickups where you could host a party in your engine compartment it happens a lot.

I just thought it was hilarius the way he casually added that into the sentence.

Pro_fan

Well I just cleaned my engine bay over the weekend. I didn't spray it with a hose...I went hardcore style and did it by hand.

I filled a bucket with soapy water and took a jay-cloth and went to town wiping everything. There was a lot of dirt, but not really any grease, so the soapy water did most of the work.

There were a few spots I couldn't reach into, so I got an old toothbrush and went to work with that.

The engine block had some grease on it, so I used a citrus-based degreaser and that worked with no troubles! I was gonna use a polish on the block, but it was going to rain (of course ), so I packed it up for the day.

The difference was like night and day! Most people spend a lot to some time cleaning the exterior of the car, but will likely forget the engine bay because "out of sight, our of mind." However, I think a clean engine bay really compliments the exterior.

Here's a closing thought....having a clean exterior, but a dirty engine is like wearing an Armani suit, but having skid marks in your drawers

sandman

If it's nice tomorrow i'm planning on doing the same. Thanks everybody for your tips!

chiproes

Um, thanks for sharing, Mike.

Pro_fan

I'd hoped you would pick up on that remark Dale...I was totally thinking of YOU when I thought it up!!



BTW...shouldn't you be doing your laundry right about now???

islandpro

last time i power washed my engine bay. i sat there for 2 hours. not fun. never again. not unless i do it at home with ours. and dont have anywhere to go. but thinks for the other tips guys.

islandpro

thats funny ****.