Washing out the engine in my car? (Moved)

[Jodi54]

Hi my engine is very dirty and dusty, we are going to take the hose to it, the question I have is do I need to disconnect the battery before I wash it or can I leave it connected. I do not want to hurt anything. The reason why I am asking this is because I really do not want do disconnect the battery so I don't have to re program everything like we have to in our jag.

[yamabob]

For years I have hosed the engine bay down. I myself prefer to start the car-squirt with Super Clean. As car heats up, I rinse well. I leave car running the entire time. In 30 plus years I've never had a problem with this method. Never spray the engine while the car is hot and off. This could cause the sudden temperature change to a part to have it crack. I don't like the car off for the reason-if water is getting somewhere I don't want,it will run rough and I can easily stop. This was very true of the old cars,but hasn't applied in a while. Hope this help s ya some

[dhoolwerf]

I second what Yamabob says. I've been hosing down my engines for 20+ years without any problems. I don't use any chemicals, degreasers, etc....just the high pressure spray at the local car wash.

If you have an open air filter element, i.e. cold air intake, then cover the filter with a plastic bag. Other than that, no need to cover anything.

I recommend drying the engine bay with a leaf blower afterward, and if you want a fresh detailed look, spray the entire bay with your favorite tire shine product and wipe down with a clean dry cloth.

[Fisch]

I was just wondering this same thing. I always thought there were 3 or 4 places you had to cover. But no, just the intake?? Sounds easy enough.

Never heard of leaving your car running. And never heard of using tire shine for the engine bay. Thanks for the advice.

Anybody else do it different?

[MuttGrunt]

While everyone surely has their own method, and while many different ones can work fine: I'll throw in my recommendations as well.
If you have an exposed air intake filter, make sure to cover that, and make sure to either cover the alternator, or be very careful around it. Many things in modern engine bays are safe to rinse off, just avoid using high pressure. Ensure the engine isn't hot (running longer than a minute and the exhaust manifold will be VERY hot for example), but a warm engine isn't bad.
I use all purpose cleaner (APC) on engine bays diluted either 4:1, or 10:1 (either four or ten parts water to one part APC), which I spray liberally, then agitate with a dedicated brush used on engine bays. Agitation makes a HUGE difference in the cleaning power of anything, and a $2-5 brush will make a noticeable difference I think you'll find.
Once everything has been sprayed and agitated (don't forget the underside of the hood!), I rinse with water. At this point, you can either let the engine bay sit for awhile, or help it dry by wiping with a towel, or running the engine for 5 minutes.
The last step is dressing. This, like APCs, has a wide range of flexability. Some people stick with CD-2 engine bay detailing spray, some use tire-shine, and some use other products. Personally, one of my favorite products to use is No-Touch Tire Cleaner & Protectant. This product comes in an aerosol can and comes out as a foam, which clings well, cleans, adds a semi-gloss shine, and helps to protect. I like the idea of this over other tire-shine products that may be petrol-based, or too thick. The No-Touch is also nice because you spray, walk away, and in 30 minutes you have a nice shine without and build-up, no mess, and because it's aerosol based, it easily covers all hoses and wiring.

here are some pics of a recent engine bay I worked on: this one belonging to my Dad's 2007 Honda Pilot with 50k miles (i did this father's day).

before:





after:

[loudrims_inc]

awesome...i was always curious about how to wash the engine in the car, now i kno! cant wait to try this!

[Fisch]

Thanks for the detailed description!

I was already sold before the pictures - they were just overkill!

Gonna give it a try here soon. Thanks again.

[MuttGrunt]

^ glad this might have helped some fellow car enthusiasts get their rides looking right!

don't forget to post up before and after pics of how things turned out!

[Fisch]

Will do. But I've only had my car for a couple of months and even though I'm at about 50K miles, the stealership had the entire car detailed including the engine bay when I bought it. (It was a deal-breaker that I threw in just before signing on the line. I recommend everybody do it when buying a used car - they always honor this request if you save it for the end.)

So, all in all, the bay virtually looked brand new when I got it (except for some noticeable rusty belt wheels on the front which I still need to look into), but the last two months it has gotten very dusty from some of the dirt roads I have drove on. But still, don't think the before/after pics will be as impressive as the ones you posted above.

Which brings me to another question - if the bay is coated with some kind of shining product (which mine was from the stealership), won't it just attract the dust more easily and quickly? Or is this not as much of a problem with non-petrol based products like the No-Touch you recommended? Thanks again.

[dhoolwerf]

In my experience, when you spray the shiny stuff on, shut the hood and walk away, it will attract dirt sooner. This is why I always wipe the tire shine down with a clean dry cloth. I like my engine bay to look brand new, not like it just came from a used car lot. Wiping it down leaves a more matte/less shiny factory fresh appearance, and it stays clean longer. It also evens out the finish, which can be splotchy because different metals/plastics/rubbers under the hood absorb the tire shine at different rates. Plus, I don't like any little puddles left behind. It's a little extra work, true, but frankly I enjoy doing it and it's easy, and I always dig the end result. Incidentally, I use "tire shine" in a generic way; as for specific brand, I prefer No Touch as well, like MuttGrunt. The foam gives great coverage and it's easy to see if you missed a spot.

I find that I only need to spray the tire shine on every second or third wash to keep the engine bay looking fresh. And once your engine is good and clean, just a simple rinse will keep it that way- no need for degreasers and other cleaners, unless you've sprung an oil or coolant leak.