With spring here its finally time to wash my car again. While doing some maintenance on it the other day i realized how filthy my engine bay is from sitting since october. I was wondering what products and methods people safely use to wash their engine bay so i can finally make it shine

 

I use SimpleGreen, elbow grease & clean shop towels. Keep heavy water spray off of the electrical connections as much as possible

Consider covering the fuse box w/plastic if using a water stream

 

I only use Fantastik and a degreaser like PurplePower and towels (LOTS of towels). I've never sprayed water under the hood, but I only actually wash my car with water twice per year. After the initial cleaning I use a quick detailer to maintain the look of the painted parts.

 

Check the pH levels of Purple Power. High alkaline which is very corrosive to alum

Simple Green is much friendlier to alum w/a pH of 9.5 vs Purple Power at 13.5

Im no Chemist but thats what ive learned in my automotive profession

 

Thats the difference between a heavy degreaser and an APC basically. I use meguiars super degreaser for engine and wheels/tires. And meguiars APC for lighter cleaning needs. The SD is pretty awesome for hitting the areas I cant reach, soaking a min, then spraying off. Either with steam (a bit more power but not much range) or water in areas Im not too worried about electronics (like firewall, ABS stuff, sub frame)

 

What are you using for steam? I've been wanting to pick up a unit for a while now, but I can't seem to justify a few thousand on it.

 

I just bought a "airless paint sprayer" from harbor freight. This is what I use to clean areas on the car under the vehicle and in the engine bay. It uses a ridiculously small volume of water but sprays it at slightly higher pressures but not super aggressive like a "power washer".

Nice thing about using the paint sprayer to spray cleaner is that it does not get dirty and clogged with paint because I am just spraying water and cleaner. I bought this specifically for cleaning (not painting) and I've been using it so far on my Mazda 4x4 pickup truck to clean the splash shields and underbody behind the tires.

I can take pictures if you want.

 

I'm in the simple green and bunch of paper towels boat as well. takes time but is more than safe. for engine bay of course. when it comes to exterior I also only wash my car maybe once or twice a summer. ceramic coating is the shizzzz.

 

These are the two cleaners I use.


They're both better than the mediocre SG.

This is the steam cleaner I have. Its nothing special and not that powerful but does a pretty good job at getting spots cleaned. Like a little APC on headliner then hit with some steam to help break it up more, and blot with a MF. Got out all the stubborn stains in the wifes car no problem doing this.

 

Joe is right about purple power, it will eventually strip coatings off and oxidize aluminum where simple green won't. And simple green works just as good.

I use a degreaser, either Simple Green or Gunk in an aerosol can and pressure washer or steam. If you using a pressure washer, make sure you turn the pressure down to <2000psi and don't get super close. Most and pay and spray self serve car washes have a "steam clean" or very hot water setting that works well also.

 

+1 on the McCulloch steamer

The Harbor Freight steamer is $99 (cheaper with a coupon)

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Awesome, thanks for the recommendation! Was looking for a cheaper one for a while, I think I might just go ahead and order this to try it out.
Also Meguiars APC and DG is fantastic! I also recommend trying their window cleaner as well. It smells like grape and works waaay better than anything else I've tried. Meguiars pro products are by far my favorite.

 

I honestly forgot i made this thread and i appreciate all the replies. I didnt think it would be that dirty until i looked at a carbon fiber piece under the hood and it looked black haha