Degreasing the engine (Full Version)

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Degreasing the engine

cwiththehad -> Degreasing the engine (8/14/2007 9:56:35 AM)
I have been to multiple detailing sites and they all have different opinions on cleaning the engine. Would it harm anything to degrease it and power wash it out. Obviously i would stay away from the alt. and electrical the best i can but what about the plugs.

RCars2 -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/14/2007 10:19:06 AM)
What i usually do if i need to give the engine a good scrub down is i go down to the local self service wash, tape off the vents to the alt, then hit it with the rinse cycle first, then the degreaser stuff they got, and then wash it down with the regular rinse again. After that off with the tape, take it home and armor all the engine accessories and my truck is clean and shiny as a whistle.

FirehawkNS -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/14/2007 11:19:34 AM)
Curious why the ALT in the blazer has a problem with water? Have never had any troubles with pressure washing the Alt on any of my other vehicles and no mention of it being an issue on other tech sites specific for those vehicles. Hell the Alt on my Z gets hosed down everytime it rains outside since it's mounted right above the ground on the motor. Usually I just cover up the PCM if it's under the bay and avoid the fuse box as much as possible (that is with my other vehicles).

bubba181x1 -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/14/2007 11:28:31 AM)
yoh horny, got this degreaser called purple its 5 bucks a gallon. hose motor first then put greaser on it let it set 5 minutes then hose it off. engine should be fine alternator will be fine. gets wet when it rains rite????? then leave your hood open let it dry. good to go. unless u open your window and stick the hose inside cab and turn it on. hehehe later bubba

RCars2 -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/14/2007 12:27:07 PM)
I guess im paranoid with my alt. Ever since i had the last one cook on me i just want to make sure it lasts. Realistically i could just blast it and it would be fine.

TripleBlackBlazer -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/14/2007 2:39:21 PM)
I work at the Manheim Auto Auction in the wash bay for the summer (done in one more week!!!). That's all I do all day is wash cars and one of the most important areas is under the hood. We average about 45 cars per lane in a single day, times 14 lanes and you get 630 cars. All of them get their hoods raised, degreased, and pressure washed down, then dressed. And it's not your local car wash pressure washer, it's got some power behind it. The only car we don't touch under the hood is the Audi A8-they have a knack for shorting out when they get wet. Haven't had a problem with a car after washing the engine bay with this method to date. This is short term of course, over the course of time it might be a different story. I have never had any car trouble whether getting the ALT, or anything for that matter, wet. I actually took my truck to the local car wash yesterday and couldn't come close to the cleaning power I get at work so you shouldn't have any problems.

ShaneInsane -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/20/2007 10:31:07 PM)
Yeah, you should be able to get the alt wet, with out it ****ing up, I do all the time I mean its not the best thing for it I'd assume.. But when it rains or thunderstorms, Im sure everyones altenator gets wet.. But yeah talk about degreasing the engine tht's all im doing rite about, I mean thats all I can do at this moment, because i'm on house arrest, and can't step a foot outside my house, good thing my garage is connected to the house or else I wuldn't know what to do.. lol

TheBrettster -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/21/2007 12:37:10 AM)
I just use simple green :P Seems to get the job done.

drperry -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/21/2007 2:46:01 AM)
The alt on my old Z34 got completely submerged for a good 30 seconds while working... and after it had a few days to dry out it stopped charging at 18 volts and charged better than ever! A car wash shouldn't cause any problems... If you're worried about it, do like RCars does and tape it off, or bring a plastic bag...

rabbit0102030 -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/21/2007 4:12:15 PM)
I cover all my electronics just to be safe. Alternator, fuse box, cap, all that good stuff. I just use red shop rags. They are not very good at spoaking up liquid so they repell water very well. Warm your engine, shoot degreaser and let it sit 5 minutes, rinse clean, and armor all.

TheBrettster -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/22/2007 12:27:15 AM)
isnt that armor all gonna burn on the manifold etc? 1 reason why i've never done it.

Vermilion -> RE: Degreasing the engine (8/23/2007 7:18:41 PM)
I recomend Simple Green! Stuff is GREAT!! And it is not to hard on the enviroment. Not that I worry about it to much (it's my yard LOL J/K) And as far as the Alt gose, there really shouldn't be to much worry! The windings are insulated very well, and are in some ways expected to get wet(ie the vent holes) I work on AC/DC robotic, and CNC servo motors and we have to power wash high voltage stators all the time (just bake them out after). So a lower voltage going through the well insulated windings on an Alt shouldn't hurt! Only thing that this might be an issue is if you have a brake in the insulation, and that would mean it would have to get gauged pretty good. (and no ya dont need to be a good speller to be a good servo motor tech LOL)

00BlaZeR2 -> RE: Degreasing the engine (9/1/2007 2:01:43 AM)
A pretty effective way is to spray simple green and let it soak for a little bit then just spray it all down with a hose. Armor All the plastic pieces in the engine bay. And it looks like new.

Vermilion -> RE: Degreasing the engine (9/4/2007 12:19:32 PM)
Agreed!

MindlessCorpse -> RE: Degreasing the engine (9/24/2007 7:41:08 AM)
i use a foaming de-greaser, and rinse after. when it's dry i spray a thin coat of WD-40 around the compartment, it makes everything look shiny and new!?!?

blznlowxtreme -> RE: Degreasing the engine (10/5/2007 4:21:50 PM)
i just do it w/ the water hose so the pressure dont blast water in everything but the last time i did it water got into my fuse and relay box and it kept humming, so i started pulling them and blowing them out and it stopped. but i only do it as little as possible

curse -> RE: Degreasing the engine (4/10/2008 12:14:53 AM)
I know this is an old thread, but this is what I am talking about. I'm looking to not pressure wash my engine compartment, is there certian hand-held ways to do this? I got all day. Im just lookin for products/techniques. What im thinking of do is spray degreaser starting from top, scrub, and whipe off and work my way to the bottom where i believe about 10 years of build up as gathered underneath my engine. has any paranoid bastard like me done something like this and succeed. I know you are all pros but you have to know, i got bad luck. I like doing things hands on and try to divert from the easy way. plus it gives it a little more personal touch to it.

cliro -> RE: Degreasing the engine (4/10/2008 7:29:52 AM)
best way to clean an engine is with steam.

rriddle3 -> RE: Degreasing the engine (4/10/2008 7:54:28 AM)
I would not use pressurized steam on a modern engine. The pressure it is under is enough to force the moisture into electrical areas that water alone would not usually be able to get into and when that moisture gets into the computer system and electrical controls of today's engines - well, you get the idea. At one time steam was an option for engine cleaning, but today, I just don't think it's worth the risk.

otnietdehoooo -> RE: Degreasing the engine (4/10/2008 9:51:40 AM)
Simple Green and a toothbrush would work well if you really want to get that involved [:)]

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