Engine Bay Cleaning

[TXT]

I'm planning on cleaning my engine bay and I've done so in the past with my previous vehicle. My 2006 M45 has that huge plastic piece underneath the engine bay of the car and I'm not sure if that needs to be removed to let water/grime/grease fall out. My older car didn't have it.

What have you guys done in the past? I could probably clean it with the plastic piece on but idk! I'd rather know for sure and i don't want to jack up the car and take it off if I don't have to.

[DeanM45]

I recommend taking it off so you can clean it as well. That will also allow you to clean more of the engine from the underside. You do not have to take it off as the water/grime will simply run off the back for the most part but if you are going so far as to clean the motor you might as well go all the way.

[TXT]

I cleaned her up today but just left that piece intact. I bought it in July and it now has 72,xxx miles on her and I needed it to be clean...just something about me I guess haha. If I have to get some work done on the underside of the car and have to jack it up, ill clean that piece at that point.

[anotheraznguy]

what did you use to clean the engine bay?

[TXT]

I used:


I sprayed that everywhere, after i took off the plastic covers of course. I let that sit for a couple of minutes while I scrubbed the areas I could with a brush. I took it to those cleaning bays that have pressure washers and I think that may have helped a bit in removing possible clumps of grease. Some say high pressure is a no no for cleaning engines, and I agree which is why I sprayed the engine with water from a distance.

After the cleaner was rinsed, I dried the engine in areas that may form visible water spots.

I sprayed the same cleaner on the 2 plastic pieces that I had laying on the floor and rinsed it and dried it as well.

I put it all back together, shut the hood and continued to clean the front of my car to remove any possible overspray from the degreaser. It was going to rain that night so I didnt care for cleaning the whole car. That degreaser will ruin your paint if it stays on for a while so i made sure to spray it down with soap and water.

I drove it back home and used the engine heat to finish drying the engine. I sprayed a bit of

on the engine and plastic material but not too much. Very little is needed. I actually had to go and wipe off excess in certain areas but it still left a shine.

If any of you were wondering; I did not cover anything and I didn't clean the inside of the battery or brake fluid areas. They were already clean.

[jmichael97]

hey can you let us know in a couple weeks how clean it is? and if the shine held up?

[TXT]

hey can you let us know in a couple weeks how clean it is? and if the shine held up?

Will do. I'll take an updated pic and post it, if I remember.

[Larz]

Thanks for this TXT ! I had no idea we can safely clean the engine bay without covering up things. That's all that was keepiong me from doing it. Until now I have been cleaning it by hand being very careful and using a very small brush and a pitcher with water for rinsing. It's nice to see I'm not the only one who actually cleans the engine bay on a regular basis. I think I may have got you beat though as I run the car up on ramps in my garage and wash the entire underside too, LOL.
When I had the car in earlier this month to have the tires rotated, balanced, and aligned the guy hoisted it up, looked underneath and said: "Do you only drive in clear weather? I've seen brand new cars with more dirt under here." I just laughed and told him I'm a cleanliness nerd.
Again, thanks for your post.