What is the best way to clean/detail an engine and engine bay

[D-Maxima]

ive been meaning to clean and detail my engine and engine bay for a while now, but been to lazy to get around to it.

was just wondering how other people went about doing it. i was going to put degreaser on it and wash it off but is there a better/ more thorough way of doing it?

i know not to use high pressure on anything but does anyone have any other tips or even products they use?

any info is much appreciated! thanks!

[AZhitman]

That grille looks great on your Max!

I use the orange degreaser. Get in there with an assortment of brushes, rags, scrubbers, green pads, etc.

Cover all electrical connections with saran wrap, soak everything in citrus degreaser, and scrub away. Plan on getting dirty and wet.

Rinse well, and then detail the painted parts of the bay with some cheap car paint restorer (like TR3).

Put some Lexol rubber conditioner on the hoses.

Beyond that, not much else to do unless you want to start disassembling.

[Ilvemynissan]

I've always heard WD-40 works well........but I have never used it.

[Dansmaxima]

I have a blow gun that will suck up and spray whatever you put its hose into. I put the hose in a can of mineral spirits and hook it up to 90psi from my compressor. I direct the spray at whatever I want oily grime taken off of. Then I blow the engine off with straight compressed air. A full face sheild is a good idea. It causes flammable vapors too, I usually have a fan going to dissipate the fog quickly. I'm sure you can get these guns at any auto parts store. I'm sure it would spray engine cleaner or citrus cleaner. I keep a big piece of cardboard under the car while I'm doing this to catch the runoff. Then it can be disposed of properly.

[nismo1219]

i would recommend using alot of degreaser and detailing spray for most parts. wd-40 only works short term (around 15 minutes or so until it dries) so you could rub on some baby oil if your at a show or something and want that dark, shiney black hose look. its going to be an all day afair if your going to do it properly, especially if you have never done it before. also, you may want to grab some icy-hot and tylenol for when your done...you will kill your back, lol. another thing id recommend is to get ALOT of detail rags to wipe of all the crap. dont bother trying to clean them if this is your first go around...they'll be unsalvagable, but hey, their cheap! good luck my friend!!

[SVTCOBRA]

I do basically same as hitman, but with Castoral Super Clean Engine Degreaser. Works great!!!

Not as clean as the one above, but 96 with 84K miles & original.

[turbospotter]

you can simple green the thing and pressure wash it on low pressure. Just be carefull with the intake. Start it up right after your done so the engine heats up and the water will evap.

[D-Maxima]

thanks hitman! i like the grill too!

nismo: yes it would be an all day thing and the rags would be sacrificed. the reason my engine is so dirty in the first place is that there is a small oil leak somewhere so it just spreads around and all the crap off the road sticks to it! i havent got the leak fixed coz ive been told it would cost a bit.

plus if i cleaned the engine and engine bay well enough i hopefully can see where exactley it is and see if i could plug it!

thanks for all the info guys, i think ill get a whole load of rags and some degreaser for the engine and wash it off..and cover parts which need it

as for the paint on the engine bay, would normal car polish do the trick? either before or after using some degreaser on it?

thanks everyone this info is awesome!

[AZhitman]

I'm not a fan of Simple Green. There are much better environmentally-safe products out there.

[Soravia]

What about dish washer foam detergent?

It gets grease off my hand quicker than Orange stuff.