Clean engine bay?

[gungfudan]

If I cleaned my engine bay out. How would I do that? I don't want to mess anything up.

 

[Earl43P]

This was a free 93 that I picked up a few years ago. Needed a battery, fuel pump and flywheel (ring gear).

This was after hosing off the engine bay, spraying Simple Green all over, brushig the heavy spots and then Pressure Washing. IMO, you could do just as well at a good car wash. Don't douche the alternator if you plan to start it up right afterward.

 

[gungfudan]

now my truck has a carburetor does that make a difference

 

[adsm08]

now my truck has a carburetor does that make a difference

Yeah, you need to make sure you have the air-cleaner sealed off so you don't get water down the intake. Just having it on should be good enough, maybe stuff a fabric rag in the nose of it.

 

[gungfudan]

yeah i got an after market carb with an exposed filter. So i was thinking about putting a plastic bag over it. how long should i wait after cleaning to start it up.

 

[Mark_88]

I've stuffed a rag in the carb and sprayed the engine bay (especially the transmission housing after it got coated with oil) and mine started up right away. Like Earl says, don't spray the alternator (cover it with a bag if you want) and be careful around the carb. Even with a rag stuffed in it I don't spray it directly.

The engine bay is pretty much subject to tons of road spray if you drive in the rain so it's pretty immune to water in most cases. I put boots on my coil and distributor just for the added protection though. Got the boots from the Tempo section of the junkyard and they just need a bit of cutting to work with Rangers.

 

[gungfudan]

just cleaned my engine bay it looks great. I used mean green

 

[Earl43P]

Heres's another tip.

Spray all the rubber and plastic with ArmorAll.
It;ll look good for a long time and clean up with just the hose.

 

[debogus]

+100 on the armor all recommendation
I just went through the same thing had the out side and in the cab all cleaned up and waxed . Getting real proud of it....
Then one day I'm looking at the motor , WTF, this is just wrong

 

[4.0B2]

I like the "steam it up" option.

soak it in Mean Green or something similar; lightly spray some water on it; put the hood down, crank it up and let it idle so you get some steam under the hood; then rinse after its cooled. I've done it a few times and it looks like you've scrubbed it clean even tho you didn't do anything but let it idle.

 

[Blitzp]

dows doing this not mess with anything electrical?

 

[Earl43P]

I've only had a problem with bad plug wires that arc when wet.

Tells you that you need new plug wires.

 

[1994_4x4]

I take everything to the car wash. At the body shop I used to work at it was mandatory to pressure wash the engine bay. The issues I've had with pressure washing engine bays are vehicles with distributors.

 

[4.0B2]

I've had one issue on a 5.4 f150 that when we washed it was when all the cools decided to die. Granted it had 160k miles on it... Coils only last so long anyways. I think the plug boots were worn and lose tho.

 

[logman7777]

Get the engine warm. Spray everything liberally with Simple Green, Purple Stuff or even Foamy Engine Brite (if you can find it). Use a pressure washer (preferably a car wash or a lower pressure one). Dont spray electrical connections, distributor or the Brain too hard but blast everything else.

Start Engine and let it dry itself out with the hood closed(10 minutes or so)

Shut the engine off...

Then spray Armor All on EVERYTHING under the hood and start the engine again to dry it out..

Use a rag to even out any puddles and you got a Detailed Shine