My fit is my DD, that said I would like to clean the engine bay but would like to know what I should cover/remove or avoid cleaning.

Have any of you tried cleaning the bay, if so what do you use? I woiuld rather rely on fitfreaks than google for this.


Thanks

 

I clean the engine bay every spring. I use S-100 "total cycle cleaner" (get it at any Harley-Davidson dealer) or Simple Green. I start with a cold engine and spray the engine bay down with the cleaner everywhere I can reach. I let it sit for a few minutes and rinse with a garden hose. I don't remove anything, but I try to use a bit of common sense and avoid spraying into the air intake, fresh air vents (for the interior) or too close to the fuse block or wiring. I also try to avoid getting the hood insulation too wet, as it can take a long time to dry. Otherwise I don't worry too much about getting things wet. Think about it, if water really hurt the engine, you'd be SOL every time you drove in rain or snow.

Afterward, start the car and drive it a few miles to warm the engine to dry everything off. Finish up with whatever detailing products you wish.

 

Fit Care - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums

look for any of the threads by fallen rock, he does amazing work

 

I came here to say this. Impressive stuff. He is the man to ask!

 

Just to add here. Fallen Rock does do great work, but you have to remember, that's what he does. He takes hours to clean up, and the results show. So if you are willing to spend the time, more power to you. I for one just use simple green. A few of the guys here have seen the engine bay of my NSX and it's pretty clean. The only thing you have to remember is to make sure to cover up the electrical parts or anything you don't want to get water in or wet.

Step 1: Cover parts you don't want wet with a plastic bag, use tape if you have to to keep them in place.
Step 2: spray with water to loosen the dirt.
Step 3: spray simple green liberally and let sit for 5 mins give or take.
Step 4: spray again with water to wash out all the simple green. you dont want the SG to dry up in there.
Step 5: remove the plastic bags. towel dry what you can, detail the part that the bags covered.
Step 6: go for a drive to dry the rest.

DONE.

I am no pro like Fallen...but hey it works for me.

 

After the big cleanup you can get a duster at a dollar store to keep things clean. Dip it into a bucket of soapy water and shake it to get it so it's just damp. It's a great tool to reach all the nooks and crannies.

 

This is what I do w/ engine cleaning
Fist do not get water near the coil packs!!!
I agree use simple green if the engine does not have alot of greasy gunk on it. If your doing a light engine bay cleaning cold engine is better than hot. Spray the S.G. or a equivalent generously and let set. An electric power washer if use w/ care does a great job. Blow down with A/C if you have access to one, if not towel dry then start up until dry. Let the engine cool down, wash the car and vac. interior. Now that the engine is cool to the touch shake up a can of STP tire shine spray liberally and wipe down with a smaller soft cloth.
Good luck and be sure to post a B4 and After pic.

Big Mike

 

And don't forget the mood lighting...
As usual, looking good!!

Man, you've got to get into production lighting - as in stage productions. Seriously.

K_C_

 

Never thought of using one of those wet. Good idea.

 

Meguiar's just came out with a new engine cleaner that is suppose to safe for all parts and just lets you spray and wipe. I can't wait to try it out this summer. The easiest way to keep the engine clean is to do a wipe down each and everytime you wash. It keeps it clean and easier to keep after. My engine bay still looks show room clean even though it is my DD.

 

Thanks Chuck

 

Anyone here ever heard of "GUNK"?

Gunk is industrial strength engine cleaner, available from any auto parts store... or almost any parts store. It's been awhile, but man, that stuff used to make engines look like brand new, without any scrubbing at all. Spray on, let sit for amount of time suggested by directions, spray off... you got your clean, new-looking engine!

I don't know, I don't hear of anyone using this stuff any longer. Does anyone know of something bad about 'Gunk'?

 

My guess would be the two most costly words today: Eco Friendly.

Gunk was born out of the days of PVC development, that is to say engines were commonly coated in oil and grime that was then embedded with dirt and sand and all sorts of stuff that cooked into the engine.

It is still on the shelves, though I've not looked at it in years. Maybe they've changed the formula to avoid EPA censure.

 

I would avoid the Simple Green. It works very well but will eat away at some metals after sustained use. It ate away at the uncoated Aluminum parts in my Nissan so I stopped using it for the engine bay.

Mix some hot water in a spray bottle, with a small amount of Dawn diswashing liquid (it's concentrated). It's a grease cutter and mild enough not to damage engine parts. Works very well. Cover all the important electical parts and avoid direct water or high pressure spraying on those parts.

Trust me on this gents ... I've made a mistake or two in 46 years of playing with cars!

 

Well that's valuable info - today you get the star. Thanks!

 

Simple Green is good stuff ... in moderation.

I use it to hot-tank blocks and heads or de-grime stuff that's never been cleaned before.

Then spray it down with brake cleaner.

I don't think I would make a habit of using that routine on my engine bay though. Thats a good way to eat/degrade rubber and electrical connections.

How often were you cleaning with simple green that bare aluminum was being eaten??

 

I was using it maybe once a month on a consistent basis, but it didn't happen overnight. I started to notice white pitting on the uncoated aluminum parts, and that's when I stopped and switched to the Dawn liquid. I would say it works well for engine blocks, heads, etc. on a one-time use basis, where you clean the parts, hone/ machine etc and then clean and reassemble, but not for repetitive applications.

You bring up an excellent point about the electrical connections. My fear is that over time, it may seep in there during cleanings, and eventually ruin the harness connections or whatever it comes into contact with. Something to think about.

 

For us old bikers, Gunk was a necessity. Back in the day, Harleys tended to seep oil if poorly maintained (and even well maintained ones had automatic rear chain oilers that made a mess of the rear of the bike). Gunk was necessary to cut throught the oily grime to clean the thing.

Modern engines (even Harleys) don't really leak much oil anymore, so even I don't use the stuff anymore.

 

That's why I recommend S-100. It was developed to clean motorcycles, which have lots of aluminum and exposed rubber and plastics (just like a car engine). I've been using it on my car and bike for over 20 years with no problems.

I DO recommend diluting it about 50% with water, as it does have a tendency to dry out rubber and plastic, despite what the manufacturer claims.

 

Newbie here. Any important parts that need to be covered? Alternator? Spark plugs? Etc... Thanks