Engine Cleaning

Ok so my engine and some other parts have layers and layers of grease caked all over the place, and my mechanic unfortunately doesnt clean engines but he needs it clean around there to find a slight oil leak i may have. from what ive herd i can go get a can of engine de-greaser, get the engine all hot, spray the stuff on then hose it off. but im just REALLY scared of getting water where it doesnt belong, i know alot of places get wet when it rains and whatnot, and i know i have to cover up a few things to protect from water (electrical fuse box) but what else should i look out for and cover up from water, or is it risky doing it DIY?? :uhoh:

anyone got any info??

I have always went to the local DIY car wash and used the engine degreaser they have. It only comes out low pressure and then I do a low pressure rinse. I keep the car running, I am not sure if thats the right way but thats what I do. I have never had any problems with the car after that. If you are afraid of DIY then I would spray degreaser on a rag and then do it by hand.

If you are going for looks then I would use any shiny protectant stuff and "Back to Black"

I have never had any problems with water in the engine or anything.

It looks like nobody wants to touch this one Mike561.

How does the area around the supercharger, fuel rails and valve covers look? It would be safe to clean the bottomside of the engine. Topside would require preparation.

I would be real careful especially with all the electrical components and the wiring harnesses. One of the local GP guys went to a magic wand car wash and used that degreaser option. About a week later he started getting misfires and crank position sensor errors. The water from the high pressure penetrated the electrical connector to the sensor and then the complete harness got fried. I had to replace the complete harness from the crank sensor and camshaft sensor to the ICM module. We were lucky because it was a one piece removable harness and found it at the junkyard.

Yeah we have a couple of car washes around here, i dont really care for looks i just want it to be clean, i THINK if i remember correctly that more of the bottom part of the engine was the dirtiest, the top part under the hood and whatnot doesnt look that bad. ill have to get someone with a jacks though so i can navigate around under there and get those support things incase the jack fails :o im gonna take a pic of all the grease parts though to show everyone whats going on, i think that would be the best thing to do, post them and go from there.

I took my 2000 GP to a local full service car wash, where they did it for $10. They covered everything and dried most by hand. My 2000 GP isn't a GTP though so I didn't have the supercharger to worry about.

I've always been told that you should either do the cleaning with the engine cold (after sitting overnight) or with it running to prevent "cracking" block.

Just my :2cents:
Brick

i have degreased many motors in my life and never had a problem- follow the directions. the key is to use as little water as possible. also, if you buy a can of degreaser, 90% will say to not use it on a hot motor. let it soak for the full recommended amount of time. black magic makes one that cleans and shines. i finish my motor off with a product called "engine detailer" and it makes it look factory new. also- i had one bad experience when i let too much water get into my cold air intake... lets just say you should let the car sit and all the water to dry.

alright ill give it a try then, ill definetly use as little water as possible, ill let everyone know how it goes. like i mentioned before though i THINK (or at least it looks like) most of the grease is on the lower part of the engine under the car, so thats good.

A couple things I always use for this is an old 1" paint brush and a toothbrush.

The can stuff works best if you scrape all the Big stuff off first.
No matter what you use, watch those eyes !