Dirty engine

What is the proper procedure to clean my engine. Can I just take it to the car wash and spray it down? Will it hurt anything?

The alternator can be damaged by water spray ... that's about it. Either cover it or avoid spraying it. Make sure all lids (such as brake master cylinder) are on good and tight.

Some folks clean the engine while its idling ... just to make sure it will still run after spraying ... but this is dangerous because of moving parts. Best to make sure the ignition cables and pack are in good shape and have the engine NOT running.

Most self-service car cleaning stations have pistol-grip nozzles with really long spray wands. This is so you can get the spray tip close to your vehicle but keep yourself and your clothes back away from the splash-back. But for the guy cleaning an engine, the long wand is very unhandy and keeps you from reaching close areas you want to reach. So look for a station with a short wand ... or one where the wand can be removed and shortened.

Its a good idea, before driving to the cleaning station, to get under your vehicle and pre-soak all the dirty areas with a non-flammable household cleaner.

Hi davescort..finally i can give you some advice lol..

I just cleaned my engine a couple weeks ago and it looks and runs like new.

Stuff you need:
Engine Degressor
Plastic bags
Wd-40
Power washer or garden hose
Engine finish spray
bristal brush (if needed)
tooth brush (if needed)

Ok heres what i did. I pre-washed the front of the car so the engine degressor wouldnt penetrate the body paint. Then i sprayed some WD-40 on any electrical connectors. WD-40 is a water displacement so it would protect the connectors from water. Then I cover the alternator/sparkplugs/battery terminals/sparkplug main box/ and fuse box with plastic bags. Take out the air filter and cover the inside with a plastic bag.
Then spray some engine degressor all over the engine, let it set for 15-20 minutes. After that use the bristal brush to get the really gressy places and a tooth brush for the tough to reach places.
After that use your pressure washer or garden hose and spray the engine lightly keeping away from the alternator etc. Also spray the front body.
Then use the engine finish for that nice clean glossy look.
Replace the air filter.
Start the car and let it run for 10-15 mins so the water can burn off.
Thats it

Happy engine cleaning.....

I use Simple Green and a rag to get clean up most of the engine... and I just soak the greasy areas that I can't get my hands into easily. I like using the pressure washer at the car wash to rinse it off (because I really don't want the big greasy spot in my driveway). I just use a fine mist with the pressure washer and don't pull the handle to blast it.
Just make an effort to keep it away from the alternator and battery.

I just read in my owners manual today that it's recommended to cover the air cleaner box, fuse box and battery when cleaning the engine.
I personally never cover anything and have never had a problem.
I used neverdull on the metal exhaust heatshield that covers the exhaust manifold and it shined it up really nice. Makes a big difference.

Thanks for your suggestions. It's been dirty for years now and I haven't cleaned it for fear that I would get something wet and short out a sensor or something. I read a thread about a man that had a mess in his engine. Something had crawled in there and died. He sprayed it with a high pressure washer and got water inside his CCRM. So, I was concerned. Sounds like you guys have had successes with this. I definately feel good enough about cleaning it now. I hate working on it when it is so greasy and filthy. I'll just have to be careful about getting close to the CCRM and I'll cover the air cleaner and things that are electrical that you mentioned. I'm gonna do this. ~Dave~

Thanks for your suggestions. It's been dirty for years now and I haven't cleaned it for fear that I would get something wet and short out a sensor or something. I read a thread about a man that had a mess in his engine. Something had crawled in there and died. He sprayed it with a high pressure washer and got water inside his CCRM. So, I was concerned. Sounds like you guys have had successes with this. I definately feel good enough about cleaning it now. I hate working on it when it is so greasy and filthy. I'll just have to be careful about getting close to the CCRM and I'll cover the air cleaner and things that are electrical that you mentioned. I'm gonna do this. ~Dave~


Hi if your afraid of that happening to you, your best bet is a garden hose a pressure washer might be to powerful..

Keep in mind that these degreasers and cleaners can be hard on the aged and aging rubber parts under that hood. Recommend keeping these chemicals off of them and given them a coat of silicon every now and then. Same goes for the black rubber trim on the doors. Chemicals from the automatic car wash dried and shriveled one up like sidewalk-worm. Make sure you hit them too or just avoid automatic car washes altogether.

EDIT: By the way I just happened to notice that dry-rot coupled with excessive length half detached the intake vacuum hose at the evaporator cannister located beneath the driver side headlight. (just follow the vacuum hose from beneath the intake down to the cannister)

Well, I got it cleaned up today. I didn't go to the car wash. I bought a can of Gunk (engine cleaner). I covered up the alternator, coil packs and fuse box. Sprayed it with Gunk and let it soak for about 5 minutes. Sprayed it off with the garden hose and everything came out very nice. Clean, bright engine. It started right up and I had no check engine lights on the dash.
I never expected such huge response on this thread or so many great ideas. I thank you one and all. ~Dave~

Im fixing up a 91 Escort LX, with the 1.9L & a tranny that was "slipped to death". Even though the car only has 90k miles on it, all the rubber parts under the hood are about 19 years old - so many of the hoses will be replaced; including the two really feeble rubber ones that run to the evaporative cannister.