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| You have an event coming up and now that
your vehicle looks good from the proper hand wash, what will
you do when someone asks you to pop the hood? That excuse of
"I've been meaning to clean under there..." is ancient, so
let me show you how to can get your engine bay looking good
in 30 minutes or less. |
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| The Inspection |
| Today's engines are high-tech,
sophisticated, most often aluminum, and there are a lot more
electronics under the hood than there were 30 years ago.
These are things to keep in mind when you are inspecting
your vehicle and deciding what, if anything, to cover up and
seal off from water. If you have a conical type air filter
from an aftermarket cold air intake system, you will want to
cover that up with a garbage bag and seal off the ends with
tape. On occasion, I have chosen to remove the air intake
system and seal off the water at the throttle body, because
it would be easier to wash the engine with that particular
component removed. Factory air intakes still have openings
to allow air in and it is important to find those and if you
feel there is a chance a single drop of water could find
it's way inside, seal up the opening. Electronics, such as vehicle computers
should be covered up with foil or saran wrap. Most vehicles
have their computers under the dash board, but there are
some that have them under the hood, as demonstrated below. |
| If you tape up or seal an air
intake opening, do not forget to remove the tape! |
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| Above, you can see that the vehicle's
computer is the aluminum casing on the right side. Although
this casing is most likely sealed by the factory, it is not
worth the risk when it takes only a few seconds to cover it
up with foil. Other things to look for are loose wires or
connections, making sure your oil cap is tight, and that
your transmission and engine oil dipsticks are fully
secured. Also ensure that your engine block is cool in
temperature as this makes washing easier, and you will not
burn yourself during the wash and dry process. As for
covering up the alternator - It is a debate that has been
back and fourth, and you will have to decide that for
yourself. From my personal experience, I have never had a
problem leaving it uncovered. That is certainly not to say
you won't have any problems with your particular
application. If you are not sure, you should seal it off.
Look for areas where water will collect, such as near the
intake manifold or fuel injectors and either determine if
you should place an absorbent rag there for the wash or just
dry it off immediately after the wash. You do not want a lot
of water collecting anywhere, so when in doubt either seal
it off or place an absorbent rag there. |
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| Brushes |
| When it comes to brushes, you don't need
anything fancy. You don't need to special order them over
the internet, they don't need to be made by a large
detailing-related brand name company, the brushes you need
are probably right down the street. Now if you want to
special order them, there is nothing wrong with that either.
The brushes I have chosen to use over the years are
extremely effective and available locally for usually $5-$10
each. You may find them at a food store or general hardware
store. |
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| Both of the brushes have different
advantages. The one on the left does a wonderful job getting
into very tight spaces between hosing, fuse boxes, fuel
rails, and other tight areas that are an inch or less to get
through. The brush on the right does a great job as the
all-around brush, getting valve covers, pulleys, engine
covers, and most other flat and curved surfaces. These two
brushes alone can take care of just about anything under the
hood. |
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| Engine Degreasers |
| The two most important engine
degreasers I have used can be categorized by how effective
they are when it comes to serious grease build up. If we are
talking the worst of the worst, Castrol Super Clean Cleaner
& Degreaser is perfect for you. If the engine compartment is
moderately dirty to dusty, concentrated Simple Green is the
one for you. Overall, even if your engine is very greasy, I
suggest trying Simple Green first due to how environmentally
friendly it is. Castrol Super Clean may not necessarily be
harmful to the environment, but Simple Green has a
reputation for creating environmentally friendly products. |
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| Rubber/Vinyl Protectant |
| A quality rubber/vinyl protectant is
suggested to protect and condition the rubber hoses, and
leave a quality matte finish on your engine compartment's
plastic surfaces. Avoid Armor-All as it creates a high gloss
finish, which may look good to some, it will attract dirt
and dust like a magnet. Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer
works great and leaves a nice matte finish on the plastic. |
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| Safety First |
| It is highly suggested by myself and the
chemists and companies involved making these engine
degreasers that you wear safety glasses or goggles when you
are using their products. I cannot stress this enough, it is
extremely likely with all of the corners, curves, and
crevices in your engine compartment that a stream of water
will launch back at your face and quite possibly into your
eyes. Please wear safety goggles. |
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| Pressure Washer or Standard Hose
Nozzle? |
| Pressure washers are very effective and
in few cases a great idea, but in most cases, a standard
hose nozzle is the way to go. If not used very carefully,
pressure washers can force water into crevices where it
should not be. For example, if you were washing the engine
on anything with a Ford Coil Over Plug Ignition Coil
(C.O.P.) and it was not secured completely from a tune up,
the pressure washer may force it's water into the shaft
where the spark plug sits. It can also force water into
wiring looms and important electrical connectors. My advice
is to stick with the standard hose nozzle. |
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ENGINE DETAILING
SAFETY
GOGGLES ARE RECOMMENDED FOR ALL OF THESE STEPS!
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| After the inspection, begin
rinsing off the engine compartment. |
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| Using the suggested automotive
engine degreaser, apply it to the engine and compartment
area while heavily saturating areas that are thick in
grease. It is OK to get this on the surrounding plastic, but
be careful about overspray on to your vehicle's clear coat
if you are doing this on a windy day. |
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| Using the large brush, agitate
the dirt from the valve covers, engine covers, coolant and
power steering reservoir bottles, etc... Anywhere you can
fit this brush is where it needs to go. Do not try to push
it into tight areas unless you are certain there are no
wires near by and you will not cause damage to any engine
components. |
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| Use the small brush to agitate
dirt from smaller crevices that the large brush could not
reach. Be very careful around any electrical wires and other
delicate components. |
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| Rinse the engine degreaser off of
the engine and surrounding components. |
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| Using three or four highly
absorbent rags, dry your engine off by hand. An alternative
to this would be to use an electric leaf blower if you have
one. It will make it a lot easier. |
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| Spray your interior protectant on
to a microfiber or other rag that is dedicated to engine
compartments only. I suggest walking around a corner of the
nearest building or your house and spraying it on to the rag
from there. This way you do not have to worry about it
getting on your paint or other areas where you do not want
it. You can do this step while the engine is still partially
wet or completely dry. |
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| With practice, you should be able
to do this in about 15-20 minutes. Although the vehicle in
this article did not have a very dirty engine compartment,
look below for the same exact process done on other engine
compartments and the results that have followed. |
| IMPORTANT: Remove any tape, saran
wrap, or foil you have used now! |
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Feel free to ask questions or submit
feedback, comments, compliments, or concerns to
Jason@jasonsautospa.com and let me know how it worked
out for you.
Did you find this article helpful?
Copyright © 2007
Jason's Auto Spa LLC
This article and it's images may not be re-distributed by
anyone, anywhere, at any time. |
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