Engine area wash.

What’s up tundra family. Hope all is well with everyone. Any safe way or steps I should take to clean my engine bay. Thanks in advance.

 

Wouldn’t do it; too many harnesses and wires to get wet and cause issues. Gentle wipe down with warm soapy water and a wet clean damp rag rinse in my opinion

 

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X3

 

Well if driverdog was still here, he could help ya. I will tell ya what I learned from him. First I also in no way would spray any water into or on my engine.

I use a paint brush and Mr. Pink, it can be whatever soap you use. Blue Coral from wally world is good and cheap. Wipe down everything you can, any access dirt. Brush everything you want to clean and don't want to get wet (harnesses, wiring, etc)
Once you have finished with brushing, wipe everything down with microfiber towel, may take more than one. This is also when I wipe and clean my wiring and harnesses, just be mindful.
Once everything is dry, finish with your protective spray. I like wax addict or Aerospace 360.
Sorry this is probably not the best explanation, but you can definitely clean your engine bay without spraying anything. Hope this helps

 

This absolutely. I use a three or four inch paint brush. Depending on how dirty it is, you might have to brush with soapy water a couple of times.

 

Absolutely John, I learned a ton from Jim, and this was a great way to clean your engine bay.

 

Awesome guys. Thanks for all the feed back. Love this site.

 

Can you PM his number to me? I bricked my phone a couple of weeks ago and not all of my contacts came back. I need to talk to him about instabead.
Also, I forgot to add, even using this method you have to be careful not to get the brush too wet. I fried a relay one time. It's for aftermarket lights. The way I secured the spare wire, the relay was upside down, so the connector was exposed. When I replaced it, I changed the location and orientation and sealed it, but still...

 

I bought into the idea of never washing the engine bay. However, over the last 5 years or so, I've spent time digging around my vehicles' engine bays to get a full appreciation. I also read up a bit and watched a ton of youtube videos.

Anyhow, I can say I've safely washed at least 1/2 dozen engine bays in the past 5 years. I don't wash them regularly by any means. I wash them as the "new owner" of a used vehicle where it may not have had a wash in 5+ years.

If your engine bay isn't all that dirty... clean your bay with a brush and minimal water as noted above. If you've got years and years of buildup, you may have to resort to washing as an absolute last resort. A few tips if you do end up washing - carefully ID all your electronic components and cover them up (saran wrap or plastic bags work great), douse your engine with degreaser (think simple green), use a toothbrush to work the degreaser, let the degreaser soak real well... and finally, use a hose (without pressure) to let water into areas you're comfortable with.

Aim to avoid: alternator, spark plugs, fuse box, harness connectors. Do not force water into areas. Just try to let the water carry the degreaser away.

Here's a great video someone did for washing an engine bay... though aim not to use the nozzle.
https://youtu.be/PRSoRkM8GcM

Here's an argument to NOT clean your engine bay:
https://youtu.be/7eFMaG4CXOM

 

Guys with snorkels don’t seem to care how much water gets in there lol. I’ve washed my engine bay dozen times and give it numerous armor all touch ups in between to keep it looking new. If I get things crazy dirty under there for some reason I Have used the 3 step gunk treatment and just let low pressure water flow over it and just try to directly hit the electrical components.