Cleaning and Degreasing Engine Bay

How should I go about cleaning my engine bay? Some people say power washing is fine and others say using degreasers is better. What parts under the hood should I cover to prevent damage to electrical parts? I have a 2005 Tundra.

 

Simple green in a spray bottle, water in another spray bottle. Several different brushes. Spray an area, brush it a bit, rinse it. No need to cover anything. Generously apply the soap while your brushing. You will need, like paint brushes, tooth brush, dish brush, etc. Different angles, sizes for different areas. Compressed air can help too just don't hold the nozzle real close.

 

I will use a garden hose around the edges of the bay, hitting the top of the radiator, the weatherstripping on the sides and back, the area below the wipers, etc. But no way would I spray my hose directly on any electronics. And a power washer...zero chance I use that on any part of my vehicle. About every other wash, I spend about 20 minutes under the hood, just dusting, cleaning and wiping with black trim conditioner. My truck is only 5 months old, but following this routine on my previous vehicle the engine bay looked pretty much as new when I traded it after 42 months.

 

@shifty`

https://youtu.be/PRSoRkM8GcM

 

If you have access to an air compressor it would really help. Buy some detail brushes from Wal-Mart or even and old toothbrush.

 

That's a heather approved engine bay if there ever was one.

 

My local car wash has as setting for "Engine/tire cleaner" and it works damn well. It's most likely simple green, as it smells like it but it melts the dirty right off. I spray it on at the beginning of the car wash to let it soak while I was the rest of the truck. I then hit it with rinse setting without pulling the trigger on the wand to keep the pressure low. Works good enough for me.

 

Daaaaaaamn, now we need to figure out what they're using! I'd be really interested to know.

For what it's worth, since Simple Green came up in conversation. I'd never put Simple Green (the green variety, not the Purple HD stuff) on anything metal that's got nooks and crannies. It says directly on the bottle it's not alloy-safe and not safe for other metals. I know guys who've seriously screwed up anodized alloy parts on bikes, boats, campers, and other stuff thinking it was safe. Breakdown, pitting, galling won't happen right away to all things metal if you rinse thoroughly, but will happen over time with repeated use. Pitting in aluminum stuff is probably the most common case.

Green Simple Green is not safe for some metals.
Purple Simple Green HD is safe for all metals.

This is per the directions nobody likes to read

 

I hate you.

 

your hatred for ChrisFix is similar to mine of Scotty Kilmer.

 

Oh believe me, I hate Scotty Kilmer also.

Give me anyone in automotive other than those two guys. Chris Fix sounds like every shitstain from Jersey I've ever known (not everyone from Jersey is a shitstain, for the record). Scotty sounds like ... drunk Peter from family guy meets Eugene Levy, and is full of shit. I actually would give Chris Fix a leg up here, because at least a lot of what he says is factual. Scotty just spouts off garbage opinions with no basis in reality. Add in Scotty's "Well, you knoooooow..." delivery on everything and ... ugh.

Yeah. Anyway. Yours and @SouthPaw 's engine bays take the cake. They look awesome. I started to (finally) take some polishing compound and an orange sponge to de-chalk my front radiator support. I hope to do the rest of the inside as temps start to come down to Autumn levels soon. I need to address my rubber soon. I'm dying to use Simple Green or Bleche White on it because I know it'll get it super clean, super black, super fast, but both are potentially really bad for other stuff in the bay.

 

Hit it with compressed air around the value covers/spark plug openings. I didn’t and water would fall into the coil opening. This caused the boots to crack/rip. Other than that the engine is pretty durable.

 

Ideally it's recommended to cover electrical components but if you're prepared to deal with an adverse situation that may arise from spraying the motor and engine bay, go for it. I have in the past on numerous vehicles and never encountered an issue yet. YMMV. Having said that, I use Meguiar's Super Degreaser full-strength when I first clean a motor and engine bay that's new to me. The advantage to the Meg's is that it is alloy and aluminum-safe. It also will not damage plastics or spot them. I also use Simple Green foam in a spray can. Bought a couple of cases off of the Big Gurrrl because it's not easy to find. The advantage of it is that it doesn't run on vertical surfaces and it's also relatively safe. And, as was suggested, get a variety of brushes for thick, stubborn stuff. I keep old toothbrushes just for the bikes and cars.

Edit: I almost forgot: dry the electrical connections as quickly as possible with compressed air if you can. Then, seal then up with electrical grease. This will prevent dirt and moisture from entering them in the future and make them much easier to disconnect after long periods of being connected. It's laborious but worth it.

2nd edit: here's the Simple Green foam I'm referring to:

$16 Simple Green 19010 Foaming Crystal Industrial Cleaner/Degreaser, 20oz Aerosol Can

https://www.amazon.com/Foaming-Crystal-Industrial-Cleaner-Degreaser/dp/B0010T66JO

Couple images of what it did for my '98 Jeep XJ since I haven't cleaned the motor and engine bay in the Tundra yet since I bought it:

 

Meh, what the hell...

This is what it looked like when I pulled up to buy it. I knew I was going to have my hands full for awhile. Turned out to take 6 years. The motor and engine bay weren't any cleaner or prettier:



But, it was worth it:

 

For 40 years I have used Armor All and Dawn dishwashing liquid. On a WARM engine (but not HOT), spray EVERYTHING with Armor All. Soak anything that is particularly greasy or dirty. Close hood and walk away. After an hour or two, take it for a spin around the neighborhood to heat it up. Wait. When it is still very warm but not HOT, pour a bucket of water/Dawn over the entire bay. The more Dawn the better. (OR, the new foaming spray Dawn might work. Trying that this weekend) Close hood. Let it soak 10+ minutes. Using a garden hose (or pressure washer) spray it all down until it is clear. The Armor All should have dislodged the grease and dirt, and the Dawn should remove most of the Armor All. Close the hood and go for a drive. Come home and walk away. Let car cool. Open hood to nice clean and shiny engine bay. If you've NEVER cleaned the engine bay before, it may take a few times. If you do this a few times a year, it will stay cleaner and will be easier to clean when you do. ......it probably won't look as clean as that white truck above, but it takes maybe 20 minutes of actual cleaning time over the course of about 2 hours. The rest of the time I am washing the rest of the trucks in the driveway.

Some folks don't use Dawn and/or let the Armor All soak for a week.

 

Mine looks like it got a dirt bath

 

Really? I'm 55 yrs old and never heard of that. I'm going to try it sometime on something. Not the Jeep though.

 

@Desert Dog that looks superb!

 

My brother used to do it with his vehicles back when Armor All first came out. I picked it up again when I was in the Houston Impala club in the 90's.

That Jeep doesn't need it!!!

 

P21S made in Germany works really good . . . I'm sold.

$31 P21S 13001B Auto Wash W/Sprayer, 1000 ml, White

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002LBKCE?ie=UTF8

 

I like this stuff too, safe on rubber.
I put a bag over the alternator, just use the garden hose for pressure, then finish it off with the leaf blower, no issues yet.

 

I feel if you keep it clean you never have to degrease it (it's a Toyota after all; there should not be any oil or grease leaking anywhere)
I use a pressure washer in the whole engine bay. I try to avoid electronics from direct blast, but it gets wet and it's okay; guess what, when you drive in the rain it gets wet also. My truck is almost at 100,000 miles and I have never had an issue. The engine bay looks like new.

 

I like the Dawn and Armor all cleaning combination. Dumping a bucket of water on the warm engine will not hurt any of the electrical?? Do I have to cover the alternator? I assume the Armor All is the general-purpose cleaner? Right?

 

I keep the engine bay clean as hell with Simple Green. But no more after @shifty` ’s comment. I didn’t read the damn directions either, just took others’ advice. Looks like I need a different product. But if you look closely, my hoses are browning. Anyone have a fix?

 

Dumping a bucket of water on anything with electrical isn't going to be good. Generally speaking, engines need to be heavily water resistant, much more so than days of yore. I personally wouldn't do anything beyond spraying with a low-pressure water hose on anything made after the late 90s. But that's just me.

Dawn dish soap is the degreaser and general purpose cleaner. Armor All is a protectant. What purpose it serves chemically in the mixture, I have no idea. I'm sure it may make things look better, but my experience with Armor All with direct application is it's like Silicone-based products which just cause more dust to collect after application.

I've got the same issue. The only thing I know that gets rid of browning on rubber is Bleche White. But I don't feel comfortable spraying that in my bay. So I typically use a good engine-safe degreaser that isn't bad for alumium/alloy, then follow-up with a coating of Aerospace 303 to darken everything. give a wet look, add UV protection with a matte finish but without painting it glossy like a lot of tire shine products do.

 

The purple stuff used by the self serve car washes is 140 Alkaline Foaming Soap. Purple is only because the different soaps they use are color coded. You can buy 140 Alkaline in one gallon jugs, clear. If it has a smell, that is the self serve car wash 140 Alkaline Foam that is flavored with grape smell. The green stuff that is used in the tire cleaning setting is the same thing as the engine setting cleaner. 140 Alkaline. Green Alkaline can be used in the tire and engine cleaner settings and hoses. The pre-cleaners are non phosphate Alkaline. Self Serve Car Wash cleaners are all Alkaline 140. And yes they work very well, because they are caustic except for the non-phosphate alkaline for the body.

Alkaline 140 works very well, that is what hospitals and clinics use Alkaline 140 cleaners to clean all those medical tools they use. It dissolves grease, organic matter, and pretty much anything else except metals. It's safe for the environment because it occurs naturally in bone and liver. So it can be washed down the drain. Some of it is not, because phosphates are added. Don't be fooled, the same green stuff coming out of the engine cleaner is the exact same green stuff coming out of the wand for presoak if the owner wants to use it that way, If it's pink Alkaline 140 foam it is the same stuff coming out of the foam brush that is coming out of the wand if the owner wants to use that, that way. The colors are only for color coding for the Alkaline levels and differentiate between Alkaline and Alkaline with phosphate additives.

There are other names for Alkaline Phosphate. One of them is Bleach. Another Alkaline cleaner is Dishwashing Detergent. Floor and Tile Cleaner. The stuff you can get at the Dollar Tree for cleaning food surfaces, its called Purple. That is an Alkaline Cleaner. I know people who get those monthly car wash cards and think by washing their car every day they are getting their money's worth and costing the car wash owner money. The jokes on them, keep doing that and see how your paint looks after a couple of years.

I use car washes very rarely. That is why the paint on all of my vehicles looks brand new. I gave my nephew a 1998 Toyota Avalon we bought new, had 200,000 on it and the paint looked brand new, never saw a car wash. Elbow grease and the correct chemicals to protect paint.

Car Washes are fine, the chemicals they use are safe and they do work.But not something you want to do every day.

 

The Armor All acts as a degreaser. It sticks better and is a LOT easier to apply than first using Dawn (or any other cleaner in my experience) The Dawn removes the Armor All. Engine doesn't get any more dusty afterwards.

 

On a warm engine, there is no problem. Never on a HOT engine. I believe Armor All makes a cleaner. I have never used it. I use straight original Armor All.

The Armor All is the degreaser. It attaches to the grease, grime and dirt film. The Dawn attaches to that and removes it. It may take once or twice if you have never cleaned your engine/bay.

If you have stock electrical connections, there should be no problem. I've done this for 40 years on 20 different vehicles. I know 50 other guys that did it nearly every weekend on their Impalas. If you have custom electrical connections be sure they can handle getting wet. I think the key is that drive after washing off all the Dawn.

 

Huh. Just looked for this stuff online. Looks like it's also used to clean coils/fins on air conditioner compressors also. Who knew?

I can't seem to find the purple/grape stuff the car washes use in 1 gallon jugs anywhere online though. Looked high and low.

 

Just google Self Serve Car Wash Soap

https://www.carwash-soap.com/self-serve

The clear Alkaline140 you would have to flavor it yourself, however they do it.