engine cleaning

[LGR]

so under my hood is all dust and dirt..I've never cleaned under it..everything is coated with brown. Whats the best way to clean up the engine bay?

 

[TwistedCU]

I don't know if it is the best way, but I usually get the motor hot and use gunk engine degreaser at the car wash while using the self-wash bay and low pressure. It's a pretty heavy-duty solvent, so it may have ill-effects on some things under the hood, but I never had a problem.

 

[Junkpile]

You aren't supposed to wash your engine according to the carwash owners around here, unless you have the proper recovery equipment to collect all that grease and oil :roll: . I just go at night. I don't really let my engines get that dirty and I don't let oil leaks linger for too long, so I'm basically just washing off dust and mud.

I do it with the engine running, but I let it cool down before I spray it with the water. Gunk makes another cleaner called Foamy Engine Brite, it works great. I spray everything down and let it sit while the engine cools and the cleaner has time to work. Maybe spend a few minutes washing the undercarriage or cleaning the wheels off while I wait. Then I just crank it back up and spray it off, trying not to concentrate the spray on anything electrical or around the air filter.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

Strange object in the Cherokee

Gravel lot, water hose, mean green, stiff brush assortment and alot of elbow greese to start with. Then the gunk treament mentioned above, then a engin bay wash each time you wash you jeep to know off the mud oil greese ect befor it becomes a big deal again. Just spen a day and a half cleaning my son Wills ranger under the hood. Geeeez it was bad. but it looks pretty good now. Even seems to run better! tug

 

[TwistedCU]

A pile of sludge around a motor makes for a hotter running engine. As for doing it while it is running, definately. Nothin' worse than spraying all the electrical connections then trying to start it.

 

[Sully]

Pop the hood, start it, let it warm up, spray some gunk engine degreaser, spray down the engine area.

 

[LGR]

I can do it with the engine off and leave it a few days to dry? I really don't drive the jeep during the week, Mostly take it out on weekends. work van is my weekday thing