Clean under the hood?

[WNDSRFR]

Opened my hood the other day and it's getting pretty dingy.
Is there any reason why I can't just go to a carwash and blast it?
Carefully? Everything looks pretty waterproof.

[bcj]

Yeah, no.
Pressure washing will be more likely to inject water past seals on the electrical connectors.
A light drizzle with the garden hose to get things damp, then hand scrubbing and a rinse is the safe option.
No holding your thumb over the hose.
Detailing is time consuming for a reason.

The moto community will usually recommend not pressure washing for the same reasons,
but are more likely to shove water into the wheel bearings too.

[Decep]

When i did mine I used Meguiars D101 All Purpose Cleaner diluted w/ water @ 10:1. Hosed down the engine bay, sprayed the APC, agitated everything with some brushes (the ones you can buy at the auto parts store with the wooden handles, nothing fancy. just need narrow long brushes that fit in crevices)

Sprayed everything down again and drove the car to dry everything. Afterwards I used some 303 as a rubber dressing (doesn't leave that yucky shiny finish).

I didn't cover anything but didn't go blasting the fusebox or alternator. NO pressure wash. Standard spray nozzle is fine though

[tarzan_nojane]

Lots of prior posts on this topic. The best I found was to spray Scrubbing Bubbles foam on a warm (not hot) engine and compartment. Let it site for 10-15 minutes, then use soft old toothbrush for cracks and crevices, microfiber to wipe down the rest, rinsed with tap water, and compressed air to blow it dry.



Everything looked terrific except the air filter box and the engine air intake hose - Meguire's Ultimate Black on those two parts made those two look better than new.

[Compelica]

As a precaution you could wrap the alternator, fuse box and DI ECU in plastic bags, then mix up a strong degreaser/APC dilution and spray over. A long dust brush also works for agitating the deeper areas. You can get the hood insulator wet as it will quickly dry off when the car is driven.

Trim wise, I typically go over the large bits with some trim protectant and and an old rag. Other methods include diluting the protectant into a spray, go over then close the hood and turn on the engine to allow to dry but in regards to detailing in mind you shouldn't be applying stuff to surfaces you don't want/need applied on.

And as many others have advised - no pressure washing. Those garden hoses that fan out the water on low pressure should work.

[spcmafia]

You could take it to the car wash and use their de-greaser but the pressure washer might be higher than 1500psi which can damage some components. ChrisFixIt on Youtube has some great videos on engine bay cleaning.



Personally I use GUNK products, very easy to use and their shine spray stays on for a great amount of time. Make sure to wrap sensitive components like ECU, Alternator and what not. Get some brushes, wet vacuum, air compressor, and go to town. You can even use a regular garden hose with a $3 nozzle.



https://gunk.com/product/gunk-origin...degreaser-eb1/

[radroach]

Gunk Wipes are amazing. Follow up with a soft brush.

[Grady]

Cold engine. Solvent out of a sprayer. Let soak, mild soap brush areas that are accessible and a gentle rinse. Start engine afterwards and go for a drive to dry out completely. The last part is the most important part.