Engine Bay looks like a Sandbox
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Try an air compressor first and if needed follow up with some water - applied gently.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 84
From: . New York
What a previous poster stated about adding a hood seal is true. You will be surprised at how much less dirt gets sucked in there (and water when you wash it).
To clean the engine area I would recommend:
1) Shop vac with brush attachment in one hand, small brush in the other just to loosen and get rid of most of it.
2) With the engine cold, spray any problem greasey areas (that arent supposed to be greasey) with a gentle all purpose cleaner (simple green), then hose (just a spray from the nozzle, not a blast, but use a nozzle (less water needed to clean), and rinse it all off.
3) Start it and if you want to get really compulsive, leaf blow it as its running (just dont press the blower right up to stuff, it will blow water away from quite a distance, no need in forcing it into where it doesnt belong).
You can put dressing on all the stuff in there, but you really dont need to (unless you're doing a show car). If its clean, it will look good (blacks will look pretty black . . .etc).
If you have had this problem for a while, it may take a few times to get it all cleaned out. Better you do it a few times than attacking it with a vengence, you may screw up the labels and such if you go at it too harshly. If you go at it as in 1, 2, 3 above, you wont hurt anything.
To clean the engine area I would recommend:
1) Shop vac with brush attachment in one hand, small brush in the other just to loosen and get rid of most of it.
2) With the engine cold, spray any problem greasey areas (that arent supposed to be greasey) with a gentle all purpose cleaner (simple green), then hose (just a spray from the nozzle, not a blast, but use a nozzle (less water needed to clean), and rinse it all off.
3) Start it and if you want to get really compulsive, leaf blow it as its running (just dont press the blower right up to stuff, it will blow water away from quite a distance, no need in forcing it into where it doesnt belong).
You can put dressing on all the stuff in there, but you really dont need to (unless you're doing a show car). If its clean, it will look good (blacks will look pretty black . . .etc).
If you have had this problem for a while, it may take a few times to get it all cleaned out. Better you do it a few times than attacking it with a vengence, you may screw up the labels and such if you go at it too harshly. If you go at it as in 1, 2, 3 above, you wont hurt anything.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,159
Likes: 0
From: Columbia MO
I'm glad you caught it quick enough to avoid a major catastrophe.
