Engine and engine bay cleaning

Blazin'05LT

Original poster
Member
Dec 23, 2013
28
Hey everyone, I did an oil change this morning and came to realise that my engine is dirty. I'd like to wash it. Thought spraying simple green then some scrubbing followed by rinsing it down with a hose. Question.... would that be a bad idea?
 

littleblazer

Member
Jul 6, 2014
9,265
Make sure it isn't hot, could possibly crack the manifold. I do it every once and a while with spray nine. Soak everything with water, spray it, let it sit then hose it off. Don't spray directly onto the alternator. Just a pet peeve of mine.
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,685
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Borrowed this from Hardtrailz's build thread. If he can expose his engine bay to this, I think you'll be just fine with a garden hose. As long as you don't have any open fluid reservoir caps, and your coil packs are properly sealed, you should be fine. :thumbsup:

36.jpg
 

Blazin'05LT

Original poster
Member
Dec 23, 2013
28
Ok guys, thanks. I just got home from shopping so I'll let the engine cool down first.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,349
Ottawa, ON
I just spray everything with engine cleaner/shampoo, let it soak, then use the pressure washer to rinse it off. Does a really nice job. I had bought a 10 gallon can of engine shampoo from a Chrysler dealer years ago for cheap. I just put some in a spray bottle and spray it everywhere. Still have some left. Actually makes it smell nice too!
 
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Blazin'05LT

Original poster
Member
Dec 23, 2013
28
Mission for the weekend accomplished. I used simple green and some elbow grease, quite happy with the results. The engine bay was grey from dust and dirt. Wish I took a before pic.Thanks for the insight ppl.
uploadfromtaptalk1433631570514.jpguploadfromtaptalk1433631597773.jpg
 

Wooluf1952

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,663
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Too late now, but Simple Green is bad for aluminum. I emailed the company and they confirmed it.
 

Tiggerr

Member
Jun 6, 2013
1,324
Perrysburg, OH
Wooluf1952 said:
Too late now, but Simple Green is bad for aluminum. I emailed the company and they confirmed it.
In what way? I've used simple green on just about anything and everything since the 80's. I think maybe uncoated polished aluminum it'll dull it out if that's what they're referring to. Certainly won't do any real damage to it. I used it today on my engine, door jambs, wheels, etc...
 

Wooluf1952

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,663
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I'm not too sure about the dangers. I've used it and can say any raw aluminum in the engine compartment is pitted and my alternator bit the dust at around 45k miles. I'm not sure SG had anything to do with the alt, but I'm not taking any chances. I'll stick to cleaners specifically meant for engine cleaning.
 
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littleblazer

Member
Jul 6, 2014
9,265
Same with spray nine. The center caps on my rims, I sprayed and scrubbed and then hosed off, but not well enough. There are white oxidized runs on them from it spotting. It's one hell of a cleaner but it pretty much destroys rubber and grease. I don't do it that often. Wanna make it real pretty spray it with silicone or 6-56, makes all the trim and plastic look like new. 6-56 is better since it makes a coating and washes off. The silicone is kinda there. Either way, yours looks clean.
 
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Sir ffeJ

Member
Dec 1, 2011
543
From SG web site:

When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser, and Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner, Pro Series Simple Green Automotive Cleaner, and Simple Green Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances.

Simple Green Stainless Steel One Step Cleaner & Polish is another option for cleaning polished aluminum. This product is designed for light duty metal cleaning and polishing.
 

Wooluf1952

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,663
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
It's that "never more than 10 minutes" warning that worries me. If the engine is really dirty, applying, letting it work, scrubbing, and rinsing can take a lot more than 10 minutes.
 

redmaro42

Member
Sep 25, 2014
70
I always use a diluted simple green on all my engines, all look great. Pure simple green is indeed bad for on the engine, make sure to dilute it down 50/50.
 
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Ziggy

Member
Feb 8, 2015
207
I use Purple Power on the really grimy stuff. My engine bay wasn't too bad when I cleaned it last weekend, just used a little TuffStuff general purpose cleaner and a soap and water bucket when I washed my truck. Came out pretty good!
 
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Blazin'05LT

Original poster
Member
Dec 23, 2013
28
littleblazer said:
Same with spray nine. The center caps on my rims, I sprayed and scrubbed and then hosed off, but not well enough. There are white oxidized runs on them from it spotting. It's one hell of a cleaner but it pretty much destroys rubber and grease. I don't do it that often. Wanna make it real pretty spray it with silicone or 6-56, makes all the trim and plastic look like new. 6-56 is better since it makes a coating and washes off. The silicone is kinda there. Either way, yours looks clean.
Thanks, I have a can of silicone but thought that it would collect dirt and dust. I just used armor all wipes on black plastics, then wiped down all the residue left by them. The reason why I asked the question was cause, back in the day, I had a bad experience with cleansing the engine bay...motor suck in water...oh, I used 50/50 on the SG.
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,322
WNY
I've used Black Magic's "Bleche Wite" on many things and it really cleans up the under hood aluminum really nice as long as it's left on long enough to work before rinsing...Mike.
 

paulcmartin

Member
May 13, 2013
235
I use regular engine degreaser from ACME automotive shop in everytown USA. Stuff works great and it's cheap.
 

Knucklehead

Member
Jul 23, 2014
55
Most of the time I use "gunk". Then hide it off then hit all the electrical with the airhose

Dirtier motors I use "mean green".

After all dried and clean I spray down with WD-40. People are amazed how I can get there motor to look like its sitting on the showroom floor.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
I am not sure anything would clean mine at this point, but those pics above sure made it look much nicer to work on the engine than mine does. Well Done!
 
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littleblazer

Member
Jul 6, 2014
9,265
Power washer will get it clean. [emoji106] [emoji23]
 

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