When cleaning your car, usually the most neglected part is the most important to its operation; your engine and engine bay area. Manufacturer's understand that consumers will rarely open their hood, much less clean under it, so making your underhood sparkle may seem superfluous. However, shining up your motor is not only satisfying; it can help you spot potential problems in the process: leaks, bare or loose wires, etc. Once you have the engine clean, it is much easier to spot issues like these.
As with anything else, though, there are better and worse ways to go about doing things. Keep reading to see the best way to clean your engine bay to keep it clean and spot potential problems.
Pop your hood. Take a mental picture so you can appreciate all of your hard work later! Although it wouldn't harm 99% of automobiles out there, some cars should not have water sprayed all over the engine; so this is going to be a "dry" cleaning. If your engine has a ton of grease caked up on it, and you want to degrease it, there is an appropriate article for you in the "Resources" section. This article is more suited for safely cleaning of the upper engine parts.
Dip your rag in the water. Squeeze out most of the water and wipe up the dirt on the underside of the hood. You can even do this on the insulation. You may need to get a step stool to clean the center area; to keep your shirt clean, drape an old t-shirt or blanket on the fender of your car so you can lean against it. If there is still some dirt you missed, it is ok, this step is just to get the outer layer off.
Once you are done with under the hood, it is time to clean the inner fenders and front brace (which are usually body color). Then, continue wiping all areas you can reach. The shock towers, battery cover, air box, and engine cover are the obvious places to start. You can wipe down the various hoses and electrical wires, but be gentle. Check their connections as you wipe.
Once you are done getting most of the dirt off, really rinse out that rag and get fresh water in the bucket. Take your diluted degreaser, a few drops of dish soap and water works fine, and spray it in small sections and wipe it up with the rag and water. Areas where there isn't any electrical components, like the shock towers, can be sprayed quite liberally. You won't want to leave the degreaser on the components, so take some water in a cup and rinse off where you sprayed and wiped. Then, using dry rags and your compressed air, dry the components.
You don't have to spray degreaser directly on wires and hoses. Spray a little on your rag and wipe them off. Then, to rinse, rinse out your rag and wipe them down again.
It is looking great! If you really want to get it sparkling, take some glass cleaner and some paper towels and do a final once-over on everything. You'll be surprised with what dirt you find in crevices with this method. When your finished, if you want to eat off of it (figuratively), you can wax the painted metal surfaces to make them protected and shiny.
This step shouldn't be ignored. You will want to protect the plastic and rubber you just cleaned. Ozone and particulates in the environment will break down the plastic and rubber over time, it is why old car's rubber and plastic is so brittle.
To keep this from happening to your car, you will want to use a plastic and rubber protectant. Although a dedicated engine dressing will work better, Armor All or a similar product that you use inside your car will be fine. It will also give a shine to the plastic and rubber!
Good Luck
Cleaning the engine?
