engine cleaning

[huntingtonbh1]

what is the safest way to clean my engine

[Buildwonder]

Here's what I do:

-Spray a good degreaser (Exits, Simple Green, Greased Lightning, etc.) over entire dry and COOL engine.
-If engine is real dirty, get a small brush and scrub the bad areas.
-Rinse with garden hose-------NO PRESSURE WASHERS!!!
-If needed, soak with degreaser again and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Rinse again.
-Be careful with the degreaser as overspray on your fenders will eat the wax away and you'll have to re-wax. Keep the fenders wet and rinse thoroughly.

Do this every time you wash your truck and your engine will stay clean. If you do it often enough, you can just soak it with degreaser and rinse without brushing. I then dry everything with an old bath towel. Don't use your good chamois or microfiber towels for this as you may pick up some grease or grit or something.

[Carbeaux]

Simple Green (mentioned above) is great for this.

[Arachnid]

The safest way is to use old rags and towels and a light cleaner like Simple Green. Spray and wipe, don't use any water.

[Buildwonder]

I use water because Pennsylvania is apparently responsible for 1/3 of the world's annual salt usage for the roads in the winter. I like to rinse every nook and cranny with good, clean water to prevent as much corrosion as possible. Salt is nasty sh*t, as I'm sure you all know!

[huntingtonbh1]

thanks for your help

[Skyboi]

Great writeup Buildwonder. Right on the money.

2 words of wisdom:
1. Leafblowers work great for getting water out of hiding places.
2. Be careful using dressings on hoses. They collect dust and dirt. That dust works like sandpaper on the underside of corrugated hoses and eventually wears holes in the creases. I've seen it many times.

Clean and dry work best here.

[FourDoor]

One more tip...

Cover up the visible electrical connections. I've seen it time and again with people trying to wash their engines down before only to find electrical problems later since water seeped into the connections and corroded the connections.

[bbomar]

Originally Posted by FourDoor

One more tip...

Cover up the visible electrical connections. I've seen it time and again with people trying to wash their engines down before only to find electrical problems later since water seeped into the connections and corroded the connections.

Also for those with an exposed CAI, cover it...

[Nissan Mike]

Trash bag tied over the CAI filter and stick with Simple Green to prevent discoloring and streaking of paint and aluminum parts

[black sunshine]

If you want it really clean, follow up the cleaning by using a vinyl dressing on all the plastic covers and rubber hoses. This makes it much easier to keep those parts clean in the future and makes everything look brand new. This is more something I do on cars however, since I get my titan dirty in the woods almost every week.

[Skyboi]

Originally Posted by black sunshine

If you want it really clean, follow up the cleaning by using a vinyl dressing on all the plastic covers and rubber hoses. This makes it much easier to keep those parts clean in the future and makes everything look brand new. This is more something I do on cars however, since I get my titan dirty in the woods almost every week.

Please see my quote from above regarding dressings on hoses...Trust me, I know from experience.

[yamatitan]

I just hose mine out every time i wash my truck unless i have mud in the compartment. It stays really clean like this.

[Carbeaux]

I don't dress the underhood plastic with anything. Like has been said above, it's just a dirt magnet. Just simple green, soak, and rinse.

[kman]

all the above, and when finished i always start it up right away and let in warm up and dry that way. I never let it sit to dry.