Cleaning the engine..

[dj_empyre]

Anyone know of a good way to clean the engine without screwing up the engine its self? I just want it to look less dirty when I open the hood to show what I have under

[Arachnid]

I use simple green and a steamer. Works very well, just make sure and cover all the electrical up first.

[baseballfanz]

I use Black Magic engine cleaner, work great. Best if the engine is warm, spray it on and let soak for 15 minutes. Rinse with low pressure water.

[SOCALTITANKC4X4LE]

Use Simple Green or Orange Blast etc. You don't need to cover your electrical, I never have and I clean my engine once a month. I do cover my CAI filter.
It's best to do it when the engine is cold.

[TitanBlue]

Nice variety of answers. Steam is no longer recommended for any engines, as the steam will get inside electrical connections and form condensation which is trapped inside and forms corrosion. Cold water is best, or cold pressurized water, if kept away from certain areas. Remember that the starter islocated under the Intake cover, and on person ruined their starter, by cleaning the engine and getting the muddy water in the starter. Simple Green is an excellent cleaner. You can wipe the engine parts dry and use armour all to finish it off, sense it has so much plastic. A warm, not hot, engine is OK to aid in the cleaning action.

[Carbeaux]

Yup. Simple green on a cold engine. Let it soak and rinse with the hose. Works like a charm.

[SOCALTITANKC4X4LE]

[color="Blue"][QUOTE=TitanBlue]Nice variety of answers. Steam is no longer recommended for any engines, as the steam will get inside electrical connections and form condensation which is trapped inside and forms corrosion. Cold water is best, or cold pressurized water, if kept away from certain areas. Remember that the starter islocated under the Intake cover, and on person ruined their starter, by cleaning the engine and getting the muddy water in the starter. Simple Green is an excellent cleaner. You can wipe the engine parts dry and use armour all to finish it off, sense it has so much plastic. A warm, not hot, engine is OK to aid in the cleaning action.[/QUOTEI respectfully disagree.
If that was true, then on rainy days our electrical systems would fail when ever we drove our trucks through a puddle or when off roading through mud and water.
I have 62K miles on my truck and Thousands of miles on other vehicles I've owned without any problems after cleaning the engines.

[Papa_D]

303 Aerospace cleaner and finish up with 303 Aerospace protectant. If it's good enough to clean up oil spills which is what it was invented for, it's good enough to clean my engine. Keep em shiney,

[TitanBlue]

Originally Posted by SOCALTITANKC4X4LE

[color="Blue"][QUOTE=TitanBlue]Nice variety of answers. Steam is no longer recommended for any engines, as the steam will get inside electrical connections and form condensation which is trapped inside and forms corrosion. Cold water is best, or cold pressurized water, if kept away from certain areas. Remember that the starter islocated under the Intake cover, and on person ruined their starter, by cleaning the engine and getting the muddy water in the starter. Simple Green is an excellent cleaner. You can wipe the engine parts dry and use armour all to finish it off, sense it has so much plastic. A warm, not hot, engine is OK to aid in the cleaning action.[/QUOTEI respectfully disagree.
If that was true, then on rainy days our electrical systems would fail when ever we drove our trucks through a puddle or when off roading through mud and water.
I have 62K miles on my truck and Thousands of miles on other vehicles I've owned without any problems after cleaning the engines.

I understand your point, but still stand by my statement, which referred mostly to "steam". Water can still do it though. GMC Sierra Distributors of about 2001 had TSB's because of this. I've had our cap replaced 3 times due to moisture inside the cap, exactly like the TSB stated. Had it towed in once. My point is that "steam" can penetrate where water would normally not penetrate the seals. Steam is a much different animal. I would never steam clean my home computer or electrical devices leading to it. Failures do occur at times in harsh enviroments. The ensuing corrosion will occur later than just 62K, but it can happen. Not saying it has to happen. I work on wet electrical systems quite a bit. It takes time...

[SOCALTITANKC4X4LE]

But my point is that you don't have to worry about cleaning your engine. If a starter fails, it was not because you cleaned or steamed the engine.

[Roadrunner]

A wet rag then a little armorall. I guess it all depends on how dirty the engine compartment is.

[DezertRunner823]

Originally Posted by TitanBlue

I understand your point, but still stand by my statement, which referred mostly to "steam". Water can still do it though. GMC Sierra Distributors of about 2001 had TSB's because of this. I've had our cap replaced 3 times due to moisture inside the cap, exactly like the TSB stated.

yeah but... i thought the VK56 is a distributor-less design, so no having to deal with distributor caps and such.

[Titanequipped]

I use simple green or purple eater from pep boys and pressure washer or just the water hose. Works great, and I don't cover anything except maybee my Injen CAI now that it's on. And I don't clean the motor while it's hot, cold maybee a little warm.

[54warrior]

Originally Posted by SOCALTITANKC4X4LE

But my point is that you don't have to worry about cleaning your engine. If a starter fails, it was not because you cleaned or steamed the engine.

I interpreted it as the mud killed the started. It just happened to get washed in there by some water.

[Z-Hauler]

I just use a bucket of hot water with dish soap and 3 different size brushes, toilet brush, flexible 8 inch long medium bristled brush and an old tooth brush. once everything is scrubbed, I rinse, wait to dry and see if I missed any spots. If you like shiny, I have seen people use tire shine foam on their engines and makes it sparkle.