Cleaning the Engine Bay

[Untamed]

Is there any real science to cleaning the bay? Or is it as simple as attaching some cleaning solution to a hose and spraying away? I'm sure some strong solvent is not a good idea, however I dread the idea of having to climb in there and scrub by hand.

What do I need to cover / protect / wrap up? I have a third gen TA with a 305 TBI with the standard air cleaner so no open elements. Everything else is attached and sealed.

[Tru2Chevy]

Cover the distributor, alternator, and battery. Make sure that the aircleaner to carb seal is good.

Simple Green works very well, just don't go too crazy with the hose.

Make sure you leave plenty of time for it to try before doing anything else....

- Justin

[deadtrend1]

i used ZEP orange citrus cleaner/degreaser from home depot with a scrub brush. The engine bay changed color.....:)

[Tsar]

im never washing my engine bay.

[BonzoHansen]

Castrol Super clean & a hose.

[HardcoreZ28]

Simple Green, some elbow grease, and a powerwasher will do a decent job. A good steam cleaning will do an even better job.

[tastyle88]

walmart degreaser blue and black can $.97cents spray it on hose it off . i detail this **** works use whole can another if nessessary one should do. ive done 13 cars with this stuff not 1 problem. spray it let it sit for 5 min hose off. ive even used it on new cars. it works.

[slugger27nj]

I use Orange Blast Degreaser, and it works great with very little scrubbing. I'll take it for a drive to dry it when I'm done, then use a wet/dry vac to get rid of any water that may be left standing.

[Untamed]

Ok cool, thanks guys. I have two bottles of simple green already so I guess I'll stick with that. Hosing it off sounds so much easier than grabbing a handful of small rags and wiping everything out of there. Doesnt look like any of the previous owners ever cleaned the bay so 17 years worth of leaves and road grime all built up and tucked away under things.

[chemicalstylez]

I clean under my hood once a week, only takes me 10 mins tops. Keep on top of it and it never builds up ;)

[rgaynor85]

i did my car a few weeks ago and used, GUNK foamy engine brite not the gunk degreaser. my engine bay came out extremely clean and all i didn was run the hose lightl over it to rinse it off, then used some CD2 engine detailer spray to shine it all up, it came out lookin brand new

[maroman88]

i use grease lightning degreaser and my little steam cleaner, came out alright but i dont have time or interest in it anymore, it was soooo clean before my car sat outside of a year straight untouched, i just do the outside

[Brando56894]

im prolly gonna do this when i get my new bird. hopefully this one wont be caked with salt residue like the one i just had was :? what would i need to cover up?? ive heard that 4th gens are almost completely watertight, correct?