jet washing engine bay

[SalSheikh]

guys, gonna attemp to clean up my engine bay on saturday.

can you guys give me some pointers at to whats best use and what to cover up to prevent electrical/water damage.

i am finally getting round to having my polished mani/rocker fitted so wanna get this sorted.

so, do's and dont's please

 

[sambryant]

gunk the engine bay. this removes oil dirt and grease, just spray on wait 5 mins and hose off. then start cleaning parts by hand, wd40 is good stuff to use or tyre shine

 

[sambryant]

this is what my bay looks like after a good clean


now get cleaning

 

[Cupra_R04]

what you using for dressing the engine plastics etc

 

[rsmith]

I would not recommend jet washing your bay for obvious reasons, use something like Gunk degreaser and some good old fashioned elbow grease.

 

[sambryant]

this is what i use, makes plastic look better than new, but its my secret so dont tell anyone

 

[DPJ]

How about 'don't use a jet washer or hose near any of the electrical components in the bay.'

 

[Cupra_R04]

hows about if your gonna do it cover the air intake and any electrical components and then cover in de-greasser/gunk remover and lightly spray with just the hose with low pressure and finger allowing water out. lol

 

[rsmith]

hows about if your gonna do it cover the air intake and any electrical components and then cover in de-greasser/gunk remover and lightly spray with just the hose with low pressure and finger allowing water out. lol

Water hoses and engine bays don't go well together, there is no easy way to clean your bay.I rarely use water in the bay i rather clean the stuff of with a damp cloth.

 

[Cupra_R04]

as long as the engine is relatively warm or you fire it up straight after you should be alright just dont through buckets or full jet on it. Have followed may threads discussing this on a certain detail site

 

[SalSheikh]

cool, thanks for the info guys. Sam, yor is what inspired me to look at do something about my engine bay.

i have some gunk in aerosol form so thats good.
now i need to find a good stiff brush to agitate any stuck on crap - will visit halfords/wilko's for this

regarding plastics i normally use turtle wax bumper shine - only reason is goes on easy enough/spray from botlle then wipe using a sponge

i think i will use cling film/bags to cover electrics and as i have a dry/wet filter i can suck up any water thats visible.

will try and take some before and after pics but dont hold me to it

 

[DPJ]

Yes, if a clean bay is priority over having an engine that doesn't have weird electrical faults, carry on.......

 

[Cupra_R04]

...

 

[n_d_fox]

Never had any problems using a jet wash on an engine bay... in saying that i dont blast the water directly at the engine and steer clear of things like coil packs, drive belts and fuse boxes etc.

Megs APC is good for cleaning duties and CG's Bare Bones is good for detailing the plastics, hoses and panels etc.

HTH, Nige

 

[jonjay]

You can jet wash your engine bay.

You have to do following.

1 - WD40 on all exposed electricals so it repels any water
2 - Cover exposed electricals and other sensitive engine parts with foil
3 - Leave engine running for 10 minutes to warm it up.
4 - spray and agitate with a degreaser or all purpose cleaner
5 - stand back around 1.5 meters away and spray. Do not spray directly in the engine bay.
6 - Leave car running for another 10 minutes to aid drying process.
7 - Remove foil and dry with microfibre
8 - Treat plastics and rubber with your chosen product. Apply to microfibre and wipe the areas you need to treat.