engine cleaning w/ pics

[TenaciousD]

I know there have been many topics on this but working for an auto detailing company i wanted to give some advice and show a pic or two

first this is our way, degrease the whole engine, starting as low down as possible working ur way to the top. begin with the fender side, then stand in the front and end on the passanger side fender.
scrub with long handle brush and rinse, we use high pressure hose(pressure washer), cover with tire sill ( tire shine)

now having said that, i cover my intake, alt, alarm, any wires...ect
for this purpose i didnt cover anything (as its not required) over soaked everything and the car started just fine.
i use simple green at home, ours is much stronger and it does get on the paint (mainly fenders but as they are already wet and rinsed off within a few mins i have had no problem with messing up the paint job.

pics are of a V6 with 67K miles

before

after, the yellow you see in the pic on both far ends are form the flash

 

[d98gt]

Maybe it's the camera, but doesn't look too clean The best way to compare is when the engine is dry aswell

I painted a few pieces in my engine bay and it doesn't look too bad, however some of the original hoses are beginning to "fade" since the car is old so I guess eventually I can start replacing them.

 

[TenaciousD]

yeah mine faded too, the 1st time i ever cleaned it i never put "dressed" the hoses.

i wanted to take a pic of it dry but it was detailed n gone before i could. also a camera phone ;(

too bad we cant bring our own cars in, im not a fan of soaking it with tire dressing but i could use the pressure washers for a few stains

 

[StangYellow]

D, try buying some concentrated Simple Green then mix it with water. I pour mine into an old spray bottle and let it sit on the engine for awhile. I find that it works very well at cleaning grease, and its cheaper than buying "GunK" engine cleaner. Try it and see what you think.

 

[DTNODYA]

D, try buying some concentrated Simple Green then mix it with water. I pour mine into an old spray bottle and let it sit on the engine for awhile. I find that it works very well at cleaning grease, and its cheaper than buying "GunK" engine cleaner. Try it and see what you think.

I agree. Instead of using old spray bottles, yesterday I found something way better. An old bug sprayer. Now I just go crazy with the engine bay, tires, gets up in the wheel well good, etc.