I am in the process of cleaning up my engine bay. It is full of grease and dirt, etc. I am not painting the car so therefore I do not want to strip the paint off with any type of cleaner. Is simple green ok to degrease with and not hurt the paint? Also what about brake cleaner? I bought a green product made by clorox today. It says it is safe for all surfaces including appliances, so I guess that would work? Thanks.
Ok to use Simple Green, Green products to clean
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fiveohwblow
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- Jul 21, 2005
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This should and or might likely be moved to show n shine.
That being said, simple green is alright, but considering that many parts under your hood might be aluminum, I would suggest not leaving in on there for long. I would also suggest Greased Lightning purple degreaser. Best Ive found, but again, dont leave it to soak long at all.
Also, get a pressure washer. You will NEVER get what you need to get unless you pressure wash. Just do it carefully so as to avoid not getting water wherre you dont want.
Simple Green, Greased Lightning (Orange Blast), and that Purple Power stuff are all pretty gentile cleaners. I'd be hesitant to use the brake cleaner.
brake clean does a pretty good job... i will tell you NOT to use carb cleaner... it will F stuff up QUICK!
and i wouldnt use a pressure washer... simple green or purple power and a few rags... if its thick hit it with some brake clean and a scrub brush. a hose will rinse it off well enough
fiveohwblow
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To each his own. You need to know what youre doing, but I worked at and ran a detail shop. We used a gentler pressure washer and its the ONLY way you will get some grease out.
Simple green is pretty safe. They do advertise you can do your laundry with it.
It does tend to leave a bright residue on aluminum if left for a while though.
It does tend to leave a bright residue on aluminum if left for a while though.
Chasinpapa
Member
Try this before using anything stronger. Get a quart size spray bottle and fill it half full of Dawn dishwasing detergent and fill it the rest of the way up with warm water, shake a little to mix it up. Start the engine and let it get warm, NOT HOT. Wrap the distributor with foil or whatever you chose and start spraying everything down with the dishwashing mixture. Don't let it dry, just spray back and forth from one side to the other and use the whole quart, this should take 8-10 minutes. wash soap off with a hard stream of water from your garden hose. I think you'll be surprised at what you see and you don't have to worry about it damaging anything painted. After you do this you'll be able to see any tough spots that you didn't get and you can go back over them with a soft brush or a rag with more soap. Good luck 
I use simple green on everything. Dont use a high pressure washer it can damage the gaskets in the engine and it is hell on suspension components (ball joints and wheel bearings and such).
Icecold
Founding Member
I have always used Simple Green Automotive Cleaner and CD2 Engine Detailer by Turtle Wax for the last 8 years with never a problem.
giddyup306
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I'm not sure about simple green. We used it at work for cleaning up oily nasty equipment that had been sitting for years filthy and had less than impressive results. Not sure about it's ingredients. Now, on the other hand, purple power contains a mild to moderate caustic and is some bad chit. You can squirt that stuff on an oil spot on your driveway, scrub a little with a broom and rinse in five minutes and it looks like new concrete. Problem is, as stated above, caustic attacks aluminum and if left long enough will eat through it. Not sure how purple power is on paint, but I'd bet if you left it on long enough it would eff it up....
