Cleaning your Engine Compartment

For sure you don’t want your vehicle's engine compartment quite look like the spit-and-polished engines for road tests, isn’t it? Well, that’s normal. Even a car owner who's fanatical about his car's finish can neglect the under-hood area to the point where the engine block is coated with oil, the crusty remains of various liquids sit in discolored hollows, and the entire under hood area looks like it's been texture-coated with a layer of grime. So, let’s face it, if you need a hand cleaner nearby just to open your hood, maybe it's time for some overdue attention.

There are also several good functional reasons to devote some time here, aside from the warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get from having a clean engine compartment. An example for this is that, the dirtier your engine, the easier it is for outside foreign material to get inside, where it can do some real harm. Dirt particles can drop in when you check a dipstick, remove the lid from a fluid reservoir, you must pull a spark plug, and so on.

The thick, built-up dirt and grime on the engine can also compromise its ability to dissipate heat, which cause it to run hotter than normal. The grease and oil can deteriorate coolant hoses and affect electrical wiring. Aside from this, if you have an oil leak, you'll need to clean the motor anyway just to locate its source.

As a rule of thumb, you should give your engine compartment a good going-over about once a year. Always make it part of your spring-cleaning routine. By simply keeping its appearance inoffensive is enough for most car owners. However, some people decide to go the extra step and thoroughly detail it, as well, with polish and even selected repainting.

Coming Clean-There are some different ways to attack the engine clean-up problem. The home driveway approach with a hose and spray-on engine degreaser is the most common method, available at any auto-parts store. One big drawback here is that degreasing an engine can leave quite a mess under the vehicle and this can eventually contaminate the body of water at the end of your particular sewer system. A good alternative to this is to take your mess to the local coin-operated carwash. The standard high-pressure hose, together with your engine degreaser, will do a good job. In addition, many coin-ops now have an engine degreasing mode just for this purpose.

Turning the car over to a professional detailer to steam clean the engine is still another alternative. When you're looking at a thick layer of caked-on grease, this option will not only save you work, but also avoid leaving a memorable mess in your wake.
It is preferable to clean the engine while it's cold to avoid the possibility of burning yourself on hot parts. Even if it has a lot of caked-on grunge, you may want to warm it up for a few minutes to help the degreaser do its job.

Moreover, preparation is important. You don’t want the water getting into places it doesn't belong. For engines with either a carburetor or throttle-body fuel-injector system, you should remove the air cleaner and slip a thick-ply plastic bag (like a food storage bag) over the throttle-body opening. Then, secure it with tape so no water can seep through. On cars with multipoint fuel injection, you should tape plastic over the air intake opening. Do the same with the distributor, if so equipped, and any other major electrical components or obvious openings. When you need to remove or disconnect any wires or hoses, first label them with a piece of tape and waterproof marker so you remember where they go. And never forget to plug any openings in the hose connections.