I've done this for many years with better results almost everey time.

engines build up dirt and grease over years. this is worse when you drive in dusty areas frequently.

I am doing this on my '89 Ford LTD CrownVic as its been sitting for a while, and was never washed since new. thats 17 years, 129K miles of dust, dirt, grease, etc.





you will be surprised, and almost baffled as to what lies unerneath caked on grease.

anyway for professional results, you will need the following:

pressure washer (most local self-serve car washes have one, use it)


and one or 2 cans of this:


i STRONGLY reccomend using gunk heavy-duty engine brite. its strong and will break down the toughest grease. dont use the foamy stuff or some cheapo off-brand crap. you wont see the same results.

depending on how big your engine bay is, and how dirty the engine is, you may need a 2nd can. in my case, i used up one full can, and touched up with a 2nd one. the bare minum, use one entire can if you havent ever washed your engine. the really nasty spots, soak it well.


also get some clothes that can get soaked and stained, and goggles

before you even begin:

make sure you have all connections secured, nothing is loose. if you have a distributor cap, secure it tightly, or cover it in a plastic bag.

warm up your engine. the heat will help break down the grease faster.

after about 15 mins, turn off your engine.

if you have a round air cleaner, block off the opening. if you want to clean the intake, remove it and cover the carbureter opening with a plastic bag & rubber band.

on multi-port fuel injected cars, just make sure everething is secure, and tight. no openings are present.


now you can spray down the engine with the cleaner. dont use up the entire thing because you will have to hit some spots later on.

the gunk cleaner has a directional spray which helps a great deal



you will see it actually move some of the light grease.

after spraying, take a break. 5 mins minimum. i usually wait 10-15 mins. this will break down the heavy grease.

after waiting, spray down again the heavy spots with the cleaner.


now get some goggles and prepare to get wet. fire up your pressure washer. start spraying down the engine relentessly. go nuts.

note: if your using a carwash washer, use the "rinse" or "water" settings. do not use additional soap



get into everey spot possible. you will see the pressure just sweep away all the grease.

there will be steam rsing if the engine is hot. ignore this



soak the engine down real well.

let it dry for about 5 mins.



after 5 mins, start the engine (remove any plastic coverings) and let the engine run for a while. this will help dry the engine bay frther.

you should by now see the dramatic change:







well there you have it.

if you want some sparkle for show, spray down the plastics with armor-all and let it sit.

damn. great job on that. i'll definetely have to have somebody else give it a try on my car. (can't be around teh chemicals w/ the baby)

To be honest, the only way i'm happy with cleaning my engine is with a rag and tooth brush... then to end it all off... use tire shine spray... makes it look like new.
It came out nice though.

sounds like that shit would take too much time though. :dunno:

:woot: definitely doing this...


does the gunk stuff work well on oil leak stains? have a ton of those because my engine used to leak quite a bit

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Gambit - 95 Honda Civic EX
8.1.04-1.20.07

Larkin - 97 Honda Civic EX
current car

i'm picky.. i dont go a week without cleaning every bit of my car, including the engine... i spend one day a week (5-8 hours) cleaning the car.

trust me on this:

there are some things where a rag and a toothbrush cleaning works, but you will never finish within the decade unless you do a complete strip-down. this gets into places you cant even see.

if it can remove caked grease, it can remove anything. it will definetley work

I will agree with you on that... well with the pressur washer my family has, i would eat right through the hoses, so i'd have to do it at a local car wash.

i'm getting to the point where i can't even wash my own damn car anymore. :(

what a difference that makes. I always keep everything fairly clean under the hood. A couple times i have cleaned it with this sweet sprayer that you can fill with liquid degreaser (I like purple power for this) and then you connect it to your air compressor and blast the dirt and grease away with 160 psi. then just rinse it with a hose and get to polishing and shining. It works very well.

Nice... I'm a clean freak, so anytime i pop the hood, u can expect it to look damn close to new.

when i do this next weekend i'm doing before/after pictures...


my engine bay is deathly scary :scared:

212k of dirt, grease, bad oil leaks, and never been cleaned :dejected:

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Gambit - 95 Honda Civic EX
8.1.04-1.20.07

Larkin - 97 Honda Civic EX
current car

OMG!!!! that sounds soo scary....
I dont think i've ever goin without cleaning an engine of a car while changing the oil... everytime i change someone's oil, they get a free engine detailing.

yeah the owner before me didn't exactly take care of my car :madfawk:


bad oil leaks, no brakes left, tie rods, shocks, cv joints, starter, alternator, and some other shit that needed to be replaced within 6months after i purchased it from him :noplease:

i'm just paranoid that i'm going to short something out when i do this

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Gambit - 95 Honda Civic EX
8.1.04-1.20.07

Larkin - 97 Honda Civic EX
current car

yea, id be afraid of that too... i guess just disconnect ur battery and leave it out till it all dries off.

Some fuckin people dont know how to take care of cars.

if the engine & igntion is off, you shouldnt short anything out. hell i've soaked down alernators before and they continue to work. i've done it with the engine running a few times and never had a problem.

but if you're deathly afraid, disconect the ground.

i'm not deathly afraid, it was just something i wasn't sure about 100% :yesway:

this is definitely my next weekend project :woot:

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Gambit - 95 Honda Civic EX
8.1.04-1.20.07

Larkin - 97 Honda Civic EX
current car

Sweet... i cant wait to see pics.

So am I to understand it's perfectly safe to blast a hot engine w/ water without having anything to worry about?

yes.