Cleaning engine compartment

[DaveK]

I remember the day I picked up my new RL and marvelled at how clean it was under the hood. It's not that way anymore however. Has anyone ever cleaned under the hood and how did you do it?

[Mdbullet223]

Originally Posted by DaveK

I remember the day I picked up my new RL and marvelled at how clean it was under the hood. It's not that way anymore however. Has anyone ever cleaned under the hood and how did you do it?

Hi DaveK, I have not cleaned the engine on the RL yet,, It is only 3 weeks old ,, However it is dirty already. I used to clean the engine compartment on my Honda Element simply by buying a bottle of Castrol Degreaser ( or any other quality degreaser ) and simply sprayed it on everything under the hood. ( make sure the engine is cold ) I would let it set there for about an hour and just sprayed it off with a garden hose. I am sure this will work with the RL as well, If not I am sure HT will let us know. Be Safe, Dave

[Tcape]

Dave, I'm pretty manic about taking care of my autos, and that means keeping everything under the hood looking nice. I usually find that dust and dirt are the main things to be cleaned off the engine bay. Seldom will you have much grease to be removed, so I don't use engine degreaser unless it's an older auto with a lot of grease build-up. Usually, every time I change my oil, I'll take a few mintues with a wet sponge and a towel and clean everything under the hood. Doesn't take too long unless it hasn't been cleaned in a long time.

If I do find some greasy areas, I typically use some type of household cleaner like Fantastic, Greased Lightning, or 409. This works well unles you have a major grease build-up. And if that's the case, buy a can of engine degreaser and use that.

After everything has been cleaned, I spray some Armour All (or equivalent) on the plastic parts to shine them up a little. Let the Armour All sit for a while, then wipe off the excess. Leaves the engine bay looking great.

I grew up loving street rods, and having a nice looking engine was as important as having a nice looking exterior or interior. Just my 2 cents....
Tom

[djeaux]

I've found that a can of compressed air is useful for light dusting & getting leaves & whatnot out of little crevices. (I don't have an air compressor, or I'd just use that...)

[Chris C]

I know mine's going to be a dirty mess. I picked up the new Ridgeline just two weeks ago and they sprayed or wiped down everything under the hood with Armorall.............or something like it. Greasy as heck and I was ticked off. Oh well, it's not the end of the world, but I'm sure it'll attract dust like the dickens. I'll get it off the next time I wash it.

[Andy-Montreal]

TCape pretty much wrapped it up in a clear and concise way that I would do it as well.

The difference is that I've moved on from the oily and slick Armor All coating over to a new product called Engine Shine by Gunk. Unless your engine compartment is caked with grease and grime, this product will clean and leave a shiny finish once done.

To prevent staining of your fenders during the soak down process, I recommend having an assistant lightly misting both fender tops with water while spraying the product on.

ScottIN is the ROC's resident detailing guru. Hopefully, he'll chime in with his procedure and recommendation!

[Tcape]

Originally Posted by Andy-Montreal

TCape pretty much wrapped it up in a clear and concise way that I would do it as well.

The difference is that I've moved on from the oily and slick Armor All coating over to a new product called Engine Shine by Gunk. Unless your engine compartment is caked with grease and grime, this product will clean and leave a shiny finish once done.

To prevent staining of your fenders during the soak down process, I recommend having an assistant lightly misting both fender tops with water while spraying the product on.

ScottIN is the ROC's resident detailing guru. Hopefully, he'll chime in with his procedure and recommendation!

Andy, I haven't seen that product. Looks like the perfect solution to engine detailing. Yep, the Amour All (or equivalent) does leave a sticky surface, so I'm very interested in the Gunk product you recommend. Thanks for the tip!
Tom

[zroger73]

By far the best product I've found to keep the area under the hood clean is to soak it with undiluted Simple Green (I use a handheld pump sprayer). Let it sit for a few minutes then rinse off. It's environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and cleans very well. It may not cut the type of yuck caused by years of buildup of leaking gaskets and such, but it does extremely well for routine cleaning without harsh chemicals.

I've noticed that the RL's engine bay gets dustier/dirtier faster than any other vehicle I've ever owned.

[Hawk]

Do what ZROGER73 sez with the Simple Green. THEN! Take some tire side wall spray, and spray everything in the engine compartment (making it look like a major snowstorm). Close the hood and let it set overnight.

The next morning you will be amazed at how "new" the engine compartment looks.

Also, here's a previous thread.
Best way to clean the engine?

It's soooooo simple (no pun intended).......

[Andy-Montreal]

Originally Posted by Tcape

Andy, I haven't seen that product. Looks like the perfect solution to engine detailing. Yep, the Amour All (or equivalent) does leave a sticky surface, so I'm very interested in the Gunk product you recommend. Thanks for the tip!
Tom

Tom, Gunk used to make a product called "Finishing Touch". It was like a clear coat spray that would harden like paint and leave an everlasting shine. It came off easily with another application of "Engine Wash".

Unfortunately, they pulled it off the market several years ago for reasons unknown.