I'm going to type this up, because I just cleaned my engine bay with good results. If this is in the wrong place, or theres already a really good write up posted on this site, Please feel free to erase this thread.
Results may vary, due to differences in previous engine / engine bay condition, but i'm going to write up for you how I clean and detail my engine bay and post a photo on the bottom of my result.
When you open your hood, what do you see? As well, what do other people see? Being an avid automobile enthusiast myself, I can tell you from my personal experience. When I pop a vehicles hood, and take a look at the engine bay and over all cleanliness of a vehicle, like they say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Owners who detail their engine bays, also generally tend to take better over all care of their entire vehicle. They most often do regular maintenance at correct intervals, and do not over look any problems. A clean "you can eat off this" engine bay, is also a big factor in the resale value of your car. I have taken the time to write up an effective engine bay detail / clean up for those of you who are interested in bringing some shine back to heart of your ride.
Step 1: Clean Underside of hood, front grille, and vent panel.
For the first step, you don't need much more then some of your choice car wash in a bucket of water, a rag, and a free hand to scrub with. Mix up your car wash formula in water (could be soap.) Soak your sponge in the mixture, then wring it most of the way out. You want it to clean, but not drip all over your engine bays exposed electrical components. Wash clean the underside of the hood, the entire surface between your windshield and the engine bay where the vents intake their air from, as well as your front grille. Please be careful, the underside of the hood has sharp edges and you must wash that with care as to avoid cutting your hands / arms.
Step 2: Prepare your engine bay for getting wet.
Not all parts of the engine bay are safe to get wet. This second step is to prevent electrical defects / shorts after the process. Remove the spark plug wires and set them aside in a clean dry place. Please take the time now with plastic wrap, or plastic baggies to cover up the following areas:
a.) Sensors
b.) Plug in connections
c.) Distributor
d.) Spark plug tube openings
e.) Any other electrical devices that have the potential to acumulate water
f.) Intake filters, which are exposed (such as on short intakes)
Engine bays, are mostly water proof as is, but this is an extra precaution to help ensure a safe, easy start up once you are finished. Although the things you just covered do not need to be "water tight" it is wise to make sure they aren't going to come off in a later step when you rinse the engine off.
Step 3: Losen accumulated grease and dirt.
This step is simple, but you must be careful for the plastic you have previously applied. Grease and gunk will be easier to remove if the engine is slightly warm. At this time, make sure none of your plastic in touching the engine itself, especially not the exhaust manifold, head, or valve cover. Start your engine, and let it run for just two minutes or so until the top of the engine feels only "warm" to your touch. Please use common sence and do not touch an engine that you have previously been driving, or think you have let idle for too long. Once the engine is warm, you may shut it off and proceed to the next step.
Step 4: Applying engine cleaner, or degreaser.
Now that you have covered the water sensitive areas, and warmed the engine a bit you are ready to start getting the dirt off of it. Using the degreaser of your choice, or engine cleaner, start from lower areas, and work your way upwards. Be generous to areas which have visually caked on grease or dirt. If you happen to get overspray from your cleaner degreaser on the paint of your vehicle rinse it off asap. If these areas were waxed, you will need to re-wax that later as degreaser cuts through the wax. Once you have applied the cleaner / degreaser of your choice, you should let it soak in for no more then 3-5 minutes. Do NOT allow the formula to dry on the engine. Most areas will rinse clean, though some may not. For the areas which the engine doesnt appear as clean as it can be, use a parts cleaner brush and some of your car wash / water formula to cleanse these areas with extra scrubbing to maximize the effectiveness of cleaning. An old toothbrush is great to use in small tight areas which larger brushes can not squeeze into.
Step 5: Rinse it all off.
Now you are ready to wash off the cleaners / degreasers. Using your hose wash (stiff stream preferred) down the entire area, and surrounding areas. This includes the areas you previously scrubbed in step 1. Be sure to spray down areas such as the windshield, fenders, front grille and bumper as well since the lose dirt will be moved around and you don't want it to relocate to another part of the vehicle. Be generous with the rinse procedure, you want the cleaner / degreaser all the way off. Do not spray any sort of pressure nozzle directly towards any electrical components if thats what you have chosen to rinse off with, it may force water past your plastic protection.
Step 6: Dry the engine / bay.
Allow the water to run off on its own for a couple of minutes. You do not want the water to dry all the way on its own since that will leave you with water marks. Use old towells / rags of your choice to assist you in drying off the remaining water. Please use caution when choosing where to stick your hands / arms since parts of the engine may still be warm from when you ran the engine previously. That warmth, will assist you in drying the engine in places which you can not reach anyway. Once you have dryed the engine / bay thouroughly, you may remove all of your plastic coverings and put the spark plug wires back on, in the correct order. Start your engine, and let it run for a few minutes, then shut it off.
Step 7: Make it shine
Once everything has dried, and your engine has cooled down completely, you are ready to apply your protectant. You have a lot of choices in this area. If you do not have any specific engine protectant products, you may use your rubber / vinyl protectant to coat your hoses, wires, and plastic shields with. For some quick shine and protect for the accessible painted surfaces in your engine bay, you may use the detail spray of your choice. apply it, and wipe off excess with a clean dry soft cloth.
Step 8: Small finishing touches
The areas which you had covered with plastic, may still retain some dirt such as electrical connects and things of this nature. You may take Q-tips and fine detail them if you feel it is necessary, and clean your spark plug wires if they are not already new / clean.
Step 9: Admire your work
Stand back, and admire your freshly cleaned and detailed engine bay. Now, wasn't that worth the 45 minutes or so you just spent on this vehicle care process? I hope so, and I hope this how to helps those of you who werent sure how to go about doing this, or thought it was to big a task for you to handle.
My engine bay when I first got the car was absolutly disgusting, I will not post a before photo because it is embarassing. Lets just say since the cars been in my care I keep my engine bay cleaned and detailed about every month or so. This is my result from following the procedure I have written up in this how to:
. FAQ this!
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