Engine bay cleaning tips

NavySeabee - I use 1/2 Simple Green ...
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Regarding using Simple Green (excerpted from the FAQ at Simple Green's web site) ...
Aluminum — Is it safe to use Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner on aluminum?

When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser, and Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green product residues.

Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.​
Because of the high amount of aluminum components in the engine bay, I opt not to use Simple Green (or any product like it).

Engine bay cleaning supplies include (though is not limited to) ...
  • various sizes of paint brushes.
  • DAWN dish soap. *Add water to make a cleaning solution.
  • smalll brass wire brush. *To clean-off aluminum oxidation. Follow-up with silicone spray.
  • mineral spirits. *For any stubborn, build-up.
  • lemon Pledge.
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No (regular) Simple Green on aluminum for me, I've see how it can "cloud" the finish of bare aluminum or areas where the anodizing/clearcoat is compromised. Don't they make a version that's aluminum-friendly, suitable for aviation/etc. applications?

I try to avoid products that will attract or retain dust and dirt. I like a "dry" type finish that can be easily cleaned during each wash (with just regular carwash shampoo or a rinseless wash like Infinite Use Detail Juice) without the need to redo in a big way all the time.

For Black Plastic & Rubber-

Clean with Griot's Rubber Prep
Seal with Utlima's Tire & Trim Guard Plus
Maintain with ValuGard's Fast Finish

Even if you don't have time to do the FastFinish, the Ultima keeps things looking nice for a long, long time.

If you don't want to bother with the Ultima Sealant, the FastFinish alone is great on most surfaces, but it needs redone after each wash.

Corroded alternator casings/etc. (what is that finish anyhow? Zinc?) and other lightly corroded bits clean up easily with Wurth's Rost Off and a brass brush. The Rost Off doesn't attract/retain dust and dirt the way I expected it to, it leaves a pretty dry finish. I've also done OK with KRC7 (a product made for bathroom fixtures) but that needs to be rinsed, or at least wiped off.

sflrainmaker01- You might want to look into citrus-based products like P21s Total Auto Wash. But if it's really nasty, give some thought to the greasy stuff you'll be cleaning off...don't want that being part of the runoff either.

Sometimes I'll clean off nasty grease with a solvent and rags/paper towels, which I then just throw away. Solvent and a toothbrush can work well too. And the solvent evaporates, so no need to rinse afterwards.
 
Accumulator said:
sflrainmaker01- You might want to look into citrus-based products like P21s Total Auto Wash. But if it's really nasty, give some thought to the greasy stuff you'll be cleaning off...don't want that being part of the runoff either.

Sometimes I'll clean off nasty grease with a solvent and rags/paper towels, which I then just throw away. Solvent and a toothbrush can work well too. And the solvent evaporates, so no need to rinse afterwards.
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Luckily, there isn't a lot of grease. It's mostly like everyone else is saying-the aluminum intake and coil covers look like crap. There is also a lot of white "spots", like maybe the previous owner tried to clean it but didn't wash it all off very well.
 
sflrainmaker01- What surfaces have thoser "white spots"? My p71 had them on the all galvanized/zinc(?) plated parts but they cleaned up OK and have stayed that way now that I'm the guy maintaining it :D

My upper plenum wasn't all that bad so it cleaned up OK too, I haven't worked on the cylinderheads yet though.
 
1/2 the time I get water in the spark plug wells. It hits the firewall and runs down the coil wire.
You may want to remove the coil covers after to check for water.

I have had good results with 50% simple solution in a spray bottle.
 
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