Saturday, March 26, 2011

DIY Saturday: How to Clean the Engine Bay

The engine bay of your car isn’t frequently seen—except of course by mechanics who do periodic inspection and repairs as necessary. Because of this fact, not many people ever consider cleaning the engine bay. But, the fact is that your engine compartment also needs some washing and degreasing now and then.

But wait, you say, won’t water damage parts under the hood? Well, there are some parts that are susceptible to water damage, such as electrical components. But, as long as you don’t directly spray and force water into these parts, they should be safe. Plus, of course, never allow water into the engine. For this reason, you can use aluminum foil to cover some susceptible parts. And of course, never clean a hot engine bay.

So, how should you go about the process? Well, after covering the parts you want covered (i.e. air filter), you can already spray a degreaser on the engine bay. Reminder: not too much pressure, please. Depending on the degreaser that you use, you may simply leave it on afterwards or you may need to wash it off (refer to the directions on the degreaser). If you need to rinse it off, wait for several minutes and then rinse off with water (again, don’t use strong pressure here). After rinsing, it’s time to dry the engine bay. You can turn the engine on, but only for about two minutes, to help in drying.

Afterwards, you can do the dressing of such parts as the rubber components. For all these components (as well as plastic parts) under the hood, you can use a tire cleaner to give them a good shine.

By regularly cleaning and dressing your engine bay, you do not only give it a good look but also keep the parts in the compartment protected from the damaging effects of elements like unwanted grease and dirt. So, you reduce instances of problems and repairs.

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