Cleaning your car engine bay can be a daunting task, but following these 10 steps can make it a simple and satisfying one. First, remove larger pieces of dirt, such as leaves and twigs, and spray all-purpose cleaner on the entire engine bay area, including the hood. Agitate the engine bay with a stiffer brush to remove any residue.
There are several methods for cleaning an engine, including using an Engine Degreaser and Pressure Washer, which is the most common method. Regular car interior detailing is important for keeping your car clean and smelling fresh, as well as restoring and preserving the condition of your upholstery, carpets, and surfaces.
To detail your engine bay, it is essential to avoid detailing a hot engine, as cold water can run into the engine. Some detailers may turn the car on VRT and In and Out Spray, but if the bay is dirtier, it may not be strong enough to get the job done.
Meg’s Quick Detailer is an aggressive cleaner/wax that should not be used in the engine compartment. The Final Inspection is a quick detail product that can be used after washing the engine down with Super Clean and then over it with a detailer spray.
Regarding Meguiar’s Hyperdressing, CD2 is a good alternative to Meguiar’s Quik Interior Detailer, which leaves very little shine but repels dust. Regular engine bay cleaning contributes to the prevention of corrosion and early detection of issues. Turtles Ice interior detailer leaves a matte finish with no residue and a fresh clean smell.
Hyper Dressing is a popular option for engine bays because it can be misted and removed without needing to wipe each piece.
📹 Why and How Should You Clean Your Engine?
You may not immediately see your engine bay every time you drive your car, but that doesn’t mean you never need to clean it.
Is it safe to detail an engine?
The author emphasizes the importance of proper cleaning of a car engine. They argue that without proper knowledge and common sense, one can destroy the engine. However, they also mention that with the right tools and skills, one can prevent damage to the engine. The author, who has cleaned numerous engines, believes that taking necessary precautions and preparing oneself and the car for success is key to a successful cleaning experience.
What can I use to detail my engine?
To clean an engine, start by rinsing the dirt off with a specially designed wash mitt. Use a flexible EZ-Detail Brush for crevices and areas that can’t be reached by hand, as it is 18 inches long and flattens against the center rod to squeeze into tight places. Wash the perimeter of the engine and start towards the middle of the engine where fluid containers and caps may need extra elbow grease. Always use soft bristled brushes and avoid brass or stainless steel ones, as they can scratch plastic and paint. Mix soapy water in a spray bottle to assist in detailing, and use a quick cleaning product like BLACKFIRE Waterless Wash. Keep shop towels handy to wipe down areas after finishing.
Designate microfiber towels for engine detailing, such as the Cobra Mango Breeze Microfiber Towels or Cobra Super Plush Deluxe 600 Microfiber Towels. If you have a Metro Vac N’ Blo, blow water out of crevices using a can of compressed air. Stoner E-Z Gust works well.
After cleaning the dirt off, shine the engine up with a high-quality sealant like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3. 0 or Collinite Insulator Wax 845. Carnauba-based wax may not last long in hot engine bays, so Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3. 0 is recommended for painted surfaces under the hood. Collinite Insulator Wax 845 is specifically designed for hot areas, ensuring durability.
Is it bad to spray water in engine?
Spraying engine parts can be safe depending on the engine type. For cars above 2003, most wires are water-sealed, with only a few parts needed. For more complex engines with superchargers, turbochargers, or tucked engines, different components need to be covered depending on modifications. Vintage and older vehicles are the most concerned and should be sprayed for the most caution. It’s important to be cautious when cleaning older vehicles with complex engines.
What should you avoid in an engine wash?
The text recommends using a safe degreaser or engine cleaner for various under-hood materials, avoiding household cleaners or harsh chemicals that can damage rubber, plastic, and metal components. Begin by removing loose debris and dirt using a soft-bristled brush or compressed air, paying close attention to crevices and hard-to-reach areas. Spray the cleaner generously over the engine bay, ensuring thorough coverage, especially on heavily soiled areas like the engine block and transmission.
Agitate stubborn dirt and grease in intricate areas like hoses, cables, and connectors, being cautious around sensitive components. Rinse the engine thoroughly with water, ensuring all traces of cleaner are removed.
How do professionals clean engine bay?
The process of cleaning an engine bay involves disconnecting the car battery, removing covers, covering sensitive components, rinsing loose dirt and debris, applying engine degreaser, scrubbing away grime, cleaning surfaces, rinsing with care, and drying the engine bay. A clean engine bay helps identify leaks or failing parts before they cause damage. Allowing grime to accumulate can lead to corrosion, affecting the car’s performance and reducing its lifespan.
Regular engine bay scrubs are essential for smooth and safe driving, acting as an internal car wash to remove gunk from air intakes and gaskets. This simple process can make your engine bay sparkle like new.
How can I clean my engine without damaging anything?
To clean an engine bay, use a synthetic brush to agitate surface grime and dust, then vacuum and wet the engine bay with warm water. Spray the degreaser throughout the engine compartments and let it soak for 10 minutes. Add more grease remover to caps, hoses, fluid containers, and firewalls for extra grime buildup. Rinse the engine bay with a weak stream of pressure sprayer, starting from the back and moving to the front, to avoid water leaks.
Can I spray the inside of my engine bay?
It is inadvisable to spray water on the coil packs while they are still charging, as this could cause arcing and subsequent malfunction. The components are hermetically sealed.
Can I use an interior detailer on an engine bay?
This text provides a detailed cleaning process for an engine bay. It uses various tools to clean the engine compartment, including Boar’s Hair brush for painted areas, Fender Brush for hard-to-reach spots near the firewall, and Trim and Lug Nut Brush for intricate or small areas. The process involves rinsing the engine compartment from top-down to remove dirt and chemical residue, drying it with an Air Cannon, and spraying Interior Detailer in wide mists around the entire compartment.
This water-based dressing for plastics and hoses provides a fresh, showroom-new look and self-levels almost perfectly. The process can be completed in 10-15 minutes, making it a quick and easy process for modern vehicles. The engine bay should be cleaned every 3 or 4 washes to keep it looking fantastic all year round.
Should I clean the inside of my engine?
In urban areas with minimal road debris, it is recommended to clean your car engine at least twice a year. In dry areas with high dust accumulation, it should be cleaned every three months. In areas with heavy rainfall or snowfall, it is recommended to clean the engine bay every two months. However, washing a car engine safely is crucial as even a single mistake can lead to problems, such as water damage exposing wires, sensors, and other sensitive components, potentially causing malfunctions and costly repairs. Therefore, it is essential to follow proper maintenance guidelines when washing a car engine.
Can you wash the inside of an engine?
Regular engine bay scrubs are essential for smooth and safe driving. They act as an internal car wash, removing gunk from air intakes, gaskets, and other areas. To make your engine shine, follow these steps:
- Choose a warm, low-humidity day with a gentle breeze. This will help the engine and its parts dry off faster, resulting in a sparkling clean engine bay.
Is it safe to spray your engine with water?
Spraying engine parts can be safe depending on the engine type. For cars above 2003, most wires are water-sealed, with only a few parts needed. For more complex engines with superchargers, turbochargers, or tucked engines, different components need to be covered depending on modifications. Vintage and older vehicles are the most concerned and should be sprayed for the most caution. It’s important to be cautious when cleaning older vehicles with complex engines.
📹 Why We STOPPED Using a Steamer For Interior Detailing
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I really like it when an owner demonstrates his products that he sells the public and does it himself. That’s a passionate owner. It takes pride in his products showing you that he will get in the down and dirty and wash a car on camera the same way we do. This is why I’ll always buy his products because there’s pride and respect and every detail that he creates for us. Thanks, Adam!
👎This is literally more of a long advertisement than sound advice. Pressure washing can force water into all of the electrical connector points and into the alternator. You do no mention of taking prevention to protect these areas. But you made sure to promote your brand 10 times. Have some integrity and full disclosure. Also, no mention if the tire cleaner is going to make a burned plastic smell when the engine heats up.
I wish you guys would work on a everyday driver that sits in a parking lot at a job, baking in the sun. Gets crap from plants, birds and bugs. Rain, acid rain, snow, salt and scratches I have a 2014 fusion titanium and I keep it pretty clean. I do like your products but I would like you to go find a random car or truck and work on it.
Look awesome! Love your products, and how well they work. I’ve given away all my other MFG products to friends, and use Adam’s exclusively on and in all my vehicles. Quick question, I see you like the interior detail spray to do this. How would the Rubber Mat & Liner Protectant (Cleaner & Protectant Combo) work? I would think it would cut the dirt/grime better, plus the protectant would add a little blackness and gloss. Thoughts?
A little confused as to why Adam’s is claiming leaf blowers can’t do what their cannon does when MOST leaf blowers push 3 times the amount of air via CFM. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Adam’s cannon is $300 for 100 CFM versus a leaf blower’s 400 CFM for $80-$120. Why would I do that? Second, why are they demonstrating how easy it is to clean an already clean engine bay? Since when has a pressure washer been required to clean them? I’m starting to get the feeling that Adam’s has lost their way by presenting their narrative as fact, instead of just their biased recommendations. 🤪🤪🤪
All you dorks thinking the pressure washer is gonna hurt your engine, fuse boxes, batteries, alternator etc: No modern car manufacturer would ever engineer an engine bay to be ruined via a non-commercial pressure washer held from 2 feet away. Your car would be failing in a multitude of other ways before degreaser and a pressure rinse 😂 anyone I’ve ever heard complaining about that especially on MODERN cars, either hasn’t detailed cars very long or just likes to hear themselves confirm their own opinions lol I’ve done over 300 engine bays degreasing and scrubbing and pressure rinsing. Never thrown a code on the dash, never burped water out the exhaust. However clowns will be clowns
until you pressure wash an alternator. Or the water ruins the coil on plugs. Please God, NEVER pressure wash the engine bay. Use LOW PRESSURE HOSE !!!! Cover up the alternator and stay away from the spark plug area. A low pressure hose and simple green is enough to wash away the grease. Tire foam is ok on the plastic. Stay away from the belts.
Don’t do this. This will make it worse not better. This has petroleum oil based base which attracts dust and debris on your engine making it worse over time. You may like the shine after you apply it, but the more you apply, the worse it will get over time. The smell that intrudes into the cabin is also another thing. Do not do it. Buy a true engine bay cleaner with running water to get rid of dirt, debris, oil and other gunk out.
I say to not ” wash ” the I believe it’s purpose, insulation underneath the hood to keep heat in and cold out . I would expect automakers would say to not get it wet . Though how many detailers power wash it and dip a brush in soap and wash it . And to block off the air intake with microfiber towels you have stuffed into the opening . To block water from getting through as they will absorb it quite well .
‘Your little oil checking handle’ ?????? I will try the interior detailer on the engine bay next time I wash. I keep a gallon if your interior detail on hand plus a couple bottles of VRT as well. I will say that I use a leaf blower to get water off the cars. My full size crew cab truck never sees a towel except for when I use ceramic spray. I use one of the largest Echo backpack leaf blowers they make. Second from the top actually. And I promise you it runs circles around your little air blower. BUT I know people that dont have access to a large, good quality leaf blower would definitely benefit from your machine. HIGHLY recommend blowing the cars off after wash instead of toweling. Especially if you can pair that with using deionized water for rinsing as well.
Sometimes using that steamer instead of shampooing though is way faster instead of wetting everything down if the interior permits, for instance, I just did an interior that looked pretty dirty not super dirty, though, instead of shampooing, the seats came out good and the carpet with just a steamer and knocked it out way faster, but I don’t use the steamer for wiping down the panels though, just a blow gun, and scrub, ninjas and brushes But for shampooing, if it’s light, dirt, steam
Technique makes a meaningful difference for sure. My extractor (sapphire scientific) produces hot water and has 400lbs of lift. My compressor has a additional 600 gallon holding tank and my steamer is vapor chief 100. It’s been three decades of doing this. I agree with you… systematic processes of continuous improvement are a must. Cheers
I agree and disagree because i use my steamer McCulloch 1375 more than my Mytee 8070 especially when its cooler outside. it heats up just as fast as the Mytee but it a consistent heat and the mytee you only get hot water for a few passes. I try to simplify my detailing process to use pull less equipment out to save time. I’m going to upgrade to the Chief Steamer 100psi because it saves money on chemicals, much faster work time, lessens your detail job, can literally be used on every part of the car and it’s just a single machine with continuous hot steam. Plus you don’t soak customers interior unless absolutely needed then ill pull out the Mytee 8070 for deeper stains.
Totally agree here. Im a mobile detailer in atlanta and once I got the Tornador with the cleaning solution bottle, that was an immense time saver. I can blow out awful carpets i would normally have to scrub with a brush or drill brush to loosen everything up, I can use the cleaning solution for the door jams and light interior work. Then, I still use a brush where it is needed. This also seriously helps to clean floor mats as well.
I have been detailing since 1991 and using steam to clean is by far gives the highest level of cleanliness. The type of steamer and how it’s used is the key. You need at least 10 bar which is about 145 psi. This gives you great flexibility because the steam doesn’t drop off too much and it recovers quickly. Also it helps to have extraction feature so you don’t need to use micro fiber towels as much. I will NOT clean without steam but each his own man.
the only time I use a steamer ..or my tornador is on a filthy vehicle… but I barely use either of them because I don’t detail nasty cars anymore. 90 percent of my vehicles or new or a year old and I’ve been cleaning them since they were first purchased on a bi weekly basis. I only use 3 or 4 products total for a compete detail inside and out and the detail takes 1 hour. no need to complicate your life and waste time and product. keep it simple. 💪
I will be honest, when I detail the last thing I want is too much humidity inside the interior getting onto the windows especially cooler days. The methods to cleaning are not the same in hotter southern states like they are in the north. When I watch these articles I’m like wait a minute these detailers have the heat to dry the interior way faster then where I’m at. I’m better off using other methods to not have a wet interior taking longer to dry fogging the windows with moisture. So avoiding the use of an extractor and steamer is have to be well thought out more.
Personally, I have the AquaPro extractor and love the results I get out of it, but in 95% of cases I just use the steamer and Renny Doyle method because it’s SO much faster and gets the same results or better a majority of the time due to the heat (in my use case). However there are some interiors that just need to be extracted properly, in which case I pretreat with chemical and the steamer and rinse and extract with the AquaPro Vac. The only reason I’m pro steamer instead of extractor is efficiency time wise. It saves SO much time not having to suck up 2 gallons of water out of an interior and instead just steaming the surface, and moping with a micro. Definitely respect your opinion though. Truth be told if I didn’t have to take my extractor in and out of my sedan constantly and had a Mytee with a 25-50′ hose I’d probably be on your side 100%. Heat is key
Hot water (not boiling) Tornador with chems + detail brush/drill brush/power washer works for me. Steamer is fun too but the distilled water and small tank can become an issue on some days. Extractor is nice when it gets going but situational for the most part. Good to have all 3 but the Tornador can cover a bit of both, just not quite. I still clean salt stains the old school way, sorta lol. Just need a strong stream of water and vacuum. Tornador is a great tool. Need a bigger than average compressor though.
Why saturate the seats, carpets. Don’t care how much lift machines have, you are blasting it into sponge. There are some cracking presprays out there, green dragon, simply green, encap, foam cleaner etc etc. Bonnet/drill brush, wipe excess and steam. The new “Neat Steamer +” by Dupray, heats up in 90 seconds, no need to cool down to refill, 275 degrees, sanitize seats/carpets, my go to new detailing machine. Time is money.
Ive sold over $10M in Auto Details and Car Washes, thats how Delta Queen Classic Car Wash and Detail Performance in Campbell Ca. THATS HOW ITS DONE! Extractor at 180 degree temperature. Using all purpose cleaner with light scrub brush and air on door panels. CCW Delta Queen is the number one car wash in the nation and number one in detail dollar sold. There are 4 locations in Silicon Valley. Family owned since 1964 and the owners are well well well off. Were taking $Billionaires