2092CobraMadeIn98
06-26-2008, 05:34 PM
Alright everyone has has their own way of making their engine bay shine and sparkle. I've tried a couple of methods and the one I'm going to share is what I feel the quickest,easiest and without a doubt one of the best ways to get your engine bay to shine.
There are a few things you will need, they are as followed.
-Water
-Degreaser
-Brush(optional)
-A mustang with a dirty engine
-And uhh, lets see hmmm yeah I think thats about it.
First off my favorite kind of degreaser is Grease Lightning. It's very cheap and works better than any other degreaser that I've used. However if you like a different kind then you use your style. I know Meijer has Grease Lightning and also Wal-Mart but I never looked at Auto Zone or any of that.
I do my engine bay cleaning a little differently so if you don't do it like this I hope you give it a shot.
1)First is to drive your car around for a little bit or to let the engine bay warm up. I like this because its getting all the dirt and grim heated up.
2)Once it's warm turn the engine off and wet the entire engine bay down with water. The only thing I will say is be careful around your alternator not to soak it badly. I get mine wet and I never have had an issue but I don't soak it down, more of a heavier mist.
3)After wetting it down spray the degreaser. I start with the inside of the hood and work my way down to the back of the engine bay moving towards the front. I spray a moderate amount on and I do this three times in a row.
4)Once you are done spraying a good amount of degreaser in the engine bay turn your car on for 5 minutes and just step back. For cars that have a little bit more dirt in there you can take a brush and brush everything down as well. I tend to do this just because it turns out a little nicer, however its not a necessary step.
5)After 5 minutes has passed with the car running do a quick spray down of the degreaser with water moving in the same motion as you sprayed the degreaser on. Note: make sure not to get crazy with the cleaning, its just another wetting stage.
6)When done wetting it down apply more degreaser to just the engine bay and not the hood liner. Turn the car off and wait for 3 minutes.
7)After 3 minutes spray down the engine bay using same pattern as applying the degreaser. Make sure that the water has a good amount of pressure. I use a power washer and use roughly 5 feet distance between nozzle and part.
http://michiganmustang.com/phpBB3/images/smilies/icon_cool.gifAfter washing off all of the degreaser completly your done. If you want to get more involved you can dry it all with a towel and use something like Armorall to make the plastic shine. I'm not a big fan of that kind of shine so I don't do that, however you may be.
I hope you found this useful and you try it sometime. Within 10 minutes you can have an engine compartment that looks virtually new. If your engine compartment is really filthy it won't hurt to do the steps a time or two more. It's a quick thing and I do it while washing my car, I try to make it a habit because you never know when someone may want to look under your hood and chat.
Take Care
Jeremy
**side note**
If your manufacture stickers are covered by dirt and grim, when degreaser is working on the rest of the engine take a paper towel and scrub the stickers, they will look brand new once rinsed off.
There are a few things you will need, they are as followed.
-Water
-Degreaser
-Brush(optional)
-A mustang with a dirty engine
-And uhh, lets see hmmm yeah I think thats about it.
First off my favorite kind of degreaser is Grease Lightning. It's very cheap and works better than any other degreaser that I've used. However if you like a different kind then you use your style. I know Meijer has Grease Lightning and also Wal-Mart but I never looked at Auto Zone or any of that.
I do my engine bay cleaning a little differently so if you don't do it like this I hope you give it a shot.
1)First is to drive your car around for a little bit or to let the engine bay warm up. I like this because its getting all the dirt and grim heated up.
2)Once it's warm turn the engine off and wet the entire engine bay down with water. The only thing I will say is be careful around your alternator not to soak it badly. I get mine wet and I never have had an issue but I don't soak it down, more of a heavier mist.
3)After wetting it down spray the degreaser. I start with the inside of the hood and work my way down to the back of the engine bay moving towards the front. I spray a moderate amount on and I do this three times in a row.
4)Once you are done spraying a good amount of degreaser in the engine bay turn your car on for 5 minutes and just step back. For cars that have a little bit more dirt in there you can take a brush and brush everything down as well. I tend to do this just because it turns out a little nicer, however its not a necessary step.
5)After 5 minutes has passed with the car running do a quick spray down of the degreaser with water moving in the same motion as you sprayed the degreaser on. Note: make sure not to get crazy with the cleaning, its just another wetting stage.
6)When done wetting it down apply more degreaser to just the engine bay and not the hood liner. Turn the car off and wait for 3 minutes.
7)After 3 minutes spray down the engine bay using same pattern as applying the degreaser. Make sure that the water has a good amount of pressure. I use a power washer and use roughly 5 feet distance between nozzle and part.
http://michiganmustang.com/phpBB3/images/smilies/icon_cool.gifAfter washing off all of the degreaser completly your done. If you want to get more involved you can dry it all with a towel and use something like Armorall to make the plastic shine. I'm not a big fan of that kind of shine so I don't do that, however you may be.
I hope you found this useful and you try it sometime. Within 10 minutes you can have an engine compartment that looks virtually new. If your engine compartment is really filthy it won't hurt to do the steps a time or two more. It's a quick thing and I do it while washing my car, I try to make it a habit because you never know when someone may want to look under your hood and chat.
Take Care
Jeremy
**side note**
If your manufacture stickers are covered by dirt and grim, when degreaser is working on the rest of the engine take a paper towel and scrub the stickers, they will look brand new once rinsed off.