I'm scared too water down the engine bay...might short circuit something in there....any links or tips? THanks.

 

I hand wipe mine down, but you can also use brake cleaner!

 

brake cleaner...? :nervous:

There are engine degreasers you can buy that are non-reactive with most engine bay materials, for the most part this topic has been covered 500x.. so I suggest searching for more indepth into it..

Cover up your fusebox and battery and you can pretty much rinse it down...

 

when i first got my teg the engine bay was disgusting, I got some "Simple Green" and just cleaned it with a rag. Came out pretty good takes awhile but worth it.

 

Some other thread said to start by wiping down your valve cover. Just that makes a world of difference.

 

teg92's got a point. I think simple green takes some stuff of that skin disolving degreasers wouldn't get. And it probably doesn't break down the factory greased parts.

You can use a hose on low pressure, but you want to be sure that the engine isn't hot. Which is also good for when you go to wipe it down after. Because obviously drops are going to leave spots on any chrome or stainless parts.... Do your strut bar last....
Ok?... Ok. That's my 2 cents. You should be careful so you don't damage things.
I've found that with my SRI I can just cover it with a shop towel and it will keep the water out, provided I don't deliberately soak or spray the cone.

 

I'm not responsible if you mess anything up. I cover up my air filter and the distributor only with bathroom trash bags. On a cool engine I rinsed the engine bay (nothing high pressured... just used my thumb on the end of a regular hose) and got the engine wet. Took a whole can of GUNK Foamy Engine Brite and sprayed the whole engine from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny, and just kept spraying over and over until the whole can was ALMOST gone. I would avoid spraying the alternator, spark plugs, and any wiring directly. Wait about 10-15 minutes, and rinse the engine just like you did the first time. Now I went on a search to find anything that didn't clean up... grabbed a toothbrush, spray some engine cleaner on it, and hand scrubbed the dirty parts. Now take a can of Armor All Tire Foam, and do a light coating on the engine bay... the heavier the coat, the shinier it will be. I used maybe 1/6 to 1/8 of the can... after you've done a light spray on the stuff, close the hood and let the car idle for about 10 minutes. Grab an old rag, and wipe everything down and it should look pretty good.

 

instead of armorall use WD-40 or a can of lemon pledge if you want something that doesn't smell like ass. WD will displace water and dry and wont allow dirty to stick to it. Same with lemon pledge. Also it works better if the engine is warm, but not hot! run the engine for maybe 2-3mins and then wait a few minutes. Lastly you can use aluminum foil to cover the electrical parts. It conforms and shapes better than plastic bags.