Cleaning the engine bay

[STREETREBEL]

What's the best way to clean all the oil from my engine bay?
I've pulled the engine. Now I have an oily pit!
I don't have a pressure washer.

 

[Mike67]

You can rent a power washer that has a hotwater heater or even a steamer. Works great!

 

[Darter6]

Any engine de-greaser,but it may harm paint.I like to use Purple Power or Simple Green. For heavy grease I use mineral spirits in a spray bottle,let it soak and them elbow grease..Place cardboard on the floor with newspaper on to soak up the gunk and grime,makes cleanup easier.

 

[eldubb440]

oven cleaner FTW, if you plan to repaint

 

[STREETREBEL]

All great ideas.
Thanks.

 

[Yatzee]

What's the best way to clean all the oil from my engine bay?
I've pulled the engine. Now I have an oily pit!
I don't have a pressure washer.

Still one of the best cleaner/degreasers is Dunk if you can find it. After it sits on a surface for a while just rinse it off with a hose or power washer. I put it in an atomizer bottle to spray it on. Doesn't eat paint, easily applied without destroying the atomizer, rinses clear and is enviromentaly safe. Castrol Super Clean does the same but has a tendancy to affect pavement if not rinsed off fairly soon after application. Using these followed by steam is about as good as media blasting.

 

[mmissile]

You mean GUNK?

 

[super-bee_ski]

All that is mentioned above and Elbow Grease!

 

[Shorthorse]

If you have a good compressor, a siphon sprayer and a 5 gallon can of parts cleaner (Tractor Supply $40) is a decent trick. It's a mess and you've got to do it outside but it works very well. You still need to get those big chunks of old buildup knocked off first, then spray. The rest is just good old elbow grease.

 

[STREETREBEL]

Where can I buy some of that elbow grease!

 

[Superb Bee]

Are you repainting the engine bay, IMO, if you are going through the trouble of cleaning it, may as well detail it. It looks so nice with fresh paint on it. But I am crazy about this stuff, I can not count the cars that an exhaust system turned into dropping the tank and painting the entire bottom.

Just to clean it use a product called zep purple http://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-5-Gal-Industrial-Purple-Degreasers-ZU08565G/100619267 hoe depot by the 5 gal jug, the "zep guys" used to come by my shop every 2 weeks years ago, they stopped that and now you can get the stuff at the depot instead. Works well, better than the gunk foaming shyte.

I have a hotsy pressure washer with an oil burner on it, for steam cleaning, and you can rent them.

If you are willing to repaint under there and don't have a sand blaster, grab a cheap speed blaster, I love them things, I have like 4 of them, awesome for a little job like under the hood. It doesn't cost much even if you don't have the tools as long as you have a compressor.
qt of ss urethane, primer, cleaner, cheap spray gun, masking tape, sand, speed blaster, etc maybe $250 total and it will look great under there.
If the motor is out I can do it in 4 hours, then let the paint dry.

I do stick to purple zep for under the hood and a hot washer works best, grease seems to harden back up when cold water hits it.

 

[dieseldazzle]

I used simple green and scrub scrub. Especially on survivors.

Cleaning can take so Much time. Here are a few before and afters of engines bays both without pulling the motors due to time constraints.

Before

 

[dieseldazzle]

Before number two

 

[dieseldazzle]

After

This is not a repaint just scrub scrub scrub

 

[dieseldazzle]

Different camera

 

[dieseldazzle]

Before and after

 

[OH71RRunner]

Where can I buy some of that elbow grease!

I think it's in the same aisle as blinker fluid and muffler bearings. Right next to the cross drilled brake lines, between the crankshaft belts and left-handed metric adjustable wrenches, and above the piston return springs.

 

[1962polara]

Kerosene

 

[eldubb440]

Are you repainting the engine bay, IMO, if you are going through the trouble of cleaning it, may as well detail it. It looks so nice with fresh paint on it. But I am crazy about this stuff, I can not count the cars that an exhaust system turned into dropping the tank and painting the entire bottom.

Just to clean it use a product called zep purple http://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-5-Gal-Industrial-Purple-Degreasers-ZU08565G/100619267 hoe depot by the 5 gal jug, the "zep guys" used to come by my shop every 2 weeks years ago, they stopped that and now you can get the stuff at the depot instead. Works well, better than the gunk foaming shyte.

I have a hotsy pressure washer with an oil burner on it, for steam cleaning, and you can rent them.

If you are willing to repaint under there and don't have a sand blaster, grab a cheap speed blaster, I love them things, I have like 4 of them, awesome for a little job like under the hood. It doesn't cost much even if you don't have the tools as long as you have a compressor.
qt of ss urethane, primer, cleaner, cheap spray gun, masking tape, sand, speed blaster, etc maybe $250 total and it will look great under there.
If the motor is out I can do it in 4 hours, then let the paint dry.

I do stick to purple zep for under the hood and a hot washer works best, grease seems to harden back up when cold water hits it.

the Zep Purple is absolutely awesome, but DO NOT breathe the mist!!! I dilute it for the wife, she is hell on a stove top! ......... I mentioned oven cleaner as a viable option, someone disagreed, but did not post a reason. whatever

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

Oil eater also works pretty good home depot on line 4 gallons $21!