Engine Cleaning

sgvnut said:
i just used the pressure washer and sprayed everything off. It did the job pretty good. what would simple green have done? isn't that just a degreaser? Once the dirt got wet it was pretty easy to spray off. Just the places that were kind of hard to reach is still a little dirty. If its hard to reach with a pressure washer i think it would be harder to try to clean with my hands.
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Biglatka gives some good suggestions.

Simple Green is a degreaser and a general purpose cleaner. Spraying it on the engine and using a brush will loosen the dirt -- I have a long-handled brush that makes it a little easier, too. I've used Simple Green on a Camry and on the 4Runner and you could certainly tell the difference. Since you already have a great start on the dirt, shouldn't take much effort.
 
i had my engine cleaned at a local shine shop (didnt feel to confident about doing it myself), and it looked like new and ran fine. Next day when i went to drive it, the battery and parking brake warning lights stayed on when i was driving. i am almost positive that the engine is now just running off the battery, as each time i went to start it it became harder to turn over. can the alternator be damaged by this procedure? i think the guy used some kind of steam cleaner.
also, if there is damage due to his work, do you think he would be liable to some extent (pay for damages)?
 
n8buddy said:
i had my engine cleaned at a local shine shop (didnt feel to confident about doing it myself), and it looked like new and ran fine. Next day when i went to drive it, the battery and parking brake warning lights stayed on when i was driving. i am almost positive that the engine is now just running off the battery, as each time i went to start it it became harder to turn over. can the alternator be damaged by this procedure? i think the guy used some kind of steam cleaner.
also, if there is damage due to his work, do you think he would be liable to some extent (pay for damages)?
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Yes, it is possible to damage any of the electrical components. That's why you see the suggestion to cover them with plastic sacks before you start to clean.

If you can prove the shop caused the damage, then you could make them pay for the repairs. The key, though, is proving the cause of any damage.

Suggestion is that you first take the nice approach and talk to the owner or manager of the shop and see what they are willing to do.
 
just got the news from my mechanic: alternator is toast. he said that washing it alone shouldnt cause this, but might have triggered it b/c it is an older engine. i also talked to the guy at the shine shop and he doubted that it was his fault, but would talk to my mechanic and get his proffesional opinion. repair is at least $200 cad, so hopefully the cleaner is wrong. in my opinion, it seems more than a coincidence that the day after cleaning the alt didnt work. (only drove it from shop to my house ~5 min).
 
I use Foamy Engine Brite and the stuff works great and with it's direct spray is easy to keep directed where you want it.
 
n8buddy said:
just got the news from my mechanic: alternator is toast. he said that washing it alone shouldnt cause this, but might have triggered it b/c it is an older engine. i also talked to the guy at the shine shop and he doubted that it was his fault, but would talk to my mechanic and get his proffesional opinion. repair is at least $200 cad, so hopefully the cleaner is wrong. in my opinion, it seems more than a coincidence that the day after cleaning the alt didnt work. (only drove it from shop to my house ~5 min).
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It would seem like more of a coincidence, but the mechanic has no vested interest in what happened between you and the detailer. It may well be that just enough water got into the alternator to cause the failure to occur now, rather than sometime in the future, but that the amount would not have damaged another alternator.
 
bringing up a old thread but im thinking of doing it this week so i should cover up the alternator and battery and fuse box any thing else i should do i dont wont to screw things up
 
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Elton said:
bringing up a old thread but im thinking of doing it this week so i should cover up the alternator and battery and fuse box any thing else i should do i dont wont to screw things up
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Those are recommended items to cover, but I personally haven't covered any of it when hosing down the engine. I don't recommend using a 'jet' or stream setting on the hose, instead use a spray or shower setting, so there's less water pressure to penetrate softer seals that were intended to keep out moisture. I recommend starting the engine and running it for 10 minutes or so to dry out the water. You don't need to keep the engine on until the water is dry, once warmed, it'll stay warm for quite some time drying it out.
 
Another vote for the Simple Green treatment. Dilute it at least 50/50, perhaps 75/25 (mostly water). Spray down, allow to penetrate the dirt, spray off. Do this on a cool engine. Then spray another coat on while it's wet, allow to penetrate, then spray off. If you do this regularly and don't submerge your front end in mud on a regular basis, no scrubbing should be required. Oh yeah, use the mist setting on your hose to foam things up a bit, then a spray setting to get the second coat off.
 
i used simple green great stuff engine looks almost new i just covered the battery fuse box and starter to be safe also used a leaf blower speeds up the dry time
 
I was advised againt using simple green becuase it IS a degreaser. Great for grease or oil on metal.. but it is a degreaser, and will break down petroleum products- like your rubber components on your motor that you might miss while washing off. This is just what I heard, don't know if it's true, but it makes sense..

Thoughts?
 
i used simple green first then got some black magic engine cleaner and brightner heres what mine looks like its not much but it was kidda dirty :lmao:
Picture001-2.jpg~original

Picture003-2.jpg~original
:lmao:
 
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From what I'm reading steam cleaning is a no-no in terms of cleaning the engine bay ? You guys should see mine...after frolicking up in the mountains of Santa Barbara last May my engine bay is pretty damn dirty (from driving over muddy water). I left it alone until now but everyone loves a clean engine bay so any help would be great. If I can find the picture I took of it on my phone I'll post some pics later on.
 
Hey is there a list of parts on engine to specifically that I should cover when using engine degreaser? I've been curious for awhile so I used it on the underbody cover last night and it does pretty good so I wanna do the whole engine now
 
You can use a high pressure washer on the engine but cover up some important engine parts and don't use the pressure washer want an inch away from the engine. You can rinse off the engine to get rid of some of the dirt and grime. I then spray Super Clean 4:1 and let it sit for about 30-45 seconds then agitate with a brush. Stand back and then rinse off. I then use an old microfiber or towel or compressed air and let it dry. There are a few different dressings that you can use to dress up your engine and make it look really nice and clean. You just have to use common sense when cleaning an engine.
 
ToyoNation said:
Simple Green and garden hose is the way i have always done it. cover battery alternator and intake.
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Be careful about allowing Simple Green to sit on aluminum components because it will etch little pock marks into them. It is a good degreaser. I usually use Foamy Engine Brite and the thing at the self service car wash.
 
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