PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Am I the only one here anal enough to detail under the hood? I see a lot of cars here looking sharp til they post pics under the hood for one reason or another and they're dirty beyond dirty. This really makes an otherwise nice looking used car really show it's age.
Of course it helps to have a somewhat clean engine to start with but I always do a good cleaning followed by the protectant that makes it look like new and easier to keep clean in the future.
It also makes it extremely easy to spot a leak of any kind down the road when it's spotless to start with. Not to mention making any future maintenance and repairs possible without turning black from head to toe.

First, make sure you're cleaning a cool motor to avoid possibly cracking it from spraying water or engine cleaner on a hot motor. Take care not to spray directly on electrical components like the coils tho everything is pretty much water tight. I also never spray with force. I've found using the spot free rinse at the car wash to work great.
After spraying everything liberally with the cleaner, I use Gunk, I use several different sized brushes and rags to make sure I've got everything loosened up enough to rinse right off.
Take the time to dry everything off as best you can, such as electrical connections, etc. and drive home.
I might wait a day or 2 til it's dried out good, then spray the protectant liberally all over everything and let it drip dry.
Go back with a clean rag or 2 and wipe up any excess standing puddles.
It can be tedious in places but the end result is a like new looking engine and compartment.
You will smell it for a week or 2 while the warm motor completely dries it.
Better than a used car dealership!
I should add that either prior to or right after cleaning, I pull every electrical connection (sensors etc.) Check for corrosion and apply dielectric grease. Clean the MAF, TPS, etc. Check and replace plugs/wires if necessary using the dielectric grease on them as well.

It's certainly an area that doesn't get as much love as the rest of the car, that's for sure. I had the opportunity to put my car on the shop hoist and had access to our huge compressor and took advantage of that and blew out all the built up dirt and sand in all the nooks and crannies underneath my car since it had seen use on dirt roads before I bought it. Next step is to get underneath it and oil it all down to keep the corrosion at bay... I have a bit of cleaning to do under the hood of mine still, but I cleaned the dickens out of my lower intake manifold when I did that job...even got out the dremel and cleaned up casting lines in it.

I shaved and tucked my bay strut towers forward, so ya.

The only things that I removed vs. relocate are the charcoal canister, cruise, and windshield washer tank. The coolant tank, battery, coils, body and engine harness, abs, blah blah, it's all there.. lots of holes went missing though..




It's still missing the alt, tensioner assembly, and valve covers that I spent an average of over 15 hrs a piece polishing.. The filter is in the bumper now.

I'd really have to dig. I did take pride in the engine bay in both my SSEi and my G8. It's just hard to keep clean when you drive it daily, have a dirt driveway and live in the country lol. Especially in the winter.

I like to keep my engine clean too! Here is my 94

jradke61 wrote:First, make sure you're cleaning a cool motor to avoid possibly cracking it from spraying water or engine cleaner on a hot motor. Take care not to spray directly on electrical components like the coils tho everything is pretty much water tight. I also never spray with force.

I do like a clean engine bay. I've used several different methods and all worked pretty well. I can't complain about using caution, and I've *always* heard to not spray cold water on a hot engine to avoid possibly cracking it. But I've also secretly wondered: Is that a realistic danger? Don't hot car engines get cold water on them whenever you drive through a heavy rain and hit a puddle? Have you literally *ever* heard of a car's engine block cracking because cold water got on it when it was hot? (I've never heard of that actually happening.) Again, I'd rather play it safe than break my expensive engine, but. . . is it really necessary? In any case, I've always wondered.

That being said, The 2 main methods I've used:
[1] With engine bay cold, light spray some water, then hand spray some Purple Power degreaser and get busy with a parts-cleaner brush, then rinse with a light spray of water. Air-dry, and apply engine dressing of your choice.

[2] (Not for those who want to be cautious) Go to a DIY carwash with the pressure washer wand. Pop the hood. (Engine is probably hot.) Spray down the engine with the soapy water from the pressure wand, then rinse. Drive home, air-dry, and apply engine dressing of your choice.

High-pressure water has risk to it. Sensors and electronics do not like water. It's probably a bad idea to pressure wash them. That being said, the only time I ever had a problem was a day or two after an engine-bay pressure-wash, the MAF sensor went bad in my Bonneville. Was it related? Maybe; I don't know. It's probably better to play it safe and not pressure wash a hot engine, but I've done it many times with only one bad MAF sensor 2 days later. NOTE: That does not mean it's safe. Do this at your own risk.

I've done it both ways as well. Never cracked a block either. But I figured I should throw that in to be safe for anyone not so much in the know and maybe taking my post to heart. Better safe than sorry.
For what it's worth, I still drive 6 or 7 blocks to a car wash to do it regardless. So really it's a warm motor.

Done the high pressure thing in the past too. That I don't do anymore.

I let mine hang out to air dry after a wash

I also remove mine to clean

Simple Green is also a good cleaning product for the engine bay, however, don't use it on bare aluminum parts.