How to clean car engine bay [DIY] | CarDetailing.Pro| 2023 Top Choices

Cleaning your engine bay is a great way to keep your car looking clean and shiny. But did you know that it’s also necessary for the health of your car? Dirt and grime from driving around town can cause an accumulation of dirt, debris, oil, grease and other build-ups on the underside of the hood. These substances can block airflow into the engine which will then overheat making it difficult for coolant to flow through or get trapped in different parts of the engine such as valves or gaskets. This could lead to irreparable damage! So be sure to do a quick clean up every once in awhile!
Every car owner knows that the engine bay is one of the dirtiest parts of their vehicle. Whether it’s oil, sand, or pollen stuck in the crevices between your engine and other components, there are a lot of tough stains to get out without some serious scrubbing. Save yourself hours of hard work by following this guide to cleaning your car engine bay! This blog will show you how to clean everything from the battery terminals all the way up to where your radiator sits atop your engine block. We’ll cover what tools you need for each step and which products can help remove those stubborn stains with ease.

Step by step guide to clean your engine bay:

There’s a step-by-step process to clean your engine, and you’ll want to follow it in order. First we’re going to prepare the engine for cleaning by removing anything that could get caught up as we work on the machine–loose pieces of dirt or rocks can be dangerous if they become embedded into our tools while working! Next, dry out any standing water with an absorbent towel so that you don’t have damp spots when adding new fluids later on. Now grab some cleaner appropriate for what type of grime is present: oil stains need different cleaners than those caked deep in grease pits from years ago (though both will require degreasers). For now though I’m just using dish soap because there was only way to clean the oil materials. I am going to describe all ways step by step as follow:

Step 1:

The first step is to prepare. This might seem simple, but having all your cleaning supplies laid out next to the engine will make it quicker and more enjoyable because you’ll have everything right there for use. Protect yourself too by wearing gloves and safety glasses in case any dirt splashes into your face!

Step 2:

You always want to isolate the power source, which is usually a battery before doing any work on your car. If it’s easy to access like in this engine bay and you can go ahead and remove it out of there because that will make cleaning easier later- especially if its located up under or behind demanding parts. However, just disconnecting leads isn’t enough for safety; don’t forget also to turn off electrical connections as well!

When you’re cleaning the engine Bay, getting water in something that you shouldn’t, and it shorts out. It’s not a problem when we disconnect the battery because there are no current running through any of this equipment so nothing can short-circuit or be damaged from having gotten wet. Cleaning up is also easier without worrying about being able to turn off everything with just one switch!

Step 3:

The spark plugs are at the top of this engine, and because they’re water sensitive you need to make sure that when pressing down on them for installation/removal your pressure is even across all four. To protect these goods from intrusion or damage do not get in their way with a tool like an extension rod while installing/ removing them–you’ll want both hands free as well so be careful about what other tasks you take care of during those processes.

Typically these plastic covers are protecting what you don’t want to get wet. So we just need to make sure that water doesn’t sneak behind the cover and come in contact with anything under your hood–it’s designed for all things outside of it, including puddles (even ones where cars drive through them!). The only difference is this time around, we’re going to be spraying from above using a white shower instead.

Step 4:

We’re not using a pressure washer to clean the connections because they are watertight. But over time, with heat cycles and vibrations that we put them through on our production line, these waterproof fittings become less and less tight as corrosion builds up in their crevices. So if you use any sort of pressurized water here – even just a little bit – it will cause corrosion inside which could lead to future problems like malfunctioning or completely broken sensors!

Don’t forget to check your power steering fluid reservoir and make sure it’s tight. If you’re driving an automatic, always double-check that the dipstick is pushed in all the way before proceeding with any further steps!

Step 5:

The next step is to dry clean the engine, and that’s exactly how it sounds. Before we get the engine wet at all- with an already dried up engine -we’re going to thoroughly scrub every corner of its intricate machinery. Reason being? A lot of dirt and debris ends up on this area before anything else does because dust and road grind settle on top. So in order for us not be stuck cleaning out a mess later down the line, let’s do some preventative measures now by removing whatever grime has collected so far using old fashioned elbow grease!

The first step is to brush off the dust, and these brushes are perfect for that. We have a range of sizes so you can get into all those hard-to-reach spaces – or if you’re not finding what we’ve got here then it’s always worth considering using something like a toothbrush!

And then we have metal wire brushes. And I’ll show you why we’re using that in a second. So these brushes are being used to agitate all the surface dust – but how do you remove it? Well, there’s a couple of ways, and it depends what kind of materials your floor is made out of!

The best way to clean a very dirty engine is by vacuuming it out. But if you don’t have access to one, then the next best thing would be using something like a leaf blower or an air compressor attachment that will blow away all of the dust and dirt from your engine.

That’s all it takes to dry clean an engine, and we get a lot of the surface dust off before getting wet. Now I’m done with this one; seems like it’ll be in good shape now that its been completely cleaned out- pretty shiny too!

That’s all you need for cleaning your car! Fun fact: aluminum is surprisingly durable considering how soft metal can usually be.

Step 6:

Now that we’ve cleaned the rest of the engine Bay, it looks even better. I know what will make this place look great! This is what our clean and well-organized engine bay looks like with a shiny new aluminum finish.

Step 7:

Now, we are going to move on to wet cleaning. This is where you take a hose and start spraying down the engine bay with water from one end of it all the way through until you reach your other side. And I want everyone here today – including yourself-to know that this step doesn’t have as many hazards or consequences than people make them out to be because not only do they put their trust in me but also my top notch instructions for how easily done these steps can actually be!

When you put your hand on the engine, it should be comfortable and not too hot. If it’s warm outside or if its cold out but you’re still going to wash a car in an open air garage at night for example, then go ahead and use water that is no colder than 50°F because with higher temperatures of up to 120°F (depending on which make) could cause damage by contracting metal quickly. But when washing cars under shelters where there are heating lamps during winter months- don’t worry about using warmer water!

If you’re cleaning your engine, it’s better if the temperature is warm. Cold engines are hard to clean because all that dirt and grime don’t come off as easy when they’re cold. But a hot engine will be easier to get spotless without even resorting to chemicals or other harsh cleaners – just think of washing dishes with water at room-temperature instead of boiling water!

Step 8:

So what you wanna do is you wanna cover the bulk of the engine, you don’t want a lot of water getting on top of the engine. It’s okay to get off to the sides, but you definitely don’t want to. Soak the top of the engine. And this goes for any engineer cleaning, whether in a truck, an engine that already has a plastic cover, or an engine that’s mostly covered by the Wiper shroud, you should always cover the engine to play it safe. So for the wet clean process, first we’re gonna clean the hood, and then we’re gonna clean the outside of the engine Bay, and then we’re gonna remove the garbage bag and clean the actual engine itself.

So let’s get back to the Mustang and start cleaning it. First, you want to hose down the painted surfaces on its hood so that they are shiny again like new. You’ll need a garbage bag for this part because engine parts can’t be hosed off–they’re too greasy! Rinse them with water as well while your at it; otherwise all of that grime will just accumulate in there until next time (which won’t happen unless we find out about some other awesome car). But don’t worry if your using one of those plastic covers over our front seat-our liner is dirty anyways and would only make matters worse by getting wet, but ours looks great underneath so go ahead and string her down without a care.

Step 9:

Next, grab a soapy degreaser and use it to clean down the hood liner. With microfiber towel in hand, wipe off all dirt from the painted surface. This should be easy if your Hoodline is dirty because carpet cleaner can help with that as well! When you’re finished cleaning up messes spray everything back down with water before washing away any remaining grime using soap and warm water.

I am going to start at the engine bay and work my way around. I will first rinse down this part of it, then using a cleaning wipe that absorbs dirt as well, clean off any accessible surfaces in order to remove oils and grease.

Step 10:

In order to clean up the car, go over every surface with a brush and then rinse it off. For tight spots that you can’t get into on your own, grab a pipe cleaner for all those hard-to-reach places where dirt might hide out. Finally after some brushing and rinsing away of any leftover grime in the engine bay from earlier adventures, don’t forget to give our paint job one last wipe down before giving her another quick inspection!

When you’re done cleaning your engine bay, remove the bag and make sure not to get any water on it. Now that everything is clean in there, we want to be extra careful with this part of our work. Carefully peel away the plastic until all important parts are visible again!

Now that I’ve removed my protective covering from around my engine Bay where most of its guts live (sorry about those scary images kids), now I need to vacuum up every speck right? Wrong! A wet wipe will do just fine for a quick spot touch-up before spraying down a degreaser like Prestone Engine Degrease Cleaner which has no odor or harmful effects on rubber hoses and seals unlike some other products out there.

Step 11:

Using a microfiber towel helps us get into all the nooks and crannies of our engine. We use soapy water to loosen up dirt or grease, which dries quickly because it’s not absorbed by cloth like in towels we would have used before. The soap doesn’t damage electronics either!

Step 12:

And our final step is the detailing. And before we detail the engine bay, don’t forget that there’s something more important to do first: The hood! Now washing this hood didn’t come out as clean as I wanted it and one thing you can do which looks awesome is pop off these clips and remove the liner so I’m gonna be using a black nonflammable fabric dye in order to restore its former glory.

Also check the following video for better understanding of how to clean your car engine bay

Conclusion:

Conclusion paragraph: When it comes to cleaning your car, there are a lot of different options available. Some people prefer the do-it-yourself approach and mix up their own concoction in a bucket or use soap mixed with water inside their washing machine for an easier clean. For those who don’t want to go through all that effort, you can find plenty of companies online that will come out and get everything done for you at once. The most important thing is finding something that works best for you so your engine stays as healthy as possible! Which method have you tried? Do let us know what worked well for you by sharing a comment below!