Is there anyway to clean out your engine or any place that can do it for you. I looked under my hood and it is ridiculously filthy under there. I know all that dirt and dust must be clogging up some kind of engine part. Is it ok to just spray it down with the hose or do they have to do something special?

you can spray it down with a hose just cover up any electrical parts. ie: alternator, fuse box, wire harnesses, stuff like that.

I wanted to clean it out as well... but I'm afraid I'll miss something electrical because I'm still not well versed with everything mechanically related to cars

I wonder if it is a huge problem if something electrical does get sprayed with water (accidentally or not)?

just so you know...make sure your engine is cool or cold before you start spraying it.

I detail my motor every time I wash my car. I've never had a problem
and you could eat off the motor.:)

Yea I use that bleach stuff that is used mainly for your tires. I just sray my engine bay down and let it do its work then I get the hose out and go to town. It has never let me down before

On a new(er) car you should in no way need anything more than a bucket of warm, soapy water and a sponge.
Wipe down all the parts that show dirt, cleaning the sponge in the bucket to keep it clean.
I then take a clean, warm bucket of water to rinse off everything - covering the alternator, etc.
Now, just use a dark, clean towel to dry, and the rest will dry as soon as you start driving.

You could also get the motor steam-cleaned, but again, on a new car, you shouldn't need to do that if you keep up with it.

I can get by doing a good detail twice a year.
And I could eat there too, but choose not to :)

Scott

Yeah I've been keeping mine clean since I bought it. Now it takes little to no effort to keep clean.

On a new(er) car you should in no way need anything more than a bucket of warm, soapy water and a sponge.
Wipe down all the parts that show dirt, cleaning the sponge in the bucket to keep it clean.
I then take a clean, warm bucket of water to rinse off everything - covering the alternator, etc.
Now, just use a dark, clean towel to dry, and the rest will dry as soon as you start driving.

You could also get the motor steam-cleaned, but again, on a new car, you shouldn't need to do that if you keep up with it.

I can get by doing a good detail twice a year.
And I could eat there too, but choose not to :)

Scott

It is NOT a good idea to steam clean a modern day car engine. The steam will mess up the electrical wires because the moist from the steam will get trapped in. I saw this on motorweek. Best way to clean is to spray down with degreasr and hose it down.

Thanks REaL I was going to comment on the steaming suggestion. I was told I can't do it because of the gases it emits. Motorweek seems like a very good source so I will take your word for it. Are there any shops that will do it for me so I know it will be done right?

Thanks REaL I was going to comment on the steaming suggestion. I was told I can't do it because of the gases it emits. Motorweek seems like a very good source so I will take your word for it. Are there any shops that will do it for me so I know it will be done right?

No problem, I think the best way is to just do it yourself. You dont need any special tools or anything to do it. A brush and some degreaser is all that is needed. I would recommend checking out www.autopia.org for more information about taking care of your car. They also have a place where you can find a detailer near your area.

A good detailer with experience knows how and where to use the steam.
There's no way a car as new as ANY Scion needs this, unless maybe you're a slob adding fluids and/or live in a really grimy area.
Anyway, as I said above, a sponge with good warm soapy water is all you need if you keep up with it and don't let it get too dirty.

As a PS - what do you guys think happens when you drive a hot car in the rain? Water gets under the hood, and becomes steam...think about it.
And as for AutoWeek and the like - there have been numerous times where shows give out less than great advice.

There's steam and then there's steam, though. There's a big difference between deliberately and systematically blasting your engine with steam and the small amounts of relatively low-temperature steam that result from tiny quantities of water getting into your engine bay because it's raining.

Anyway, it's been said above that a new car shouldn't need steam cleaning. Talk about overkill.

Of course. Any new car that needs more than I stated above is either in really extreme conditions, or cared for by a monkey.

Well if you do get really dirty under there the best stuff I've used is Simple Green I had mud and tons of grime in my Durango after an offroading trip. Cover up the electrical spray a ton of Simple Green all over the engine and hose it off after about 5-10 minutes. My engine looked brand new and Simple Green is bio-degradeable.
Also about the electrical it is vital that you cover the alternator if water gets in there it can destroy it. It propably won't if you get a little bit of water on it but when washing down the engine there will be a signifigant amout of water. I just use a plastic shopping bag. The only thing you have to do is remember to take it off before driving off. :-)

I need to clean my too, I have like an inch of dust on there lol.

Back when I was showing my cars I always used the Simple Green. Spray on, let soak for a few minutes, and rinse carefully. Works great.

Back when I was showing my cars I always used the Simple Green. Spray on, let soak for a few minutes, and rinse carefully. Works great.
Dang it you beat me to this. Exactly right!!! I even use it on my motorcycles. Works great. Just dilute it a bit so it isn't full strength.

You can use it full strength it's just not necessary on these things I mean they haven't had time to get that dirty. I used it full strength on my Durango but we're talking MUDDY!

mercedes detailers ask if u'd like the engine bay to be cleaner or not because a lot of ppl r against it



90% of the owners reply "no r u insane leave it alone"

FYI

... It is NOT a good idea to steam clean a modern day car engine. The steam will mess up the electrical wires because the moist from the steam will get trapped in.... Best way to clean is to spray down with degreasr and hose it down.
I have heard that solvent degreasers are not good for rubber, plastics and paint. For many years I have been using S100 Total Cycle Cleaner on my bike and car engines. It has an almost unbelievable way of removing light greasiness and dirt and dust, without your touching anything. This makes it super for engine bay cleaning.
http://www.s100.com/s100_tcc.htm

"... When Total Cycle Cleaner reached America in 1990, it created a major revolution! For the first time, all parts of a filthy bike could be cleaned in minutes using just one product that didn't contain any petroleum solvents!"
http://hawg-wash.com/s100.html?gclid=CKrVl87XgocCFQ2PWAod0Ag-bQ

I wash engines cold, for several reasons. If washed hot, the cleaners dry on the engine before they can be rinsed. A hot engine cools as it is washed, sucking water and the cleaners into components, wiring, crevices, ets. After washing a cold engine, running it until warm will drive moisture out before it can linger and get into anything. So wash cold.

After washing an engine compartment, I blow off the water with a leaf blower, then blast the electrical, ignition and spark plug areas with compressed air. Then start the engine and run it until warm.

^^ Very good tips indeed!!!

...After washing an engine compartment, I blow off the water with a leaf blower, then blast the electrical, ignition and spark plug areas with compressed air...
This gizmo replaces the leaf blower and the air compressor:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2010321/c-10101/Nty-1/p-2010321/Ntx-mode+matchallpartial/N-10101/tf-Browse/s-10101/Ntk-AllTextSearchGroup?Ntt=motorcycle+dryer#review

^^ well, for those of us with leaf blowers already, I think we're ok :P

Besides, does it match the 250 mph Craftsman beast in my garage? :silly: