My xB2 is about 2 months old. I love it. With my last car, I never cared about how the engine looked when the hood was opened so for 9 years I never cleaned it. For some reason, I care about how the engine looks in my xB2.

So, how does one keep the engine clean without ruining things?

Thanks.

 

Engine Brite

 

There is some stuff from Lowes, it smell like oranges and works great. Make sure you cover alt and the car is cold.


John

 

I just drive to the local car wash, use their engine cleaner and rinse it off. I've been doing this for 20 years now and never had a problem.

 

Since cars no longer have points and condensers you do not have to worry so much about getting the engine wet. If you keep after it--it is not hard to keep the engine bay clean. Most dirt/grease will just wipe off if you pay attention to it.

 

Same here. Both my 06 gen1 Scion and my 01 Corolla I wash the engine with the same soap I use on the outside. I have over 150k miles on Corolla, and 18k on Scion.

I do it while it's cold, light rinse, little scrubbing, then another quick rinse. I wipe it down, let it dry then start it up. I haven't had any problems from this. Even when I do not wait the two hours.

I realized after I somehow splashed mud way up into the top of the hood of my Corolla that Toyota seems to build them pretty well with major splashing in mind.

I don't trust degreasers, they can get in places that need their grease.

 

what every you do, DON'T use anything that says DO NOT USE ON ALUMINUM!!!! it will react horribly with the engine, causing corrosion and discoloration. i've made that mistake on a very expensive small block... still ran great, i just couldn't show it off any more. otherwise, the electrical connectors on these engines are so water tight that normal cleaning won't effect them. don't go crazy and blast it with 2500psi. and as mentioned before, a plastic bag over the alternator and keeping it away from the CAI (if installed) is highly recommended.

 

I haven't bothered in my tC. But I can say that in my Dodge Stealth I spray the engine down with degreaser when it's warm, then let it sit for a bit before rinsing it off. Works like a charm and has never given me problems in the 4 years I've been doing it. Though I doubt most would agree with this method. In other words, your mileage may vary. :-P

 

Everytime I wash the car I just wet a microfiber wrag and go under the hood and start wiping stuff. Keeps the engine clean and is easy every time. It sucks to wait a long time and then have a lot more to clean...