Here’s the deal. You’re enjoying your morning by washing and detailing your car. You get done waxing the panels, cleaning the wheels, scrubbing bugs off of the front end, and you think it’s time to relax, but then your neighbor sees your amazing car and asks to pop the hood so they can get an idea of how much horsepower you’re running.
You pop the hood, and you see nothing but an oily, dusty, hot mess. You close up the hood in embarrassment, and you start to reconsider your life.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way! Cleaning your engine should be a vital role in your car detailing process. It keeps things clean under the hood, but it actually helps your car run optimally.
If you have questions on how to keep your engine clean, have no fear. This article gives you the proper steps on how to clean a car engine.
Gather Supplies
Before you start, you’ll need to gather your supplies. The following is what you’ll need when cleaning a car engine.
· Engine Degreaser
· All-purpose Cleaner
· Towel
· Air compressor (optional)
· Tape
· Plastic Bag
· Water (preferably a pressure washer)
· Gloves and Safety Glasses
Once you gather these supplies, it’s time to get to work.
Make Sure the Car is Cool
The engine can become very hot and reach temperatures as high as 230 degrees. You’ll want to wait at least an hour before you start cleaning the engine.
Doing this will allow the cleaners to work optimally and also help avoid any injuries. Another reason you’ll want to let the car cool off is to avoid damage to the car’s engine components. Pouring cold water components can cause parts to warp or crack, becoming an expensive headache.
Cover the Electronics
Next, You’ll want to locate the battery, engine alternator, and any other electrical components such as fuses boxes. Use your plastics bags and cover these components using tape. Take your wrench and disconnect the battery terminals.
Doing this will ensure you won’t damage any of these components while ensuring your engine is clean.
Degrease The Surface
Add your engine degreaser and scrub the entire block with a brush. Loosen the dirt and let the degreaser sit for 10 minutes.
Make sure to add a decent amount of degreaser to caps, hoses, and the firewall. These areas tend to get the greasiest. Learn more here.
Rinse The Surface
Once you’ve scrubbed the engine with a degreaser and see that the grime has loosened up, it’s time to rinse out the engine bay. If you have a pressure washer, start with a low-pressure rinse.
Alternatively, you can bottle a sprayer and towel to achieve the same thing. Go from front to back until all the dirt and grime are gone.
Dry the Engine
After rinsing, it’s time to let the engine bay dry. If it’s a relatively warm day, let the water evaporate for a few hours. Once most of the water has evaporated, take a microfiber towel and dab the engine dry.
Remove your plastic coverings on the electrical components. Wait until everything completely dries out and reconnect your battery to the terminals.
How to Clean a Car Engine
When it Comes to cleaning a car engine, you must take these steps to do it the right way. All you need to remember is to cool the car, cover the electronics, degrease, rinse and dry.
Once you get a repeat of this when you clean your car engine, it should be a breeze every time you do it.
We hope this guide on how to clean a car engine has helped you. Be sure to check out other great content found on our site.