How to wash engine compartment?

How about some dawn, palmolive or dishwashing machine liquid & jet-dry, pre-diluted?

Also I think the Pledge residue (if it is silicone) will then act as a dust and dirt attractant due to it's properties, unless it has some special anti-static properties.

 

Hand dishwashing detergent sounds reasonable. Dawn in particular is know for it's grease cutting and wax stripping abilities. Dishwashing machine detergent is harsh stuff. It discolors and eventually roughens aluminum.

Pledge is used a furniture polish, one of it's properties is dust resistance. I haven't seen any evidence of it gathering dust on motorcycle or car engines. You do need to wipe the excess off, just like you were doing a piece of furniture.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

I'll also ask your opinion on Optimum No Rinse, pre-diluted. Since it will clean without requiring rinsing, just application & drying.

 

I haven't tried Optimum No Rinse. I plan on trying it someday, a lot of people like it

On the Pledge, if you miss wiping some of it off and it gathers dust or dirt, the dust or dirt, just wipe that off.

 

Try this:



Tom

 

OK, that's the rinse cycle, what about the wash cycle?

 

Tom

 

^ Tom has an answer for everything!

 

Anybody have good results from steam cleaning the engine compartment? Care to share before and after pictures?

Thanks!

 

High pressure reclaimed water from the coin-op car wash, followed up with low -pressure spot-free rinse works great.

MB860 ?

 

Thanks for the tip. I may give that a try next time I go by a Brown Bear Car Wash.
Has anybody had their Prius (or other vehicle) professionally detailed where the service included steam cleaning? Results?

Thanks!

 

In my youth, I worked in a couple of service industry jobs that required true steam cleaning. You would never want to subject a Prius drivetrain to that. See my post #16 in this thread for results of what a simple car wash spray (avoiding heavy pressure/concentration on electrics) once or twice a year will do. You need nothing stronger than that.

 

I wash my engine compartment occassionally because rats like to roost their. I have found that leaving the bonnet up at night deters them. Not possible if you have to park in the street.

If the engine compartment is not too bad I just pull off the plastic valve cover, cover and give it a wash with warm soapy water.

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

Has anyone ever tried this stuff?
RPS Degreaser Eco Friendly Cleaners And Chemicals And Services Based In Dallas Texas

 

I recently bought a 2013 Prius from Michigan, and as much as the previous owner took good care of general maintenance, she definitely neglected the engine compartment. I found sand (Lake Michigan beach area), several rusty clamps, leaves, and corrosion throughout the engine compartment. Which leads me to believe that the salty winter roads are the main culprit.

So, I'm wondering, other than the engine cleaning strategies mentioned in this thread, does anybody have any advice or solution to cleaning and/or protecting your engine compartment from salty roads and rusting problems? Winters can be rough in my area and cleaning the engine after every cold front doesn't sound fun.

It also sounds like some of you are using a hose for rinsing and others say "NO". I'm leaning towards using simply green and a low pressure hose to clean the engine compartment. Anybody else care to chime in on the Do's and Don't, and continue the discussion on what works and doesn't work?

Thanks for all your time and help!

 

I have been regularly washing the engines at a self serve high pressure car wash in all of my cars since 1977, including my 2013 Pri with no problems at all. Highly recommended.

 

yes, it's an issue with two sides and no answers. proceed with caution, ymmv.

 

You can go to the auto parts store and buy the purple degreaser and Armor-All in spray bottles. Spray the degreaser all over the engine, liberally. Don't get it on the paint. Let it soak in for a few minutes, then spray it off with a garden hose. Repeat if your engine is really filthy. Then do the same thing with the Armor-All, especially on the plastic parts and hoses. Let it soak a few minutes, then rinse off with a garden hose.

Your engine is now shiny like new. But the Armor-All attracts dust, so if you live in a dusty environment, you might want to just use the degreaser.

This is what I do on my Prius and the engine looks like it's brand new. When I do maintenance, like removing the air intake box, I clean up the inaccessible areas using Clorox kitchen wipes and sometimes also the Armor-All. I also clean up the under-engine apron with degreaser when I do oil changes.

 

"Let it soak a few minutes, then rinse off with a garden hose."

This is the part that I'm still concerned about. Can you just spray water everywhere or are there particular areas that should and need to be avoided?

Thanks!