wut's the best way to wash the engine and everything else under the hood without damaging anything? i know the car wash has an engine degreaser but that stuff just makes me nervous. i don't plan on showing or anything but i thought it would be nice to be clean under the hood.
just wrap up everything electrical, then spray some degreaser on (buy something else, dont use that crap in the car wash) scrub the stuck on grit thats stuck on, then rinse, then spray whatever you like to make it shiny... something like armor all, I wouldnt use that though.
left white stuff on the car b/c you let it dry to the plastic.. if you keep a constant stream of water (not the spray nozzle,just a regular garden hose) on it it will clean it.. just don't let it dry.. simple green cleaned the hell out o fmine
ok so lets get the run down of a simple green wash... i know its not rocket science but ive heard a good amount of people who say that it leaves white stuff so lets hear how u do it... how much you spray, how long you let it sit, what you spray(if not everything) and how much water to use like just enought to rinse it off or run the hose over it for an extended period of time..., the do's and do not's basicly
Get the degreasing foam, Gunk is a good brand. Wrap all electrical components with plastic bags from the grocery store or something like that. Cover the air filter too if it's exposed. Spray everything with the degreaser, don't get it on your paint. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then take a toothbrush and brush everything that needs to be brushed so it gets the tough dirt. Rinse it off with some lower pressure water (you don't want the degreaser spraying on your paint). Let it sit a couple minutes, take off all of the plastic covers you put on earlier and start the engine, let it run for 10 - 15 minutes or until the water dries off (not all of it will). They sell engine detailing spray at most auto parts stores and it makes all the rubber, painted, and plastic parts look shiny and new. Spray the stuff according to the directions.
Simple Green doesn't work for me. If your engine bay is greasey, use several cans of Gunk engine de-greaser and an old toothbrush. It may take several scrubs before you get rid of all the crud.
If the engine is just dirty, rinse it off thoroughly and then wash it with an old wash mitt and a bucket of car wash.
For my show car ('76 MGB), I spray the engine compartment down with ArmorAll, let it soak for an hour, then wash it. The hoses and plastic look great but not slick. I hate that slick look.
BTW, I wash my engine every time I wash my car and I don't cover anything. I mix a batch of car wash and do the engine and then the wheels, then I mix another batch and do the body.
A guy at a custom car show in Pensacola told me about a product called Bike Bright that he uses to clean his engine bay. I haven't tried it yet but I will soon.