just be carefull not to spray those items directly. simple green works great. warm motor, not running, wet it down, and spray the simple green. let it soak in, spray it down, and do it again. after you let it drip dry after the second try, spray your alternator down really good with electrical parts cleaner. let that dry, at least 20 minutes, and then start her up. you are good to go!

-matt

 

Damn! That is clean. I might have to get some of the SLAM. I work at a Dealership, but never seen that product. Can you tell me who makes that product.

 

wait... sooo

1. Cool engine
2. soak with hose... ??cover or not covers??
3. Simple Green
4. Rinse off

Thats it?

 

Cool engine, yes, however if it's slightly warm (meaning you can touch it), that's fine too.

Wet with hose.

Apply Simple Green.

Let it set for 15-minutes.

Rinse.

Repeat as nessessary.

I convered my fuse box, battery and alternator, but others have said they've done the wash without doing that.

 

Yeah I never cover anything. I wash mine in town usually so its hot too, Everything is fine on my truck.

 

Yea, Same here.... Worked perfectly! Oh, Purple Power works awesome too!

 

been using simple green for years, and also havent covered anything ever. just dont point the hose at the alt directly and youll be fine.

 

after your done cleaning just WD-40 everything under there, it will look real shiney and displaces the moisture so it's great to spray over all the wires and electrical connections

 

Except that wd-40 is a Water Alternative in that its OILY, causeing dirt to CAKE to it rather than dust settling on the engine. otherwise it would be a good idea. But my experiences have taught me that WD-40 is like a magnet for dirt.

 

hmm I know what you mean but since it protects metal surfaces and prevents corrosion I don't see how it's a disadvantage, I'd rather spray some on my tools or engine and have a little bit of dirt stick than have them begin to corrode or turn orange

 

Damn. your right.....lol. I never think about long run do i? haha. i was just thinking it would be bad for dust collection but good against rust. Aw well. cant learn any other way. But i actually got some good ideas outta this thread. im gonna use simple green to clean up my truck. and since ive been through the salt water ive seen some...."Orange" showing up on my frame. What i wanna know is, do you think it would be worth it to sand and prep and Primer (To seal out water) the frame?

 

Best stuff I used.. That orange engine foam cleaner. Buy yourself 3 or 4 cans of that.. I even went as far as lifting the truck up adn cleaning all th undersides too.. tranny, axel, all the way out ot eh leaf springs and tire wells! Spray it on, soak it in for a few minutes.. spray it off. Kudo's if you have a steam cleaner too, or just head to teh local pay for water car cleaning places and toss a few bucks in.. I did all my foaming right under that carport. Worked perfect, did it to my 88 ranger, and did it on this one too =)

 

You might want to check out the detailing videos on this site. Lots of good information.


http://www.adamspolishes.com/

 

i dont wet the motor before spraying simple green cause it dilutes it.. just warm the motor up and blast it with simple green and let it sit then spray it off.. the only thing you should covere is your airfilter if you have an aftermarket intake.. other than that the stock airbox is water tight as well as everything else.. and ocationaly in the winter i will blast it with a presurewasher in a cleaning bay.. no ill affects.. everything si waterproof in most trucks especialy 4x4's, they where desighned this way for the ocational mud puddle you might drive through wheelin.. lol

also another important note.. dont spray your motor with tire shine.. dont spray the motor with anything containg silicone it will eataway at your insulated wires and vacume lines.. make sure its motor safe..

 

Good point jmhm17....I've only heard good things about Simple Green, and I've been thinking about cleaning up my engine a bit as well. Other stuff might work better, but I trust simple green :)

 

x2 on the simple green

 

Simple Green does wonders... the only thing i cover is the alternator, never had a prob yet

 

For alternator try brake cleaner on a towel, or combo with a small wire brush and cleaner try not to wash/brush the gunk inside the alt. fins
You should not wash your engine-engine bay with pressure washer. With that said. Never when its below freezing, heated storage helps but.....Blow drying with compressed air helps, dont try to get every drop but just to displace majority and around electrical, intake, spark plug wires a-z. Now start it up allow to reach operating temp. a drive is best (helps evaporate moisture). V6-V8 trap more than my inline typicaly collects near intake gaskets on V's, spark plug holes on dohc could cause problems.
Dont spray power dist. box, fuse-relay box, spark dis box -coil, MAF or air filter (if exposed), distributors and carbs must remain dry.
After taking every precation, you may still have problems after washing engine bay. My grampa (retired ford mech Chi.) picked up a cherry Taures SHO cheap from guy he worked with who pressure washed the engine, + it wouldnt run. Several fault codes were tripped. Grampa replaced several bad engine sensors and it ran good after- no codes
I wash my ranger engine bay after the salt + cold. Oil filter change is worst.
My 2.3 doesnt leak and stays relatively clean, daily driver mostly on road so i may clean a few times a year- eng warm w/ straight degreaser + Hotsy, never had a problem... knock on wood.