I would want to clean my 04 Ranger's 4.0 SOHC engine but I'm not sure on how to go about it. I know I need to buy a degreaser and over certain parts with foil but I'm not sure which parts. I have attached three pictures of my engine, if somebody could tell me which parts to cover and maybe even point them out on my engine that would be awesome. Then if you could tell me the steps after that I would be so happy.

Thanks guys!

 

One last thing. Is there anything that would be good to use on the underside of my Engine? I know I have some rusting under there so I want to clean it up to see how bad it is and maybe even sand it and paint it to give it some protection.

Thanks.

 

hey, what i use is a degreaser in a purple bottle, cant remember the name. spray it on a warm engine and get it everywhere. let it sit for 10 minutes while you wash the rest of the truck, then come in with a brush and scrub. then immediately rinse. next get a viny/rubber protectant/shine and spray on evenly.

be sure you wont be moving the truck for at least an hour afterwards. (give time for things to dry)

Result:

 

If I could get my engine as clean as yours I would be in heaven lol. I am guessing you used Purple Power, did you cover anything or try to avoid anything like the battery or alternator? That is what I am most worried about.

 

yea i thik thats the name. nope didnt cover a thing. only thing i didnt blast at was the computer on the firewall. but let the degreaser do the work, not the hose. you just gotta loosen the dirt then wash it away. doing above took me all of about 10 minutes.

 

I know what I will be doing tomorrow then. lol I might just to be safe cover my Alt, Battery, Computer, and Fuse-box with Foil. Don't want to brake anything.

 

As long as you don't use high pressure water for long periods of time on vital parts of the engine (that you listed above) you will be fine. The engine always gets water on it when driving in the rain and thus everything is pretty waterproof. I spray my engine every time I wash my truck with the pressure washer (keeping the duration to a minimum on each particular part so as not to damage anything).

This thread reminds me that I need to clean my engine now lol

 

I think this is what you want to see. You should cover anything with electronics in it like the fuse box, etc. before you go blasting it.

 

Don't worry about covering anything man, there is like, 0% risk of anything going wrong. I have for all my rangers washed them without covering anything. I just let the truck dry out before i drive anywhere.

Seriously, think about it. Every time you drive in wet roads your engine gets covered with water. That is why it's so dirty.

*edit* lol one time i shined my battery for fun

 

What is covered in the middle? I know that the Fuse box is back right and alternator is front left. Also, is it best to remove the battery and not cover it?

Also, I heard that the best thing you can do to clean your battery terminals and contacts is just pour hot water on them. Should the be disconnected when doing that?

 

holy crap that is clean, i know what i am doing tomorrow.

 

It's hard work but very rewarding! I use simple green and a toothbrush

 

This is kind of getting off topic but it still kinda has to do with cleaning. In the picture that I attached how would I replace that sleeve which is circled? It is right before the dipstick to check the oil. It is there covering a copper tube that gets very hot and my has turned white from where it has been touching the tube.

I also circled it in two of the other pictures and attached it to show it clearly.

 

The amount of water that gets on your engine in wet roads compared to spraying a pressure washer down on it is not at all the same. Sure components are fairly water resistant but if you go spraying your alternator water can certainly get in there and possibly cause corrosion or a short circuit. Same with fuse box, water can work its way I. There especially at high pressures and lead to possible corrosion. I'd certainly cover up some stuff if you're using a pressure washer. It's cheap insurance, and the risk is definitely there. Also those aren't my pics I don't know what's covered p there.

 

I would never take a pressure washer to the engine for that reason. It seems to be another fuse box, I will cover it up.

 

I've never once seen a thread or heard a person in real life say his truck had electrical problems after washing engine bay. There's no evidence unless you jump back like 30 years to old *** vehicles. And lol unfortunately i get boatloads of water in my engine bay due to the body lift and wheel gap guards missing in front :(

 

That makes me feel a little better. One other thing that I am a little worried about is I have a small oil leak some where in my engine, towards the firewall. Should I be worried about water or degreaser getting inside of that leak?

 

I pressure wash both of my trucks engines once a week. No issues. High pressure wash, spray with simple green or purple power, let sit 2 minutes. Then pressure wash again. I don't let it dry, no point. I just hit it with some armor-all the next day. If it's really dirty, you may want to get a mitt that fits on your hand and scrub anything that's rubber/plastic to clean it best.

 

I never cover any parts, never had problem. Not on the Ranger or my two 35 year old trucks

 

Well, I am off to the store to get Purple Power or Simple Green then going to start having fun.

 

I keep a small garden sprayer full of 50/50 water and simple green or any other cheap all purpose cleaner that I use on the engine, tires, wheel-wells, etc. Just don't get it on the paint cause it will strip off any wax coat. Works well on the engine. I don't cover anything up on the engine, just spray it on, let it sit for a few, then rinse it all off with the hose. As long as you're not using high pressure or filling up the air cleaner box with water everything is fine.

 

So I guess I don't need to worry about that oil leak in my engine then?

 

agreed i dont cover anything up either...i need to clean my engine again

 

please dont cover the battery with foil haha (bbzzaappp)

but rain gets everything wet under there so no worries with water. wouldnt recommend high pressure shooting the sensors and computer and such

 

I use saran wrap or whatever is in the pantry.
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