Hey guys. I would like to do some cleaning under the hood but am not sure what to use. Is simple green ok to use? Is it ok to rinse with a hose? Any tips would be great. Thanks!

 

Forget the hose or any pressure washing. Jags love to get wet inside of plugs and here come the trouble codes.

Get some rags and clean each place and watch the plugs.

 

Using a power wash on your car is a quick way to real trouble. This is what I did on both of my cars and it works XK8 & S-Type Eng Cleaning I hope this link helps!

 

I'll give a big +1 on Gus's recommendations for engine cleaning as I've used this type of process many times myself.

The only difference maybe being that I use clean microfibre towels and once an area is clean I will dry the areas as completely as possible, taking care not to get burned of course.

Once finished I usually have a liberal spray of Wet n Black or similar ( tyre shine type product ) and then buff to a nice black lustre on the black bits / boxes / covers / hoses etc.

Once finished it looks the mutts nutts

 

I've power washed mine at least 3 times with no problems. Of course I don't direct the nozzle at electrical and electronic parts and I don't use a small stream but use a broader fan flow to wash with. I remove the engine cover to because a lot of dirt collects under it.

 

At the car wash I use there is an engine/tire setting that uses low pressure and cleans vey well.

 

Thanks for the reply. Any way of cleaning it with out useing a hose? I could see myself getting water in the wrong places.

 

Sooooo....any way of doing it with out useing a hose? Is there a cleaner I can spray on and then wipe off with a wet rag? What cleaner are okay to use? I have hear mixed reviews about useing simple green.

 

You will hear mixed reviews about everything on this forum, the question is what are you comfortable with. Think about what you want to do and make an educated guess. Is water under pressure a problem with these cars “YES”. Is simple green better than whatever who knows. I have told you what I do and how I do it and others have told you the same. The choice now is yours!

 

I can't see cleaning the engine without water. I guess you could use a bunch of simply green and then just wipe everything off but it'll leave a residue, I use the weakest tip on my pressure washer and hold it 5-6 feet away from the motor just to rinse and haven't had any issues. I'm going to do my engine this week.

I'd like to know what I have to do to polish up the intake without actually taking it off. Has anyone used like a Mothers powerball or something? My intake is a yellowish silver, I think it might be the clearcoat the put on the intake that has discolored.