How to detail your engine on a budget?

[Pjibs]

Hey guys,

I was wondering how to clean your engine bay for nothing more than $75 and a good helping of elbow grease. Right now my engine looks like someone has opened a vacuum bag inside of it and then proceeded to dump 5 gallons of mud over it. That may be a slight exaggeration, but you get my point.

I have never done anything like this, and my implication was to just take a pressure washer to it, but I feel that there is a better, more effective way about going about it.

I have heard people using simple green and an engine degreaser, but in terms of the proper steps and how to do it correctly I am at a loss.
Can ya guys help me out?

Thanks,
J.B.

 

[Flounder]

Nothing more than $75? How about nothing more than $15.

Let the engine cool. Cover the fuse box and other bare electrical connections with plastic (plastic grocery bags work). Do the same for the intake, especially if you have an open cone filter. Spray Simple Green degreaser on everything. Use a wash mitt to scrub everything down. Rinse. Repeat, making sure to wash off the firewall, inner fenders, etc. Rinse. Remove the plastics and spot clean those areas. Get a can of CD2 Engine Detailer and spray everything. Start your engine when done to dry and bake the CD2 finish. Get something that looks like this.

 

[Pjibs]

Wow! I have a $75 dollar gift card to advance auto parts so thats what that number was for.

That all seems doable! Give me another reason to wash the truck over spring break. Thanks! I appreciate it!

Any other cleaning methods?
Just curious,

J.B.

 

[toypaseo]

Steam clean it...

 

[College Student]

My parents have one of those hand held steam cleaners, but I've read that steam can do electrical damage. If disconnect the battery it the capacitors and what not drain energy (wait 15 minutes) then steam and let dry it wont do damage right??????

 

[1996BLKBauer]

I don't look under my hood all the time, so I don't see a need to clean it, in most cases you do more damage, the good.

 

[Backwoods "X"]

Man, that BMW is almost too clean. My eyes hurt looking at that engine bay. Good shot of "what yours can look like, too."

 

[Pjibs]

Don't have a steam cleaner haha