Advice needed on best way to clean engine bay

[Picasso Pain]

HDI 1.6 Diesel - I dont think its ever been cleaned

Local car wash said theyd do it for £10 ... not confidence inspiring... I was wondering if anyone could suggest the best solvent/soap and brushes/tools I could use to clean/loosen grime before I took it to the steam clean car wash place..??

Im aware of caution needed ito not pressure washing bearings and electrical points directly... any advice recommendations appreciated

[Gibbo2286]

In the trade we always used paraffin, with a tray underneath to catch the spills which you could strain and use again, petrol never, Gunk, tried it and found it to be only slightly useful., lots of other proprietary products tried but always returned to paraffin.

[NewcastleFalcon]

In the trade we always used paraffin,

Blue?

Or maybe Pink

REgards Neil

[myglaren]

Liquid!

Gets you moving

[Gibbo2286]

Bum bum bum bum!

[Paul-R]

Back in the day I found Gunk to be deeply disappointing. It didn't dissolve oily grit very well and then when I tried to wash it off with water it turned into a slimy mess. I had much more success with Jizer and then, later, I would just buy a 25l drum of soluble engine degreaser from my motor factors.

[Stickyfinger]

(Brown seams is Bilt&Hamber protective wax:

I use a light spray with diesel or a very light oil for cruddy-oily build up, wooden stirring sticks from Macdonald's (cut to a point) to clean out corners the Paraffin or terps on rags (so as not to wash oils out of seams) with these wrapped around various "sticks" to enable me to get in under non-removalble parts and hard to reach areas. Swarfega is great as you can use it on rags or a brush to clean off all the oil residue.

Biggest hints....Remove everything you can including battery trays, inlet pipes, air-clearer box etc, it is quicker and also gives a better result. Wash all plastic using Swarfega rather than a detergent liquid. (The gritty stuff is not good for this)

I try never to use any "powered jet" of water (Anything slightly modern I would strongly advise against it) .....using small sticks and rags you will get just as good a clean and will not wash out the protective oils in the seams.

[mickthemaverick]

In addition to Alasdair's excellent tips, I also have found using a motorcycle chain cleaning brush with WD40 chain cleaner is excellent for cleaning the nooks and crannys in the casings of water pumps, alternators etc. Any ally comes up very well. Mostly get a large can of elbow grease, a kingsize chunk of time and a gross of patience and you will end up with a real shiner!

[myglaren]

I did mine with gunwash borrowed from work. Can't use that any more.
Paraffin would be OK when motivated sufficiently to do it.

Son uses much:-

A bit to perfumy for me though.

[white exec]

Bio clothes washing liquid in some warm/hot water will dissolve oil, grease, grime, dirt. Just rinse off afterwards. No problem with spillage/disposal. Or use after a touch of solvent for really stubborn stuff.

[Timmo]

If you have a poundshop close, they do a home brand 'bike cleaner' that looks like mucc off, works well as a degreaser, and cheap! Whitespirit is also quite good, our local wholesalers sells packs of 6 small brushes for a couple of quid which are great for these sorts of jobs, you should also be okay with a typical home pressure washer to wash down the engine,

[Michel]

WD40 Motorcycle chain cleaner and a small brush or toothbrush is great.

[mickthemaverick]

WD40 Motorcycle chain cleaner and a small brush or toothbrush is great.

Is there an echo in here?

[mickthemaverick]

WD40 Motorcycle chain cleaner and a small brush or toothbrush is great.

Is there an echo in here?

[Michel]

WD40 Motorcycle chain cleaner and a small brush or toothbrush is great.

Is there an echo in here?

No, but I've a really slow connection in Regusse, and didn't read the rest of the thread

Lidl's own brand chain cleaner and "extreme clean" spray also work very well. Cheaper too.

I usually find WD40 chain cleaner for £2 per can in our local Aldi once every few months and stock up. It's so useful I rarely use it for cleaning my chain, having ran out!