Engine Bay Cleaning

[Muddles Member Find all posts View Profile Close Muddles]

Hi All,

There are a few threads regarding cleaning the outside and inside of your Prado but i haven't found a great deal that relates to under the bonnet.

After my last few trips i have found that the amount of dust and mud that is getting up in there is now to the point that i find it hard to read the D4D tag on top of the motor.

I am a bit dubious to just go blasting in there as with a previous car i had, i was told to spray the engine bay with diesel then spray it with a gerni and soap to clean it. By doing this i ended up with a fantastically clean engine bay devoid of oil, dust and a number of other horrible looking things but also a car that wouldn't start as there was water in important places such as the distributor cap.

What do you use to clean all the grime out of the engine bay and are there any things that you shouldn't blast with the water and whatever other chemicals that are to be used?

I want my engine to look as clean or close as i can get it to the exterior and interior of the vehicle.

Please indicate what motor you are talking about when you reply as we don't want anybody spraying the wrong bits.

cheers
Muddles

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

i spray mine with degreaser every once and a while and used the gerni all the time, comes up spotless, just dont sit there and drownd the fuse box, but the rest of is should be ok, everything else is reasonably water tight. cheers samo

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

CT-18 truckwash in a garden sprayer, give it a good covering then let it sit for 10 mins, wash off with pressure washer.

[oldsalt Member Find all posts View Profile Close oldsalt]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

CT-18 truckwash in a garden sprayer, give it a good covering then let it sit for 10 mins, wash off with pressure washer.

Ditto

[rhs58 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rhs58]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

CT-18 truckwash in a garden sprayer, give it a good covering then let it sit for 10 mins, wash off with pressure washer.

Ditto

nearly Ditto.
i don't use the pressure cleaner - I worry about forcing water under pressure to where it shouldn't go.
Just use the truck wash in the old garden sprayer, then the old garden hose to rinse 10 - 15 min later, and it all comes up fine.
cheers
ron

[GXL05 Member Find all posts View Profile Close GXL05]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

Last year i made the mistake of sparaying lanotec in the engine bay.
lanotec does not dry so all the grime and dust sticks to it.
Last week i sprayed the whole engine bay with wd40 let sit for ten minutes
some spots were pretty dirty so i used a cloth to oosen the dirt and then used
the garden hose..it came out spottless.I spray all the plastic hoses and guards
withh tyre black spray(not the foam staff) and it looks beautiful...

[pradogang Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pradogang]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

Anyone with a V6 want to share what they use?

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

Anyone with a V6 want to share what they use?

I've used the same method on my Petrol Patrol and Petrol Pajero

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

I water down the truck grade degreaser/cleaner, applied with garden sprayer and hose off with garden hose minus the end. I once went overboard with the degreaser on my old V6 Prado and all the aluminium bits on the motor ended up drying with a white powdery residue. By using the hose with no end piece you don't end up forcing too much water under pressure into the areas where it's not wanted. High pressure cleaners will strip the decals and stickers from your engine bay & paintwork. A mate used a 1850psi washer and stripped all the protective coating from under the wheel wells on his fourby. Elbow grease, a cloth soaked in auto wash detergent will get the grime off the rubber and plastic bits.

I will never use any of those fancy sheens/sprays like the dealers and car detailers use. Looks smick for a couple of days before all the dust and crap sticks to it.

[damonat Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close damonat]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

i also use CT18 and use the garden hose.
comes up shmick.

i also use the garden hose with the end on it to spray through the radiator and condensor,
to reduce mud/dirt build-up and good air flow (just don't over do it with the pressure and bend the cooling fins).
i do this from both sides and continue the run water through till clean water only is visible
(this can take a couple of minutes).
recommend only doing this with cold engine/radiator only, and start engine and give a few revs after to pull through the remaining water (and do this with the bonnet down)

[Daz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Daz]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

go to Shell and look at the Dobatex range.

Dobatex Gold. Its one of the best truckwash's we have used at the Mines where I work. Same as above, mix a solution, put it on & scrub a bit, leave 1/2 hr then wash off. Awesome.

We only use it because our contract is with Shell, but I suggest the other petroleum companies will have their equivilent.
I remember Comprox being used when I was an apprentice

[johna Member Find all posts View Profile Close johna]

Re: Engine Bay Cleaning

Just my word of advice.

I've grown up around the transport industry and there is one truck wash truck drivers don't touch because it damages the paintwork over extended usage. The stuff is called CT-18. If you want a decent wash, go to Shell and look at the Dobatex range.

Buggered if I can think of how that came about.

Have been using CT18 on my Prado for 6 years (June 2003 to June 2009) and it still looks like the day I took it out of the showroom, motor included.
Has never been polished, only rubbed the Aluminium bull bar twice as it is a waste of time, goes dull again within days and only end up with black hands for the effort.
Use it on the wifes new Honda with same results.
Mate (ex Ford dealer of 40 years +) has just bought a BMW and washes that with 18 as well.

Will still go to Shell and try the Dobatex as I like to keep an open mind.