If your car needs its engine cleaned, you may be wondering if you can do this task yourself. While cleaning car engines is often touted as being difficult, it’s actually a fairly easy job you can do right at home. Here are the steps to take when cleaning your vehicle’s engine to ensure your safety and a job well done.
Cool Your Engine
If your car has recently been running, open the hood and give the engine at least 20 minutes to cool off before beginning to clean it. This ensures that you don’t get burned while cleaning the engine as well as that you don’t damage the engine as a result of rapid contraction.
Brush Out Debris
Debris can get caught in the engine bay and needs to be removed before you begin cleaning the engine. If debris is left in the engine bay, it can eventually lead to engine damage and even fires if it’s near the electrical system. Common debris found in engine bays includes grass, pine needles, twigs, and even small animal nests.
Remove Coverings
If your car’s engine has plastic coverings on or around it, remove those before beginning the cleaning process. You can also remove the negative terminal on the battery as well as the battery itself if you want. You can wash both the negative terminal and plastic covers separately. However, do not wash the negative terminal with water. Rather, wipe it down with a damp cloth to avoid damaging the terminal.
Unplug the Battery
If you didn’t remove the negative terminal in the last step, be sure to disconnect it before cleaning the battery. Loosen the bolt that connects the negative battery, and remove the ground cable from the terminal. You can also unhook the positive terminal as well.
Spray the Engine with Degreaser
After you’ve taken all necessary precautionary measures, you can now spray degreaser on the entire engine compartment. While any degreaser will work, you may want to choose a purpose-made engine degreaser for the best results. Spray the degreaser starting at the broom of the engine and working your way up to ensure full coverage. Be sure to avoid spraying the engine degreaser on other parts of the car that have paint, as the degreaser can cause the clear coat to come off and damage the paint.
Soak and Scrub
Let the degreaser sit on the engine compartment for several minutes, with five minutes being recommended for especially dirty engines. After the degreaser has soaked, use a stiff bristled brush to scrub the degreaser into areas that are grimier. You can also use a steel-toothed brush for larger areas of grease or grime.
Rinse the Engine
Once you’ve finished degreasing your engine, rinse it off with a garden hose. Avoid using a high-pressure water hose to avoid damage to the engine or disconnecting any wires.
If you have any questions about how to properly clean your car’s engine, give us a shout at Ourisman CDJR and we’d be happy to help you out.
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