Do you want to learn how to clean a car engine? Cleaning the interior of your car is important. Picture this: you decided to drive around the city until your car started to sputter and cough. Just like other similar machines, the engine of your car and its compartment need to be washed up as well.
You have to do this to preserve the health of your car to avoid buying a new part or a new car. If you follow these steps on how to clean a car engine and its compartment, we guarantee that your time and money will be saved, and you will never have to worry about your car sputtering while driving again.
Cleaning the Engine
Before pouring water into your engine, here are the things you should do first.
Step 1: Prepare the Car Engine
Before doing anything else, you should remove all the debris that are trapped in the car’s hood, vent openings, or grill. According to Zep Staff, you should always clean the engine of your car to last longer and work better.
If you can use pressurized air to clean up your engine, please do so. This will save your time and in addition, it is a good tool in removing the debris that are trapped in the engine. But if you don’t have any access to it, then you have to be patient.
A hand brush is required to clean the engine if you don’t have any access to pressurized air. If you follow the removal of debris, the next thing you should do is to prepare the engine to be wet. Cover all of the exposed wirings, openings of spark plugs, distributor, and the sensors.
Plastic bags are the best choice for this job. All you need are rubber bands or tapes to hold the plastic bags. You don’t have to make the engine of your car waterproof, you need to do this to prevent most of the parts soaked with water.
If you noticed, all the car engines are created waterproof, you only use plastic bags to avoid unexpected accidents.
Step 2: Release the Accumulated Grease
This step on how to clean a car engine is the easiest one. You just need to start the car and just let it running for 5-10 minutes to release the grease, oil and the like that are stocked in the car engine. And if you don’t know yet, a heated up engine works better with grease removers.
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Step 3: Using Grease Removers
Check your grease removers if it is citrus-based formula. According to Danny Cruz, the citrus-based formula are the best grease removers because its main purpose is to remove petroleum. Products that are petroleum-based sure work fast but it deals damage to rubber seals and hoses.
You may apply the grease remover from the bottom part going up. We use this technique to avoid dripping of the grease remover to you while washing the engine. You should cover the fenders so the wax from it will not be removed by the formula.
Let the grease remover soak in at least for three minutes. A dirty engine will need four to five minutes soaked in the formula to loosen the grease.
For light to moderate grease buildup, hand brush is not advisable. For heavy grease deposits, use brush that has a long handle (parts brush) to reach the engine parts easily. Use solution for car wash when using a brush to increase the agitation of the brush and remove soil better.
Step 4: Washing the Engine
When it is time to wash away the grease remover all you have to use is a hose. Nozzles that have high-pressure is not advisable in washing away the formula because it might cause electrical damages even if they are properly covered. Regular hose used in gardens can do the job.
Step 5: Engine Drying
I’m not going to endorse a product for this, the heat of the engine will do. Just don’t let the engine air do all the job. Make sure that once the engine dries, use a microfiber towel for the finishing touch.
An additional tip on how to clean a car engine – after drying up your car engine, spray an engine protectant and make sure to wipe it to make it shine.
Conclusion
It feels good to share a step-by-step procedure on how to clean a car engine. Every car owner deserves to know the procedure. Everybody knows that these procedures are not taught at school or at the company where you bought your car.
Keeping your engine healthy will save not only your money but your time as well. When you followed the steps on how to clean a car engine correctly, you don’t have to worry again on unexpected engine malfunction.