Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Cleaning Your Cars Engine - Cooks Upholstery and Classic Restoration

Most people only consider cleaning and maintaining the exterior or interior appeal of their car when it comes to keeping it cleaned.

Cleaning the engine is another important factor when it comes to cleaning your car. Cleaning your engine routinely will allow you to notice any leaks or other damage that could lead to costly car repairs, if not repaired quickly. There are many benefits to having a clean engine and is crucial in the car care process.

It’s not a fun job to clean off the ‘black oily and dusty grime’ from the engine. But a clean engine will help you to notice fluid leaks at a glance, once the dirt and oil and other mud and road trash that have accumulated on your engine and under carriage. Engine clean ups are messy jobs, no doubt, but it should be done with care. The engine should be cold before you begin cleaning it. The best time for cleaning your car engine would typically be in the morning, after your car has sat all night and is properly cooled. You will also want to put some sort of cover over any filters, the alternator and the air intake. Also cover any electrical parts securely. (Check your owners’ manual to locate these parts.) Once everything is securely covered and protected, begin by degreasing the outside of the engine first. Clean and degrease all fluid containers and hoses, very well. The degreaser will do a lot to remove grime and scum from your cars engine, but it will take some scrubbing from you too. After you have cleaned these areas, remove the degreaser by spraying a slow flow of water on it, using extra caution to avoid those parts that are covered. After rinsing away the degreaser, use rags to clean other areas of the engine and use the small scrub brush to get into tight areas to clean well. You can use the degreaser but a cheaper and similar effective method is using Dawn ™ dish soap on your rags. Dawn™ is a great and inexpensive degreaser in itself. Using a soapy rag and the soft scrub brush wash all other parts, except the covered areas. Use a light spray of water to rinse the soap and grime away.

Once the engine has been cleaned, you should dry it right away to avoid water spots. Use the towels or a blower to get water dried from hard to reach areas and tight spaces. After cleaning your engine, start your car and listen for any abnormal sounds. If your car starts up and runs fine then you have done an accurate job of cleaning the engine. If you notice anything different about the way your car runs, the water may have caused damage to an essential engine part and you should take it to be checked at a local car repair shop.

Items that will be required for appropriate engine cleaning as a process in your routine car care will include:

~ A common and good brand of degreaser (Detailer’s Pro Series Engine Degreaser™ is a highly recommended degreaser brand.)
~ Many rags and towels (paper or cloth)
~small scrub brush that can reach in tight and smaller areas, preferably a flexible brush.
~plastic gloves

~ A few clean towels for drying, preferably  microfiber towels

 

source: http://www.carcarecarrepair.com/pages_40/cleaning_your_cars_engine

 

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