Auto, Car, Truck Engine Cleaning

Engine Cleaning

It helps to keep your engine clean. Working on it is a lot more pleasant. Grease and oil on rubber stuff under the hood can soften and destroy the rubber. This includes hoses and the insulation on electric wires! On a clean motor new leaks are easier to spot.

That being said, it's also a good way to make your car not start.

3 ways to clean an engine

There are basically 3 ways to clean an engine:

STEAM CLEANING

Steam cleaning is very powerful, but it can tear stuff up under the hood. Some professional shops have steam cleaners, but they're expensive. You could probably rent one, but I'd recommend another method for DIY engine cleaning.

SPRAY CAN ENGINE CLEANERS

Common in any parts store, most of these wash off with water. They do a fairly good job, but to wash all that oil, grease, and engine cleaner off in your driveway might be considered a bit polluting. Also: be careful with the water: modern cars have numerous computer sensors. If the wire connector gets wet it can cause the computer to malfunction. ON ALL VEHICLES the high voltage wiring of the secondary ignition system (plug wires, coil, distributor) are VERY SENSITIVE to moisture.

SPRAY CAN SOLVENTS

They are called carb cleaners, brake cleaners, and so on: they contain highly volitile solvents that cut grease and oil quite well. Some are highly flammable and are petrochemical based. Others are non-flammable and fluorocarbon based.
The good thing is that they use no water. The bad thing is they are expensive.

My Engine Cleaning Advice

For small greasy or oily areas use spray solvents. If you use the "wash off" engine cleaner, stay away from the distributor and coil area with the water.

IF YOU GET IT WET AND IT WON'T START

Most often it's the distributor cap which has gotten wet. Remove and dry out the cap.

WD-40: The WD stands for Water Displacement, and it can be used to dry out connectors and so on.

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Thank you for visiting the ECONOMECHANIX WEB SITE. Please feel free to comment. We also serve the surrounding communities of Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne, and Newberry! Gainesville has been my home since 1974, and I've loved Gvl and the Gators since I came here in the fall of 1974 to attend the University of Florida. I loved it so much I stayed and opened my car repair business. Originally it was out of the back of a 1963 Chevrolet wagon, but in 1977 a fellow mechanic and I opened an auto repair shop with actual walls, etc. I stayed in the same location for 26 years, and recently moved my operation to property I bought 15 miles east of Gainesville. I am doing most all the repairs myself now, having reduced my overhead from $1500 per month to practically nothing. I do work by appointment only. I mostly work only on my established customers cars, but I will occasionally take on new clients. E-mail me and I will either make arrangements to look at your car, or I will recommend you to someone who will.

George G. Scott, Jr.