Automotive Engine Bay Detailing

Detailing your engine bay is a key part of the full automotive detail, it should not be neglected or forgotten about. If you have been to any car show, local car meet or just with a group of car guys, there is always a hood up with people checking out the other guys engine. When it is your turn to show off that great looking car, be prepared for someone to ask you to pop the hood.

Engine bay detailing

This process usually involves cleaning the engine thoroughly with a degreaser, sometimes it has to be done several times. I would start with a pair of latex gloves, you can usually pick up a box at a local automotive supply store for a few bucks. If you get the engine grease and road grim on your hands, it can sometimes be difficult to remove. On heavily soiled engines, I would also take note of the clothing that you are wearing, and watch for splashback. Now that you have prepared yourself, lets move on.

I would not use a solvent based degreaser, for one, it is flammable and the last thing you need is a fire from a hot spot on your engine if you did not let it cool down enough. Start with a water based degreasing agent, these are very common among the detailer line of products. Most of the retail engine degreasers on the market are solvent based, so be careful if you are shopping at your local automotive supply store, they likely won’t have what you need.

First, cover you electrical and vital engine components, then can be cleaned individually later. Tin foil is a great tool in this case, mold wrap it around the components such as the alternator, alarm, battery terminals ( disconnect the battery if you want ), ignition coils, open air filters and intake openings. Then remove any debris, like leaves. Then spray the electrical components with WD40 , which is a water repellent, and make sure your other electrical components are covered with a cling film or tin foil. Then run the engine for a few minutes… make sure that your wrapping will not catch on any fan or moving part, this will warm the engine up a little and make the degreasing work a lot better.

Note that all the wd40, wrap and tin foil applied to your engine component won’t guarantee that nothing will happen, it will only reduce the risk. Some people also do not cover any components, especially on newer engines. This is because 99% of the time, nothing happens from water or chemical cleaners anyways. Most modern engines and components are quite well sealed from water spray… however, if I tell you not to cover it and you damage something then you might blame me. So, to protect myself I am going to say, if you are not sure, cover it up.

Next is to apply your cleaning agent, or degreaser to the engine bay, all areas, let it sit and work for a little while, but do not let it dry. For heavily soiled areas you can brush it with a good engine or automotive body brush. Rinse of the cleaner with a regular garden hose, with very little pressure. If all the grim did not come off, then repeat the process. This is where the water based degreaser helps, since you rinsed then engine off, it will still work. If you used a solvent based cleaner it will not settle on the surface because it is wet and will not mix with water.

You can then clean the wet areas with a towel, preferable a micro fiber cloth and when the engine bay is dry you can detail all the surfaces. Detailing the surfaces can be done with an all purpose detailer, vinyl dressing or rubber and plastic dressing. As with any other automotive surface, spray the detailing solution on a cloth and apply it to your desired surfaces.

Note that most engine bay components are not water proof, then are water resistance. There is a huge difference, avoid high pressure spray into the engine bay. Although in some cases it might be necessary, I warn you now that you could cause severe damage to your engine and it’s electrical components by spraying high pressure water while cleaning it.