12 easy steps for cleaning the engine of your car

The engine is considered as the heart of any vehicle. It basically generates power that will be sent to the wheels, thereby propelling the vehicle. Without the engine, no vehicle can move. But no thanks to continued use and abuse, the car would get very dirty and would need to be cleaned up properly.

Cleaning an engine is job you can do. You can save some money as you don’t have to pay for the services of an engine cleaning professional. Nonetheless, it would be a great help if you have a guide on how you should you clean your engine. Below are the steps you can take to clean your car’s engine.

Step 1. Prepare the materials needed. You would need a bucket, gloves, bristled cleaning brush (or dish scrubber), water (preferably hot), water hose with trigger nozzle (or a spray bottle), shop vacuum (or an air hose), plastic bags and engine degreaser solution. You may also need safety glasses.

Step 2: Make sure that the engine has cooled down completely. A hot engine, when washed with cold water could suffer from damage. Likewise, it is unwise for you to touch a hot engine.

Step 3: Locate and cover engine parts that aren’t meant to get wet with plastic bags. Parts like the air intake, alternator, distributor, coil pack and exposed filters shouldn’t get wet as the engine might not start if they are soaked with water.

Step 4: Rinse the engine and the engine using a hose at low or medium pressure. Start from the rear portion of the engine bay to the front. As much as possible, avoid too much direct spray on electrical parts.

Step 5: Apply the degreaser on the perimeter of the engine bay. Avoid degreasing painted surfaces.

Step 6: Scrub the engine gently. Use a cleaning bristled brush or a dish scrubber to scrub the engine.

Step 7: Allow the degreaser to sit in. After brushing, don’t rinse the degreased parts right away. Instead, let the degreaser to sit for between 15 and 30 minutes, allowing the solution to break down the grease and grime that remained after scrubbing.

Step 8: Rinse the degreased parts. Using the hose or spray bottle, spray water onto the degreased parts to rinse the degreaser off.

Step 9: If dirt and grime are still present, degrease, scrub and rinse again. Repeat Steps 5, 6, 7 and 8 until all dirt and grime are gone. Do this also on stubborn areas.

Step 10: Dry the engine bay. You can towels to dry the wet parts or blower to dry those that are difficult to reach. Leave the hood open to hasten the drying process.

Step 11: Remove the plastic bags. Once the bags have been removed, dry off the water on the components that have become wet with a towel or cloth.

Step 12: Close the hood and clean up the workplace.