Matt Bachand
Depends on the 6.5
I do not want to damage/crack anything under the hood obvoiusly.
What is the best way to clean the engine/engine compartment?
What is the best way to clean the engine/engine compartment?
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Proper/Safe Method to cleaning underhood
- Thread starter Matt Bachand
- Start date
Missy Good Wench
Wild Blonde from Cloud Mt
With the engine cold, you can steam clean on low pressure. Be careful not to get a lot of water on electrical connectors.
Places like the battery trays, inner fender and such wont hurt at all.
The issue is that there is just one big bunch of electronics under there that dont like getting water into connectors.
A basic 6.2/6.5 with mechanical injection pump and limited electronics can stand a royal dutch scrub with loads of soap and lots of hot water.
I avoid a lot of wetness on the electronics just because the potential for issues is very real.
best
MGW
Places like the battery trays, inner fender and such wont hurt at all.
The issue is that there is just one big bunch of electronics under there that dont like getting water into connectors.
A basic 6.2/6.5 with mechanical injection pump and limited electronics can stand a royal dutch scrub with loads of soap and lots of hot water.
I avoid a lot of wetness on the electronics just because the potential for issues is very real.
best
MGW
JMJNet
Recruit
My mechanic and my dad told me not to do it. If you have to do it make sure you cover all the electrical connectors. Since there are too much of them, so I just do the dry method. Everytime, I fix something, I clean that part with paper towel and a little bit of degreaser and wipe it.
Slim Shady
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
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I never had good luck cleaning an engine compartment with water, or steam. Something always went bad after. Leave it alone and the oil will keep her rust free under the hood,
TurboTahoe
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I have done this with the Tahoe, which was pretty grimy when I received it.
1) Start out stone cold
2) Cover any sensitive items with plastic wrap and tape.
3) Spray a good degreaser (I used Castrol Super Clean - the purple stuff. I wear gloves, overalls, and goggles - it is VERY powerful stuff - it solubizes the grease and oil on contact!) on all metal parts, and places where the grease tends to pile up. On heavy accumulations, use a utility brush and work the degreaser into the caked on grease. This is where it might get into your eyes, skin, etc. Be careful. Spray on extra degreaser on heavy grease accumulations.
4) Wait a good 10-15 minutes (or longer) for it to work. You might need to squirt some more on here and there to keep it from drying off. You do NOT want the degreaser to dry on the engine parts.
5) Using garden hose and a hose-end sprayer, spray the degreaser off. If you want to really get some hot water to help you, hook the garden hose to the drain connection of your water heater (It has a garden hose connector on the valve on the bottom, used to drain the heater). You may notice all KINDS of grease and goop coming off! Avoid spraying pressurized water on any electronics or connectors!
6) Use a leaf blower to blow away a lot of the excess water.
7) Remove the plastic wrap.
8) Immediately start the truck and drive it around until everything is pretty much dried off.
9) Stop the truck, lift hood (I usually do it with engine still running) and check for any problems or obvious concerns.
10) You're DONE!
I've done this a couple of times to really clean the engine compartment. It works quite well, and it is a great pleasure to work on a truck with a clean engine!
Good luck, be careful!
-Rob
1) Start out stone cold
2) Cover any sensitive items with plastic wrap and tape.
3) Spray a good degreaser (I used Castrol Super Clean - the purple stuff. I wear gloves, overalls, and goggles - it is VERY powerful stuff - it solubizes the grease and oil on contact!) on all metal parts, and places where the grease tends to pile up. On heavy accumulations, use a utility brush and work the degreaser into the caked on grease. This is where it might get into your eyes, skin, etc. Be careful. Spray on extra degreaser on heavy grease accumulations.
4) Wait a good 10-15 minutes (or longer) for it to work. You might need to squirt some more on here and there to keep it from drying off. You do NOT want the degreaser to dry on the engine parts.
5) Using garden hose and a hose-end sprayer, spray the degreaser off. If you want to really get some hot water to help you, hook the garden hose to the drain connection of your water heater (It has a garden hose connector on the valve on the bottom, used to drain the heater). You may notice all KINDS of grease and goop coming off! Avoid spraying pressurized water on any electronics or connectors!
6) Use a leaf blower to blow away a lot of the excess water.
7) Remove the plastic wrap.
8) Immediately start the truck and drive it around until everything is pretty much dried off.
9) Stop the truck, lift hood (I usually do it with engine still running) and check for any problems or obvious concerns.
10) You're DONE!
I've done this a couple of times to really clean the engine compartment. It works quite well, and it is a great pleasure to work on a truck with a clean engine!
Good luck, be careful!
-Rob
Last edited:
Turbine Doc
Just Another Diesel Guy
My recipe is very similar to TTs.
Simple green, or purple power diluted to medium strength, (stuff full strength will eat paint) cover electricals, cold water/cold engine, is my method, if it's really dirty I also connect garden hose to my hot water heater drain, kill 2 jobs with 1, sediment flush on heater and use hot water to help cut grease, low pressure fan spray from the nozzle especially around electrical stuff use care around rad & a/c cores as you don't want solid stream to bend over the fins. In absence of leaf blower a shop vac set to blow is good engine dryer, watewr while it is prudent to not saturate the electricals are reasonably safe, weather-pak connectors seal, those of you that have remoted your FSD, mite need to take extra care where your factory & extension harnesses connect.
Simple green, or purple power diluted to medium strength, (stuff full strength will eat paint) cover electricals, cold water/cold engine, is my method, if it's really dirty I also connect garden hose to my hot water heater drain, kill 2 jobs with 1, sediment flush on heater and use hot water to help cut grease, low pressure fan spray from the nozzle especially around electrical stuff use care around rad & a/c cores as you don't want solid stream to bend over the fins. In absence of leaf blower a shop vac set to blow is good engine dryer, watewr while it is prudent to not saturate the electricals are reasonably safe, weather-pak connectors seal, those of you that have remoted your FSD, mite need to take extra care where your factory & extension harnesses connect.
TurboTahoe
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Simple Green is pretty good, but Castrol Super Clean is MUCH more powerful as a degreaser. I would probably use Simple Green if the accumulation is light. If you have lots of caked-on grease and soot, etc., I'd reach for the Super Clean - as Tim said, it is quite powerful, so diluting it might be a good idea, especially around paint. That said, Simple Green is a lot less caustic, so it might be a safer bet around the painted areas.
Uh, you'll have to explain where you need the cotton balls and Q-tips (besides around your ears and eyes).
-Rob
schiker
Well-Known Member
I have cleaned under the hood and then gotten a water in fuel light afterwards from a "wet connection" error.
I now do it on warm sunny days and start like turbo tahoe but my last step is leave hood up engine idling for a good while parked in the sun. And or use my big fan to blow into the engine compartment.
I try and start early enough I have a couple hours of sunshine to help dry out all the nooks and crannies that catch water.
The test drive and blow out can leave a few puddles and moisture.
Yeah its overboard and probably the same moisture as driving in the rain but I like it to be as dry as possible when I put her to bed after its all done.
I now do it on warm sunny days and start like turbo tahoe but my last step is leave hood up engine idling for a good while parked in the sun. And or use my big fan to blow into the engine compartment.
I try and start early enough I have a couple hours of sunshine to help dry out all the nooks and crannies that catch water.
The test drive and blow out can leave a few puddles and moisture.
Yeah its overboard and probably the same moisture as driving in the rain but I like it to be as dry as possible when I put her to bed after its all done.