A clean engine is a happy engine!

camperdave wrote:
My two daily drivers are 15 and 20 years old, both with well over 100k miles. Neither ever gets washed, and I've never cleaned either engine (unless you count washing off mud/dirt prior to repairing something).

I guess I'm the exception to the rule about clean cars and good maintenance. My cars are filthy and pretty beat looking with plenty of dents and some rust. But they are very well maintained and I'd take either cross country tomorrow.

Exactly! How it looks on the outside is not necessarily a reflection of how it looks inside. All my vehicles are well maintained, but introducing unnecessary moisture into the engine bay isn't something I'll do. If an engine is well maintained about the only dirt on the engine is going to be road dust. A well maintained engine won't be covered with oil that needs to be cleaned. If you live on a gravel/dirt road, all bets are off.

My two daily drivers are 15 and 20 years old, both with well over 100k miles. Neither ever gets washed, and I've never cleaned either engine (unless you count washing off mud/dirt prior to repairing something).

I guess I'm the exception to the rule about clean cars and good maintenance. My cars are filthy and pretty beat looking with plenty of dents and some rust. But they are very well maintained and I'd take either cross country tomorrow.

mountainkowboy wrote:
Being that Red is 28 years old and I'm a gearhead...she's kept pretty clean everywhere....;)

Bingo! Amazing how those facts go together.... The vehicle is 28 years old, kept clean and still providing good service. The two daily drivers in my household are at 300k+ miles. The newest turns legal drinking age on January 1st. And they have engines clean enough to eat your lunch on.

Truth of the matter is, the cheapest car to drive is the one I already own. Unless I like a steady date with a car payment, it simply makes sense to keep my vehicles maintained - which includes a clean engine compartment. I know when I put my right foot on the floor, that I have taken good care of the vehicle and it will deliver for me. I am not afraid to get in any car I own and drive it cross country because I know how well it has been maintained. The senior citizen of the bunch ran 4400 miles from OR to MN and back this summer (5 pages of pictures).

That works for me, and I know it doesn't work for everyone else. I don't understand why not, but I respect the decisions and opinions of others. Some people like new vehicles & the car payments that come with them. They like 'free' service for the first 5 years / 100k miles. They pay for AAA so they don't have to worry about goes on under the hood. That is a choice, and to some extent a skills assessment of mechanical ability. If someone has the finances to live that way, then good for them. It is simply not my choice.

On a side note.... The trick to making an engine look really good under the hood is tire shine. Wash the engine with whatever you want - Simple Green, degreaser, etc. I have good results simply using hot water (my hose bib pulls from my shop hot water tank if I want). Then spray it down with the same tire shine you use on your tires. Makes the engine compartment shine like new! Only downside is during dusty summer months - the tire shine will attract the dirt. So this is pretty much a spring & fall detail job.

-Eric

Being that Red is 28 years old and I'm a gearhead...she's kept pretty clean everywhere....;)

Do that on all our cars. Looks better and you get to see if something is leaking.

My Cat has a small oil(not big enough to even notice between oil changes) leak and it gets all over the under carriage. When it gets to a certain point, I'll break out the simple green and pressure wash the bottom end. One day I'll work on the leak...maybe!!!

Well I did it!
Took me less time to clean it than the naysayers making posts, lol.
I even picked up 12 hp.:W
And the valve covers are gray. They kind of looked black before the cleaning.
Used the super tech spray foam engine cleaner from walmart, $1.97.
Disconnected battery
Covered alternator and any electrical connections
Sprayed the cleaner and let it sit
Low pressure from the hose
Used a battery operated leaf blower to blow off any standing water and VOILA!
:B

colliehauler wrote:
Wow Cummins 12v98 that thing was really plugged off, did you have any issues with overheating.

YES! Not bad enough to be an issue but NOT good!!!

This is a very common thing with the 24V engines that have the catch bottle. First thing I looked for when I bought the truck.

I have cleaned engines but the 8.1L in this house has not seemed to need it. Stays fairly clean on it's own.

THe major cause of "Crud" on the engine is spilled oil during a lube job and well the long distance between the oil filler and the engine itself keeps the oil off the engine.. No muss. No Fuss No Crud.

Simple Green is good stuff. Another, not sure if it is available in the US, is TEPOL. TEPOL is a cleaner used in restaurants for cleaning hoods & other greasy places in the kitchen.

I am not so concerned about the appearance of the engine as I am for it getting clean air & staying cool. Back in 2008 while preparing for our first trip to Alaska, & being concerned with bugs travelling through the grill & into the radiator fins, I made a home brew screen zip tied to the front of the grill. Simple household screen it is still there. It sure does the job at stopping bugs & is dead simple to clean with a snow brush.

The screen made no difference to cooling even on a 100 plus day headed to Vegas.