[oguruma]

I need to get my car (Nissan Xterra) ridiculously clean to ship it back to the states. I have heard one area they are particularly anal is the engine bay. Anybody have any recommended techniques to get it as clean as possible? I have heard that no rinse wheel cleaner works well, but I a bit sketched out about using that.

Any input?

[TheUNZippee!]

I've used gunk engine degreaser, and a garden hose. Use a pressure washer if you have one handy, but be careful around electronics, wiring harnesses, fuse boxes, etc, with them. This is an excellent read:
Engine Bay Cleaning **Look Here**

[02gtKev]

Engine degreaser that is safe for plastics, light water pressure, and a air hose to blow water out of the nooks and crannies before you start it.

[axeussevn]

Here's my method, and it doesn't cut through real heavy grease but it still does a good job and gives you peace of mind.

Things you will need:

1. Simple Green or Equivalent in a Squirt Bottle
2. Tire Brush
3. Water Hose Mister or Water Mister Squirt Bottle
4. Handful of Rags

Cleaning Steps:

• Take the rags and just gently place them over anything that looks important. (Alternator, Electrical Boxes, etc...)
• Take the Simple Green and apply a generous coat to the entire engine bay, really use a good bit. Let it sit for ~2-3 minutes.
• Take the tire brush and scrub everything you can scrub that you feel safe scrubbing.
• Take the water hose mister or squirt bottle and lightly rinse the simple green off. It doesn't take much at all to do the task.
• Repeat above steps if needed.
• Take one of the rags and gently dry off anything that might spot. (CAI, etc..)
• Enjoy.

Originally Posted by 02gtKev Engine degreaser that is safe for plastics, light water pressure, and a air hose to blow water out of the nooks and crannies before you start it.

Plus one on that, air hose if you have it for peace of mind. I don't use one, but that's not to say I should.

[20TENGT615]

I used the gunk engine degreaser the other..its not bad. Rinse the hell out of it. The only downside is that now i have the smell coming through my vents

[NoColoradoGT]

If you can avoid using water, do so.

Here's what I do on my personal bay and on client bays:

Zep Citrus 1:1 Misted all over the entire bay (really saturate it)
Two rolls of Shop Towel Paper Towels
Q-Tips

Wipe out all the grease and dust that the Zep loosens up and get everything clean. The Q-Tips are great for radiator cracks, hard to reach places near your COP's, etc.

Then, take a good Vinyl protectant. I've used a couple products on this, and Aerospace protectant, Meguiar's Natural Shine Viny Protectant, and (THE ONLY TURTLE WAX PRODUCT I WILL EVER OKAY ANYONE TO BUY ) Turtle Wax F21 Super Protectant all work great for dressing your plastics.

Mist this over your plastic areas and wipe away.

After the above process on my GT:



Here's a client Vehcile:

Before




After

[dannyboy281]

This is how I do it

Engine Detailing & Cleaning by Car Care Products - YouTube

Engine Detailing & Cleaning by Car Care Products - YouTube