Degreasing Engine Bay

[verymickey]

I have never cleaned my engine bay before and looking for tips/how to on the topic.

I have googled and watched a number of videos about the topic and in classic internet fashion have heard people vehemently argue both sides of what to do/not to do.
Since our engines (4.2 v8) have their own quirks i thought best to ask you guys directly.

So how do you clean your engine bays? What products do you do? Steps involved? Hose or hand wash? which areas to be careful of? Gotchas? etc etc.

Thanks

[CONative]

A much needed thread - surprised nobody has chimed in yet here. I'm a B8 owner - here's what fellow B8 owners have said:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...g-on-the-A4-B8

Preparing to do mine next weekend and have been reading into the subject. While I can't offer any advice - I'm planning to use my garden hose and a foam cleaner - let the foam sit and use the garden hose to remove. Then a once over with a towel to remove anything the cleaner/water didn't catch. I can post pics and provide my feedback after its done next week.

The only thing to be careful with is the alternator which I plan to cover.


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[HereInOhio]

I usually get the gunk in a squirt bottle. It has a cirtrus smell and isn't too abrasive. I have bought cheap degreaser that actually took the paint off. The gunk foam aersol is good as well but I like to use that underneath by the block. You really should cover most of the electronics (maf sensor, fuse box, alternator, and sensors) and air intake with a plastic bag or saran wrap. I normally don't take the time to do that but I should.

I just squirt the degreaser on everything besides the stuff covered in plastic above mentioned above
Scrub everything with a soft wheel brush
I have a small dish brush I use for cracks with heavy grease by reservoir's
Rince everything with the hose avoiding the electronics (especially the alternator!!!)
Wipe it dry with an old towel and/or leave the hood up in the sun to rid the extra water.
The biggest key if you put up with my whole post - buy gunk engine dressing. It makes all hoses and plastics including the belly pans look new.

Its the lazy mans fast way but works pretty darn good. If you have a show car ignore this. If its an everyday driver or older car and you just want it looking good this will get you there. These pics I realize are not the most impressive engine bays. But being completely black with valve cover leaks and never cleaned once in 10+ years and literally taking 5-10 min they are not bad.

[DetailersDomain]

with the 4.2 be careful with your coil packs.

[n8vs3]

Steam cleaning would be the easiest method if you have access to such equipment.

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[14S4GWM]

Steam is worse than running water. Steam gets in everything.

[roarf]

with the 4.2 be careful with your coil packs.

I would like to clean the engine bay on my RS4 and was wondering about this very thing. It seems the ignition coils don't seal off the spark plug wells. How can I avoid getting water in them? With other cars I normally just spray the engine bay down with a cleaner, agitate with a brush, then start the engine and rinse everything off gently (engine running so if I start getting water somewhere I shouldn't be, I know to stop), then immediately go for a drive to get the engine nice and warm to dry things off. Any ideas on how to block off the openings around the coils?

[2wookies]

Check this out. Lots of good tips
http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

[tegraphile]

Just degreased my 1.8T yesterday. Used GunkHD Degreaser, which is citrus-based. Here what I did:

1. Covering the alternator and HID harnesses with aluminum foil and saran wrap.
2. Took off plastic cover
3. Sprayed the entire engine with degreaser and let sit for a few minutes
4. Sprayed with water and then used a medium bristle tire brush (large areas) and painters brush (small crevices)
5. Repeated another cycle of degreaser and brushing
6. Washed off the engine again
7. Grabbed a leaf blower to blow out and dry all the water.
8. Waited 10 minutes and she started up the first time, no dash lights or funny noises

Not showroom ready, but certainly a lot cleaner than before.