How To Clean A Car Engine

A clean car engine can increase the sales value of your car in addition to other benefits that it provides

There is nothing more to cleaning an engine other than cleaning the exterior of the engine and applying proper dressing to it. Its easy to do and can be finished under an hour. There are risks associated with this job owever and you should proceed with caution at all times. If the engine is not prepared properly it can bring lot of extra trouble. It is very easy to prepare your engine though if you follow my step by step instructions below and if, after reading this post, you still think that you cannot do it then it’ll be better to take your car to a professional engine cleaner rather then taking the risk yourself.

Clean off excess debris

The very first step of cleaning or detailing your engine is to remove excess dirt that gets trapped in the engine as time passes. The best tool for this would be a powerful air blower. If it is not available you can even use hair dryer along with simple brush to remove excess debris.

Prepare your engine for getting wet

Next step which is VERY IMPORTANT is to prepare your engine and make it ready for getting wet. It is very critical that you prepare your engine and cover all electrical devices which could cause a short. One must cover all spark plugs and sensors. You can use aluminum foil as it works great and can be wrapped around all the components or you can us simple shopping bags or any plastic bags to cover such devices. It does not have to be air tight since your engine should already be waterproof but you have to do your best to prevent water to touch devices that can cause short.

Apply engine degreaser to clean your engine

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Next step is to apply engine degreaser. Start and let your engine run for few minutes to lossen grease. Dont let it run for too long few minutes until it is warmed up and you can touch it without saying “Ouch”.

Now you are ready to to apply engine degreaser. Try to avoid petroleum based cleaners as they can deteriorate engines rubber products. Its always better to use a citrus or water based engine cleaners. Some of the best ones are Machine cleaner and Autoglym engine cleaner. Always start from lower areas while applying engine degreaser and work your way upwards. After you are done with applying engine degreaser wash away any excess cleaner from painted surfaces of the car. Allow 3-5 minutes for degreaser to soak on the engine however do NOT allow it to dry on the engine. You can use a brush if need be to remove any excess grease or dirt.

Now you are ready to remove engine degreaser, to do this hose down entire engine with excessive water. While doing this make sure to protect your electrical devices which are covered. Allow your engine to air dry for few minutes before removing the plastic bags. After removing plastic bags and soaking excessive water with a towel turn the engine on and let it run for few minutes to help in drying water.

Apply engine protectant final step

When engine is cooled and everything is dry one should apply a coating of engine protectant on engine to add a quick shine and protection.

Congratulations! you just learned how to clean your car engine yourself and how to save your car engine while saving cleaning costs of professionals.

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