jw1977

It's embarassing, but I've never cleaned my engine in the 5 years i've owned C2S. The car's been so reliable, I don't get in the engine bay often. The engine is extremely dirty and i'm a little afraid to clean it? How have others done it?

gonz911

Subscribed. I used to keep my E46 M3 engine bay spotless, but the 997 bay seems to crowded and I suspect things need to be removed depending on how clean you want it. Just the same, I'm interested in what others have done.

jw1977

I had an E46 M3 as well that I also kept spotless. We'll see what others say.

997_rich

assuming you're talking about what you can access through the door, pretty much everything can be cleaned with a wet rag. But, really you can't access much of the engine there- that's just the airbox and accessories.

I also shoot out the mufflers with a hose through the wheel wells and work it with a rag and and occassionally wet rag off the bottom of the engine when I'm under the car.

I'm sure you can spray the engine itself from the bottom with some kind of special sauce to clean it but I'm not sure I like that approach. I stick with water and elbow grease.

mdrums

I've cleaned mine off using Simple Green be ause it doesn't harm rubber or plastic. Just cover tape up the air intake. I scrub around with different size brushes then crank the car and let it idle and get hot to dry up the water while I wash the car. Also don't use high water pressure.

gota911

You can also use a leaf blower to dry the engine after rinsing it off.

I also use a leaf blower to get rid of the excess water when I wash the car.

• Wash the top and glass, and rear deck - rinse, dry with leaf blower, finish drying with micro fiber towels
• Wash the front and one side - rinse, dry with leaf blower, finish drying with micro fiber towels
• Wash the rear bumper cover and the other side - rinse, dry with leaf blower, finish drying with micro fiber towels

This process eliminates water spots.

IslandS52

Ive used simple green in the past, but my recent discovery that it corrodes aluminum has me concerned about continued use

mdrums

I also use a electric leaf blower on the outside of the car too.

Simple Green corrodes aluminum?

SteveFromMN

I've always cleaned all my engines with gunk. I love the smell of gunk in the morning. it's harder to find these days probably bad for environment or worse. I stocked up on a couple of gallons. You deluite it with kerosine so I have enough for years to come.

Thegman

Start the engine and let it get warm, not hot. Turn it off. You can spray diluted (you decide how diluted) Wurth Citrus Degreaser throughout the engine compartment. Use a soft brush to agitate the surfaces. You can do it once and rinse with a soft spray of water. Then do it again and get any remaining dirt, dust, grease. Rinse with a soft spray of water. Then you can use compressed air to get the remaining moisture off of the engine. I suggest you then spray a product like AR Supply, Inc. "Instant Shine" on the wiring, hoses and rubber and plastic pieces. Wipe the excess from the surfaces you can reach. The motor will look nicer than when it came from Porsche.

mdrums

Just be careful blowing air on a wet engine..... Especially compressed air. You do not want you drive moisture down into electrical connections. That is why I let my engine idle and heat up while I was off the car and then possible go for a quick drive.

Also be careful of products like "Gunk" that can be harmful to rubber or plastic components. I've been using Simple a green since the late 80's to wash engines because it is non-caustic and does not harm rubber.

SteveFromMN

I don't think gunk diluted with kerosine will harm any external engine parts because they all are designed to withstand gas and oil from engine leaks.
I have never had a problem using Gunk for over 55 years. YMMV

Quadcammer

why risk it?

There is nothing wrong with it being dusty and slightly dirty.

Its not affecting how it runs, there's not much to show off in there, and there is potential you could screw something up, so I say just leave it how it is.

Edgy01

The importance of keeping an engine bay clean is appreciated more as a car gets older. It affords you the opportunity of seeing seeps or leaks earlier. I use brake cleaner on strictly metal parts (not painted) and Gunk for others (easier on plastics). You may be too late however. Keeping an engine clean starts from the beginning. It's far easier to keep an engine clean when you have only 12 months of grime to remove--than 5 years of it.

_Nathan

I clean almost everything in the engine compartment with Meguiars Detail Spray and rags. That works fine for me since my engine compartment has always been very clean; I don't know how well that would work on a really dirty engine.