Clean Under the Hood
 

Any suggestions for cleaning under the hood, engine. Gunk degreaser, Gunk foamy, any good?? Keeping water out of electrical?? Thanks

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

I use Formula 409 for most cleaning, Simple Green for the tough stuff. Toothbrushes and lots of rinse water are your friends.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

Any normal household de-greaser works. As little water as possible.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

Soft water will not leave spots. Detailers have a water softener that attaches to the hose.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

From my experiences, Dawn liquid soap or Simple Green liquid soap with warm water are excellent de-greasing agents. Gunk works well too.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

lightly dilute in a bucket with warm water first, you don't want a soapy residue leaving streaks .... and lots of elbow grease, wax on, wax off. Sometimes multiple applications are needed.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

letting acetone anywhere near your car paint is crazy.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

Believe it or not Totally Awesome cleaner works very well both in the shop and the house. $1.25 a bottle at Dollar General. I bought 10 bottles just yesterday

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

Single stage urethane paint is immune to acetone.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

Rattle can wheel and tire cleaner works well. Spray it on and let it do its thing. No real need to rinse it off because it leaves a nice “just detailed” look including belts and hoses. Use it somewhere that drips don’t harm the floor or use a drop cloth or tarp to catch them. Do as many times as you want until you get the level of clean you want. This is what the “professional” detailers use.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

For my "driver" Model A, I used to wipe down the engine after each drive using Crocodile Cloth wipes. They are excellent at removing any road residue, oil, etc., and they're also great at cleaning hands! I keep a container of them in all of my cars and in my shops as well. I buy them at Home Depot.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

If you don't have an air compressor you can use a leaf blower to blow things dry under the hood. I would put plastic bags over anything that you don't want wet.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

When I was going to detail an engine compartment on a car to sell I'd use oven cleaner. I'd spray it on drive to the quarter car wash and spray it off when I got home it had dried and was clean enough to paint.

Re: Clean Under the Hood
 

FWIW I saw Crocodile Cloths at Costco yesterday.