How do i clean my engine bay ?

Cougar Community Classic Cougar Maintenance Restoration and Repair
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As the title suggests, how can i clean off 50 years of crud and neglect on my engine and engine bay etc.
Short of removing the engine, how can i get into the hard to find places.
I have A/C and P/s so theres not a lot of room to reach by hand.
I have a small water blaster, and low volume/high pressure air supply?

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Not sure I would use a high pressure blaster. You don’t want to take off the paint I don’t think.

First, cover your alternator completely with a plastic bag so you don’t get any water in it. Then soak everything in Simple Green degreaser and let it sit a little while. Soak it again and then use a soft bristle brush to scrub everything you can get to. Rinse everything well and look everything over for areas that need a repeat cleaning.

For wiring harnesses and hoses, you can rub in some Fast Orange hand cleaner and rinse them well. It works wonders!

There are videos on YouTube that may have more suggestions as well.

Good luck with your project. :sunglasses:

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I would also gently use a medium bristle brush on your air conditioning condenser fins. Do not bend them either.

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Im not sure simple green would be strong enough to take off 50 years of crud ?
Is there @ny thing stronger short of dissolving the wiring etc…

5

Greased lightning diluted, but don’t get on exterior paint.

6

Use easy off oven cleaner…


thanks
pat

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Be careful, as there are several variants of Easy Off. The one with lye will remove paint, and is used to remove paint from fiberglass interior panels with good effect. It will also remove paint from metal.

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Agree! Only use it on something you intend to strip
To bare metal in a controlled area. Definitely don’t get it on anything you don’t intend to strip.

Engine bay cleaning is work no matter what. Start with a good engine degreaser or simple green. Get in there with a putty knife and brush and remove the thick stuck on stuff.

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I don’t like simple green for cleaning things such as valve covers, as if it sits on painted metal for more than a few seconds, it causes a stain that cannot be removed. I much prefer Formula 409 for mild cleaning, but engine grease requires something more. Kerosene or gasoline in a well ventilated area can remove an awful lot of built-up grease and tars.

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Now that my eyebrows have grown back I would like to remind others that gasoline is not a good choice of solvent. But it is incredibly good for Amateur dermal reductions. Takes off the top layer in a flash so to speak.

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There’s really no substitute for elbow grease and each part will require a different technique. I use Go-Jo hand cleaner with rags to clean wiring harnesses. Diesel soaked rags work great for removing heavy gunk and grease. After the major grime is removed you may want to come back with a spray cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles for example. Isopropyl alcohol on a rag is sometimes the right answer. Old toothbrushes are handy. Lots of work to get it really clean,

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I wanted to recommend brake clean as well but its on the lines of gasoline but much more flammable. I use brake clean(not the cheap auto parts store stuff) to clean most greasy motor parts after scrapping the chunks off.

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Now that’s funny!

Never had a problem with simple green staining anything, but I haven’t let it soak stuff for more than 15 minutes or so. Good to know.

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Would it be worth hiring a HOT water blaster with some detergent with it ?