Cleaning engine compartment and underside?

[Treadted2]

What is the best way to clean under the hood and under the car?? I have alot of grime built up on stuff under the hood, and lots of old crusty undercoating under the car and I want to clean it all off, inhibit the rust, and put new under coating on. I was thinking that I will just go to one of those DIY car wash places with the pressure washer hoses and go to town on it all. Is there a potential of damaging anything in the engine compartment?? Shorting electical connections?? Getting water in the engine?? What's the best way to do this??

thanks

Ted

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84' Grand Wagoneer
-AMC 360
-Stock axles, tranny & transfer case
-MSD TFI upgrade
-K&N Air filter
-Rough Country 3" lift
-Heckelthorne Hydro shocks
-Yokohama Prodigy AT 31X10.5 tires
-American Racing 15X8 Chrome Nugget wheels
-blue fuzzy dice!!

[Treadted2]

anyone?

[reddog]

OIl products and electrical devices don't mix well. In my experience the DIY car washes are not what they used to be. Unless the undercoating is literally falling off already then the car wash will do little to remove it.

To clean up your leaks/grime keep water away from the carb/alternator/electrical connections (firewall-harness,ETC) either by letting your engine cool some and covering them with plastic and duct tape or being very carefull. It helps to use some engine cleaner and let it soak as long as possible. I would think that you should watch for broken breather tubes on the axles and want to keep from blasting the front axle seals, don't blast the charcoal canister, the vacuum motors (axle-xfer case),ignition system and the starting relay just to name a few.

I don't mean to discourage you from doing this by all this rambling,just do it crefully and don't expect to take off much undercoating.

[Ralph]

Ted, I've got to go through the same thing, so I guess it's just a matter of common sense. In the next two weekends, I'm going to replace my rear leave springs and gas tank skid plate, and I'm looking into painting the bottom of the body with Durabak, maybe even paint the frame. It sure would be nice to have a lift to raise the vehicle for projects like this.

[Coley]

Same here, Ted. Sure would make it easer to track down those fluid leaks. I figured there had to be an easier way to do it other than abt. 20 cans of brake cleaner and a ton of rags. Maybe not. I'll probably end up doing just that, except I'll be on the abandoned shopping center's parking lot next door instead of mine. Let them have the big 'ol puddle of road mung and various fluids.



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84 GW
360 727 NP229
Totally stock
"You're obsessed with that thing!"

[ClarkGriswald]

I think 80 percent of my total wrenching time is usaully just cleaning.. if i replace a part everything nearby it gets cleaned and painted (if i have time in the shop and not an emerg repair) so im slow as molassas in the wintertime in that respect.. I dread doin my suspension cause it will take 3 times as long cause I will want all the steel in the area to be derusted and painted.. hehehe..

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88 Grand Wagoneer
D44's front\rear
Warn 20990 Lockouts
AMC 360
TF 727
NP 229--Soon to be replaced by an NP208 that currently inhabits my kitchen.

"I came, I saw, I typed some stuff!"

[Veepster]

I did this project recently......what I did..

to start a bunch of engine degreaser cans and the DIY car wash.

and then underneath I used a wire brush and a scraper to get 95% of the scum off. (I did not worry about the final 5%) then just your standard undercoatting...I think I used about 10 cans on the whole vehicle...for the time and then money I spent I think it came out really well!

price $50
time 6 hours

I did this in the midst of a 4" lift which made it easier as the shocks, springs and skidplate were not in the way.

engine.....it was started also at the DIY car wash...Castrol superclean is a great rpoduct in this area(buy the gal it is MUCH cheaper).....a couple cans of black paint and the engine compartment looks great!



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Peace.............BartG

the Green Flash!
78 Cherokee
360 2v, TH400 QT with low
4" skyjacker Rancho 9000's
33x12.50 BFG KO's 8" American Racing Baja Rims
Thorley headers, 3" exhaust, Dyno Max
Infiniti power leather seats
50%LuxuryCar,50%Tractor

[MonsterMash]

I recently cleaned off my motor/engine compartment after seeing pix of the inside of irbob's. I was at the coin-op car wash and I just directed the stream real close to the stuff I wanted to clean. About all you really need to watch for is blowing off an electrical connection or vacuum line or getting moisture into the distrbutor (have some WD-40 in case you get water in there as a squirt will displace the water and allow the engine to start). It did a surprisingly good job. I left my air cleaner on so I no hassle there. All in all you motor can withstand a goodly amount of water on it.

As far as the underneath goes, I keep it all well oiled using the factory installed Lubricant Exit And Kindling System--"LEAKS". Oil is a good rust inhibitor but gotta' watch that exhaust system. http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

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'84GW360--"Spinner"
Sir Gary Boyd's Ford truck ignition upgrade
Electric fuel pump
9.50x30x15 Dirt-Diggers
No emmissions crap (musta' been the previous owner, officer)
Recently vacuumed carpets
Missing interior & exterior pieces
Chipped windshield
Otherwise stock
(soon to be 4v--I'll blame that on the previous owner as well)

[WINGO]

To take care of the elctrical areas use the electrical/choke cleaner availiable at NAPA. It sells for about $ 2.75 can. Buy three (3).

For under truck, cleaning areas like the springs axels etc. I just used a paint brush and coarse plastic brush with paint thinner. This cuts the grease and grim real well. Finish up with soap and water and your good to go.

You can use normal engine cleaner for the rest of the engine areas.

Good Luck!

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WINGO
Vineland, NJ
USA
1984 GW 360

[Treadted2]

Thanks for all of the advice! Sounds like a good weekend project for me.

Ted

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84' Grand Wagoneer
-AMC 360
-Stock axles, tranny & transfer case
-MSD TFI upgrade
-K&N Air filter
-Rough Country 3" lift
-Heckelthorne Hydro shocks
-Yokohama Prodigy AT 31X10.5 tires
-American Racing 15X8 Chrome Nugget wheels
-blue fuzzy dice!!

[bignblue]

Hey guys...Wally World carries a Campbell-Hausfeld 110 AC pressure washer that looks like a litte blue bug. They run about 90 bucks and are perfect for blasting armadillo guts off the undercarriage of an FSJ (AMHIK!). I've used mine for the truck, the house, the driveway (to clean up the little FSJ droppings everywhere) and the grill. It comes with a detergent bottle that is perfect for that Powerclean stuff that Autozone sells...well worth the money. I did my Jeep, but of course three days later you couldn't tell!

[scotty]

usually i clean off the mud by drivin reeeeaaal fast thru the creek before i head for home! http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/biggrin.gif



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scott
85 grand wagoneer
258 with motorcraft 2bbl/904/twin stick dana 300/dana 44/welded amc 20
38x15.5 gumbo mudders
snorkel/dual batteries/onboard air/"custom" convertable
3 inch body lift/mostly stock suspension/"modified" fender openings
custom front/rear bumpers and brushgaurd

T18/dana 20 swap very soon
searching for dana 18 to replace the 20...