Spraying down engine compartment

[Petrucci914]

I know they generally say not to spray down your engine compartment because of wiring and such, but is there a safe method to doing this? My compartment is just filthy and filled with salt....doing it by hand would just take forever, be tedious, and not get everything.Thoughts?Thanks!

[keithvibe]

cover your air filter and alternator. I have done this many times with out issue... do it quick don't compleatly soak everything under the hood and you should be fine...

[zionzr2]

+1 to above!!I use a small amount of Simple Green and then spray off.

[Whelan]

http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=30871Here is a few excerpts that may help:Simple Green is great for cleaning off the dirt and grease, but this stuff does not attract dirt at all. It almost acts like a wax on your plastic and vinyl. Therefore you could blow on it and the dust would come off.The good thing about #40 is that it does not leave a filmy residue if applied properly. Which requires working it in by rubbing repeatedly the same spot so it works the oils into the plastic/vinyl.In terms of product #'s. The Meguiars Professional Line of detail products uses the numbering system more heavily than their Consumer Line which you can find in local auto stores. I posted it before and Ill throw up another regarding the #'s they use in relation to the product name.#40 is Meguiar's Plastic and Vinyl Polish for use on tires, plastic trim, vinyl, cladding, interior, etc. I used it on the tires and it looks phenomenal. One other thing to note is all Professional Line products come in a tan colored bottle.The #40 is a plastic/vinyl polish and cleaner. It can be used on any plastic or vinyl interior, and any exterior cladding or rubber seals. It can also be applied to all plastic and hosing in the engine bay.For the oil marks, I would go with Simple Green. Spray it onto the area or onto a rag and wipe away. It is a cleaner/degreaser and not harmful at all.One thing I do when cleaning the engine bay is covering the air intake opening and the battery terminals with plastic baggies. Then I hose the engine quick with a light spray. Then I spray the whole thing down with Simple Green. This will allow it to penetrate other areas you cannot normally reach. Do this in the street of course, then let it sit, take a large bristle brush and scrub the areas you can reach. Then hose off lightly, dry everything with a towel and apply the wax and #40 to the specified areas.Also you may want to hit up your local auto store for a set of bristle brushes. They look like industrial toothbrushes, the nylon bristle is good for getting hard to reach areas and the brass one is good for small rust spots or white marks on manifolds and such.You can find #40 at [URL]http://www.autodetailingsolutions.com[/b[/URL]] [IMG][/IMG]

[psiu]

Pretty much go with what Whelan says.Myself, I'm pretty lazy, so a couple times during the warmer weather I will just wet it down with a light spray, spray some Simple Green on (and scrub the first time) and then rinse it, definitely don't go crazy with the jet nozzle in there.I'll cover the battery terminals too...a couple times over the summer months works for me and it usually won't get too dirty to need another scrubbing.All depends on how great you want it to look...