Engine cleaning procedure?

[ribs]

The time is soon where I will work up the guts to tackle all of my car's problems head on as I know a girl who will let me borrow her garage for a week, and I already spent a load of money on airtools, sockets, other tools and equipment to suspend my car far enough off the ground for me to fit underneath of it...not to mention I already have all of the parts I need to replace except the brake pads and swaybar bushings. If you want to read about my problems, click on my gallery in my sig.

Anyways, while I was replacing most of the rubber in the front of my car, I was considering giving my engine bay a good whore's bath, as now, it is filled with dirt, old oil, and various other fluids and grime that have leaked out over the years. Anyways, I found this procedure over at The espirit fact file, a site that Eric Wolf may be particularly interested in...Here it is:


First, regardless of what you may have heard, there are many benefits to keeping a clean engine.
It looks better.
It improves the resale value of the car. If a buyer sees the engine clean, he/she will assume it was well maintained.
It is more pleasant to work on the car without getting all grimy.
It will be easier to spot any fresh oil leaks and their sources.
It helps the engine run cooler - that oily grime actually retains heat.
I learned the following engine cleaning from an Eagle-1 rep that wrote an article about it in Sports Compact Car magazine. The procedure can give you that "new engine look". However, the following technique involves using water in the engine compartment and I can assume no responsibility for any damage that occurs. Here are the steps I use:
Protect all electrical components on the engine by covering with plastic sandwich bags and tape or whatever.
Spray engine metal and rubber surfaces with Eagle-1 Tire Cleaner. PLEASE NOTE that I said "Tire" Cleaner and NOT "Wheel" Cleaner. Although both products exist, they are not the same. Avoid getting the cleaner on painted body surfaces. If you do, clean immediately by diluting with water.
Scrub particularly dirty, oily areas with a small brush (toothbrush) to loosen the dirt. You will notice that the solution turns blue-ish when it contacts the dirt.
After the dirt has loosened, rinse away all traces of the solution with running water from a hose. Avoid high pressure which could force water into electrical components or connectors.
Start the engine and let it idle for a few minutes to accelerate the drying process of the engine.
You will notice that rubber surfaces in particular look white and very dry. Almost as if they are dying for moisture.
While the engine is still warm, use "Son of a Gun" protectant spray and literally "douse" the entire engine in the solution. NOTE: If I were you, I would try to keep it away from your timing belt.
Let the engine soak up the protectant for about 1-2 hours.
All your engine components will look nice, shiny and new. Wipe any excess protectant with a rag.
I have tried this procedure on several cars and they all have come out looking better than new. The new look lasted a couple of months. Afterwards, additional cleanings were easier since the worst had already been done.

WARNING: On my RX-7 I had a coolant hose and a relatively-new V-belt break a few months after I did this procedure. I don't know if the protectant accelerated their wear. I don't think it would, but I thought I would warn you of the possibility. Again, I assume no responsibility for what happens in your car.


Does anybody see anything wrong with that procedure? It seems simple enough, and that guy swears by it, so maybe I will give it a go, see? Anybody have any better suggestions/procedures/warnings?

TIA,

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ribs, 86' 951
My gallery

[ribs]

Here is a link directly to that section as it didn't come out as intended in this post: The cleaning procedure

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ribs, 86' 951
My gallery

[ribs]

TTT...*bump*...etc.

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ribs, 86' 951
My gallery

[Blackfoot]

you might want to consider leaving it. dirt for the sake of being dirt in an engine bay doesn't decrease performance. and with the state of wiring as it is in the 944, i wouldn't want to do anything that could potentially damage wires or cause a short.

[jseel]

i clean mine every day(the car is pretty new to me), a little at a time.the 951 has too much stuff underhood to go spraying stuff everywhere. my volvo i sprayed down with simple green and hosed it off with no bad effects(being careful of distributor)the 951 is consuming a lot of q-tips annd small rags- i also use simple green.i must have cleaned a couple pounds of road/engine gunk out,less weight which never hurt performance. i just scrubbed out the back of my front wheels, im afraid i took so much b.dust out they may need rebalancing! i would buy a "clean motor" car over a dirty one if there were no other factors, so it must be good for the resale value. go for it! think of the concours guys and their white gloves....