1998 s70 Cleaning the engine bay

BlackJack · Post by **BlackJack** » 07 Jan 2015, 10:31

Any tips for cleaning the engine bay on these cars as I'm into detailing and looking after my car, yet have avoided the engine bay so far apart from simple wipes as don't want to cause any issues, however got hold of autoglym engine & machine cleaner to give it its first clean in a long time!

Which areas should I cover up just to be on the safe side?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 07 Jan 2015, 10:45

Cover the distributor cap and the coil. Mine usually runs pretty rough for the first several miles after an engine wash but it always smooths back out.

...Lee

Post by **cn90** » 07 Jan 2015, 11:08

Do NOT use high-pressure washer.

For heavy oil deposit, I use a long screwdriver to scrape it off first.
Then full strength Purple Power and tooth brush, let it sit for 5 min or so.
Then rinse with warm water using a jug or spray bottle.
No garden hose as it is too much water.

I also removed the cosmetic cover (Torx bolts) and store it on the garage shelf.
This is b/c water has a tendency to go down the spark plug holes after washing engine.

The bottom line is: cover anything you don't want water in: ziploc + rubber band over dipsticks, distributor cap/rotor area, then go slow, no need for tons of water.

BlackJack · Post by **BlackJack** » 07 Jan 2015, 12:05

Cheers for the replies. good advice!

instarx · Post by **instarx** » 07 Jan 2015, 17:04

Have it professionally steam cleaned. The previous owner had the car detailed and the engine compartment steam cleaned as part of the detailing before selling it to me, and the engine compartment looked like new. Auto detailers and some dealer service departments can do it. Like new, really.