Cleaning Your Engine Bay is not just for Concours

[Odds and Ends]

A little public service announcement - Clean your engine bays!  

 

For those of us that detail for a living, recommend it to your customers.  For those who are weekend warriors, let this be an example to us all.

 

Here's the story.  My mechanic buddy loves BMWs, me not so much, but we always look for broken cars to fix, especially ones with dead motors or bad transmissions that he can fix, I can clean, and they get resurrected and passed along to new owners. So, I respond to an ad for a 2002 BMW 530i....nice enough body, nice enough interior, ad claims that everything works but it may need a new motor.  We go to look in person and sure enough, can't turn the motor - it's seized up!  I buy the car.  I buy a used motor.  We are really curious what caused this.  Not changing the oil frequently enough is the most common cause but we find something very interesting.  Upon removal of the old engine, we find standing water in the intake.  How did it get there?  There were no signs of flood damage or a water line anywhere.  After putting the new engine in and getting everything connected, it all began to make sense.  The power brake booster got water in it and the vacuum lines sucked the water into the engine causing it to hydrolock.  When the old brake booster was pulled out, it was still about half full of water even after trying to get as much out as possible.  Here is a shot of the brake booster compartment.  The drain holes are full of leaves, dirt, and debris and the rain water just filled up and went into the brake booster.   

 

So, lack of regular cleaning and just plain old paying attention locked up a motor and effectively destroyed a car!  If your car is not garaged, clean out those leaves, twigs, and other debris.  Blow out cracks and crevices with an air compressor or leave blower.  Don't let a dirty engine bay destroy your car.

 

 

 

 

[blcksilv08]

As a full time diesel technician at a dealership, I see things like this way to often. Normally its something small like the HVAC blower motor is not putting out air due to all the debris in the air intake. I could definitely see that happening though.

[flyboy9994]

Went to a car show not too long ago and was shocked at all the dirty engine bays. Mostly stock, late model cars (Camaro's, Challengers, Mustangs etc.) One late model Corvette was near perfect outside but the engine bay was filthy. I mean "lives on a mile of dirt road" filthy. Geeezzz, I surely wouldn't've had the hood up. Sure most of them were probably daily drivers but c'mon people, it doesn't really take that long.

 

Someone in an earlier thread mention using Swiffer brand dusters under the hood. Best idea ever.

 

Along with All Purpose Cleaner and Super VRT, In and Out Spray I'm usually done in 15 minutes. Perfect!

[mike c4]

Waterless wash and a good brush can clean a engine bay