The best engine cleaner?

So my Engine is very, very dirty and i am struggling to get it clean with a steam cleaner and fairy liquid.

Can anyone else give me a good idea on what to use?
 
Degreaser, scrubbing bushes and effort. If you're careful (and brave) you can wrap the electrics and delicate stuff and pressure wash it.
 
Paraffin, degreases anything, especially if the engine is slightly warm. Then it evaporates .... doesn't hurt electrics either.
Best I've ever used.
 
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Sorry Seb. The possible health and safety issues with subjecting flammable liquids to pressure is highly dangerous. We wouldn't want anyone on the MSC getting hurt, especially when they are making their car awesome. We like awesome cars, especially when they are not on fire.
 
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I agree, I would never spray fuel around under pressure, not to mention it's seriously bad news when it gets into water courses. If you have a pressure washer with one of those pick-up tubes, what about Gunk or Jizer?
 
In my opinion you should never use diesel to clan the engine bay as it leaves #### behind when it dry's! Compressor with a spraying gun full of petrol does best job :) then water after (jet-wash or something like that) (Y)

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Moderated
Using the safest method.

Apply diesel, then afterwards just brush and cloth to clean crap off then just rinse down.


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Health Hazard thread
May I suggest an outbreak of uncommon common sense?
Assume the pressure washer suggestions above, with solvents were frivolous jokes? Such dangerous practices should not be promoted on the MSC.

Inhaling atomised spray particles of solvents is highly toxic and explosively inflammable. This stuff is toxic to the environment and is highly toxic to you when used incorrectly.

Pressure washers are designed to use water and detergent, never inflammable solvents and petroleum liquids such as petrol, paraffin and diesel. Pressure washers can damage engine electronics, electrics and paint work.

For domestic DIY engine cleaning, follow safety instructions and use a water soluble degreaser with stiff brush, such as boiler flue brushes or masonry brush. Use eye protection, dust mask, and long rubber gloves to protect yourself from contamination and allergic reaction to the solvents. Combustion engines are inherently dirty and cleaning achieves little benefit and may create problems with electronics and electrics.
 
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Common sense is something which is still taught. I did not consider such health risks myself, we should all be careful! I do believe Seb was suggesting using a pick up gun on a compressor hose, not the actual jetwash. However still dangerous.
 
Yep thats exacly what I was trying to say just forgot the exact name for it than just using brush to clean it and to rince rest of the sunstance with clean water from jetwash :)


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Yep thats exacly what I was trying to say just forgot the exact name for it than just using brush to clean it and to rince rest of the sunstance with clean water from jetwash :)


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Thats fine dude, but yeah you got big bloody balls :D Flammable liquids under pressure could cause you to have a really bad day. brush it on would be best, engine degresant better. I suppose gunk is just as dangerous and flammable.
 
I use petrol to clean most things, never used diesel because it leaves grease behind doesn't actually leave it clean when petrol just evaporates after a while living the surface more clean. That is all I was trying to say hehe :)
 
I do have to admit you really do have to be careful with this stuff. I have now made myself allergic to oil and nearly all cleaners. skin gets really bad in contact.
 
Yep I totally agree with you, I have special mask I wear when doing such things and gloves of course. That's not good at all mate how did you manage to get allergic?
 
Lot and lot and lots of oil, chemical, whether Cleaners, lube, thinners and paints. For like a solid year with no gloves and stuff until all of a sudden my body just turned against me and my skin just burned continually for ages and my skin was just buggered.

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Thats doesn't sound good at all, I always try to work with the rubber gloves (latex) cause my skin on my hands doesn't clean as easy from the oil and old grease from the cars. Sometime I have dirty hands for like 3-4 days before it finally rubbed off !
 
Yeah its not fun. Its everywhere which reacts now. Not just my hands. Arms legs everything.pain and discomfort is just unreal sometimes. BUT I gained silly turbo micra out of it lol so I got that going for me lol

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Talking of stuff that's bad for you, used diesel engine oil is friggin' horrible! Doesn't really affect my skin but gives me a bad headache and I feel off colour for 24 hours after an oil change - it's HORRIBLE stuff o_O.
 
Lot and lot and lots of oil, chemical, whether Cleaners, lube, thinners and paints. For like a solid year with no gloves and stuff until all of a sudden my body just turned against me and my skin just burned continually for ages and my skin was just buggered.

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i've never understood why people don't wear gloves , their not expensive to buy a box and prevent stuff like this happening. i always do unless it would be dangerous to do so :/
 
Agree to a point Dave. Vet's 'hands up a cows bum' gloves would be ideal but they're hard to find. With normal ones I always end getting oil up my forearms so I tend not to bother.
 
Not the cheapest but I always resort to Fenwick's FS-1 for cleaning duty. Diluted 10:1 for normal stuff and on neat for tough degreasing.
 
Agree to a point Dave. Vet's 'hands up a cows bum' gloves would be ideal but they're hard to find. With normal ones I always end getting oil up my forearms so I tend not to bother.

i disagree , cheap ass disposavle gloves and long sleeves , christ most of us are working on our cars more often than not , invest in a pair of 15 - 20 quid overalls to protect your arms its all easy to come by its probably on amazon with next day delivery . you might say oh then you get hot in the summer , i'd rather get a bit warm and shower after working then get industrial dermatitus or getting ill by contamination . but anyway what ppe you wear is another thread for anothertime :) i'd personally just leave my engine bay dirty thats why theres a bonnet to hide it :p
 
i've never understood why people don't wear gloves , their not expensive to buy a box and prevent stuff like this happening. i always do unless it would be dangerous to do so :/
Because I never got taught the risks. I know now and I make people around me wear stuff when they usually don't. So good has come from bad.

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Because I never got taught the risks. I know now and I make people around me wear stuff when they usually don't. So good has come from bad.

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fair enough , plenty of shops selling car parts and servicing stuff but nothing telling you how to protect yourself :/
 
As a slight off topic, mechanix do a nice range of gloves if your not fond of the latex type.

Having to wear then now my hands are constantly full of holes. As they say you only get one pair of hands etc etc
 
Cheers Davy, might pick some up from Arco - got an oil change due soon :).
 
I used ' Gunk Engine Degreaser' once applied and left to settle, I then used a wire brush on the cam cover and it worked a treat.I got the final look by using a metal polish. As for the surrounding paintwork I used WD40 and a rag, it works wonders.

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like some of the lads have already mentioned,,,,,,a good engine degreaser is all you need

Gunk,,,,,,,,2 types,,,,,spray or foam,,,,,,,,use the foam stuff as it sticks to vertical services better,,,,£3-£4 a tin

Hyper,,,,good stuff aswel and a little cheaper than gunk,,,£2-£3 a tin

a few brushes,,,ive found over the years toothbrushes work wonders,,,,,,,,,pack of 8 from poundstretchers 99p

hose pipe with a garden spray nozzle or a jet washer to rinse down,,,,,,,,,,,Bam,,,,clean engine bay


then spray the hole thing with wd40 or gt85,,,,,,,i just love the stuff,,,,,,i have loads of it for some strange reason,lol
 
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