Car Engine Cleaning: How to Properly Clean a Car Engine at Home?

 

What’s not to love about a shiny, clean car? Well, the cleaning part. Most of us like to keep our vehicles squeaky clean from the outside but overlook the fact that the same needs to happen below the hood too. It is true that the engine is protected from direct contact with dirt, grime, and dust but it still needs to be looked at. 

Cleaning the car engine can sound very intimidating. All the small parts, tough grease, and dust-covered components can be difficult to clean. In reality, the process of cleaning a car engine is pretty simple. Today in this article, we will look at the simple ways in which you can clean your car engine. But before that let’s discuss why all this happens.

What Causes Car Engine to Get Dirty?

Although there are many reasons behind our car engine getting dirty, let’s quickly look at some of the most common causes for it. The car engine’s dirt depends on how much you drive your car. The more you drive, the more your engine will get exposed to grimy elements like oily residue, pebbles, grease, dust, etc.

You may not be aware of the fact that a dirty engine not only makes your engine look bad but it also diminishes your car performance. Eventually, it can even lead to some serious damage. Comparatively, if you drive a car that has a squeaky clean engine, then you will notice the difference immediately.  

A clean car engine will lead to efficient cooling, less wearing and tearing of cables & pulleys, and overall, a better vehicle life. So, make sure to book an appointment for full car services, twice a year.  

Steps on How to Clean Car Engine

To clean your car engine manually, you have to follow the below-mentioned instructions. These are:

– Step 1: Pick a Day

The first step is quite easy. You just have to pick a nice day with the good sunny weather condition. Low humidity and warm weather along with winds will help in drying the car engine out. 

– Step 2: Cooling off Engine

This step is for those cars that have been running on the road. So, open your car’s hood and let your engine cool down for about 20 minutes. Make sure that all the internal components of the car engine are cool to touch so you can clean them.

– Step 3: Unscrew the Components

Now, comes the important part. First of all, you have to remove if there’s any plastic cover under or on the hood. Secondly, if you want to remove the battery, this is the right time. Remove the negative terminal of the car’s battery.

– Step 4: Cover and Grease

Next, you have to cover all the sensitive electric parts of the engine with plastic covers. These components include parts like the battery (if don’t want to remove it), wires, engine control unit, etc. After covering all of them, you can rinse and clean the engine rigorously. 

Money time! Purchase a nice degreaser and spray it all over the compartment. You can use any type of household degreaser. It doesn’t have to be a special car degreaser. It can be a regular one. 

– Step 5: Scrub & Rinse

For most of the area, you don’t have to scrub thoroughly but for valve covers and cables, there would be a lot of caky oil. Scrub the gunk away. Now comes the rinsing part. A regular hose would work just as well as the power washer. So, you don’t have to purchase it. 

Wash all of the degreasers and thoroughly rinse the entire compartment. But beware don’t use too much water on the space-limited areas as it would be difficult to dry them out. So, avoid all the electrical components and small places. 

– Step 6: Let it Dry

Drying can take place in two ways. If you’ve any compressed air available, you can direct it towards the small areas. Dry all the nook and crannies with that. But if you don’t have that option, go for the good old rag. Dry and wipe everything that your hands and fingers can reach. Dry them with the help of a towel or rag. 

– Step 7: Installation

Did you forget about the battery that you removed? You can’t drive without that. Quickly and carefully attach the said battery. Attach the negative terminal and remove all of the plastic coverings. Now, you’re good to go.

But that’s not it. You have to practice all of the above-mentioned steps, at least twice a year. It would do both you and your car good.

How to Prevent Your Car Engine from Dirt & Sludge

I hope you now possess the ability to clean your car engine by yourself but let’s talk about how you can prevent this from happening. Below are some of the tips through which you can keep your car engine clean.

– Oil & Oil Filter:

Sludge and oily grime are directly related to old oil and oil filter. It is quite imperative to change both of them regularly. The development of the sludge that you see on your car engine happens when you do not change your oil. 

– Avoid Short Drives:

Try to avoid using the car for short distances as the constant stopping and driving causes lead to the building up of car sludge and gunk. Take a bike or go for a walk instead. It’s good for your health and the environment too. 

– Car Service: 

Last but not the least, you can leave everything in the hands of the professionals. Go for a full car service and call it a day. Acton Service Centre is one of the best car service centre in the UK. 

You must have understood the importance of a clean car engine and how to do so. The above-mentioned instructions and prevention tips are very easy to follow...( continue reading )