i am not comfortable spraying my engine bay...
i use meguiars detailer...
spray and wipe

it looks beautiful....:)
its never been dirty enough to hose it down..

ouch... that sucks. always gotta watch out for that number 3 lol...

Wipe what you can by hand, then use the cleaners where you can't manually clean. I actually use a bottle and cup for rinsing. It provides more control and minimizes splashing.

Engine bays are design to resist water splash from wheels and run down from the edges of the hood. But keep in mind that this splashing is nothing like the water out of a garden hose or sprayer.

The main idea is only use what you need. If the garden hose is overkill, then its exactly that, overkill and doesnt need to be used. If you are that specific about cleaning the engine bay, then I'm sure you won't mind the extra time doing it right.

As for doing it while the engine is cold, its much more important for a rotary than a reciprocating engine. For one aluminum reacts faster and more severly to quick temperature changes so dumping a cup of water on a hot aluminum block is much more dangerous than onto a cast iron block. Rotary engines produce much more heat than a reciprocating engine so dumping water on it will cause that one portion of the engine to cool and shrink faster than the other parts stressing and possibly twisting it.

I think after working in the car grooming i think the best way and the safe way is

1 keep your engine running to be safe
2 spray degreaser
3 spray with water blaster
4 get a rag wipe it
5 spay with vinyl shine
6 you will have spakling engine bay

shinka213 i use to be same wasn't sure about water blasting in the engine bay but after doing like 5000+ cars and none of them stuffed up so i say it pretty safe to use water blaster but i never spayed it on battery but the rx8 comes with cover so there is no worry

Don't sweat the fan(s) or belt(s) at all. They won't hurt, honest.

Get a bottle of Castrol SuperClean and spary that sucker down. Wait 2-3 minutes max and hose off with cool water from a hose. should do everything you need.

At my dealer we use a can of Steamclean and rinse off, it's just a little stronger then a spray nozzle that's like a shower head setting and never had a customer complain with problems....then again I work on Toyota's. I haven't had any problems with water, after all that's how we check coils and wires for ignition depending the the symptom.

Here's the link to what we use and depending on how dirty it is you could use the whole can or roughly half.

http://www.midwayautosupply.com/pc-1...osol-7566.aspx

ditto!

By this logic, one should never drive through a puddle with a hot engine. I think you're being overly cautious. Five minutes of cool-down time is probably sufficient to prevent any damage from differential cooling.

Many points of view on the subject matter, all of which should be taken into account. It really boils down to 2 things. How dirty it is and how clean you want it to be. Then it's all a matter of upkeep. My car is a 2004 and looks almost brand new.

http://www.altspace.com/rx8/vrcaps1.jpg

^ Nice clean motor.....

My nozzle on my hose is broken right now (stuck) so if I try to clean the motor it will drop a steady flood...:icon_no2: :icon_no2:

I have noo clue how to get the damn thing off:banghead: Maybe I'll "borrow" a neighbors...

That's because you replaced everything with an aftermarket part once it got dirty! :)




Back in the '70's, when big V-8's got greasy dirty, my dad would warm up the engine, then spray it down with oven cleaner. 20 minutes later, he'd hose it off. Clean again, and lemony fresh! lol

Of course, I'd never use anything like that on my 8. Mine's an '07, 7,600 miles, and I've only had to clean the engine bay once so-far. Garaging it in winter helps keep it clean in the first place.

Same, used some Q-tips for the tight quarters and a detailing brush that you can buy at autozone. Now I have a spotless and pretty engine bay. Good luck and whatever route you use, just keep it low pressure.

If you notice the entire portion under and around the engine is covered. The 8's have a huge plastic shield that bolts up under the front end covering it from the front bumper to well past the back of the front wheels. This is done to minimize as much water splash from entering the engine bay. So yes its important to be cautious about spraying cold water on hot engines. Yes I will agree giving the engine some time to cool down is the best way to do it.

Washed mine yesterday, simple green and a light spray from a garden hose.

She runs perfectly :)

//EDIT
The previous owner of the car didn't every even look at the engine bay, so it was filthy..

I have found that the best way to clean you engine bay is to keep it clean. every time I wash my car I wipe down the engine bay with a damp rag. If you keep it clean it will stay clean.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/c...2_9_full-1.jpg

The problem I run into most times. My American hands don't fit into the Japanese spaces. I have relatively large hands and this makes it difficult to clean the smaller and tighter spaces. And most of the time its dust that doesn't wash off without rubbing. Alas, the joys of being slightly OCD.

i use a degreaser called purple power and then a water pressure hose....that works great

Simple Green works really well. It's mild but has a pretty effective dirt and grime cutting ability. Smells good too. I've always used a garden sprayer to rinse the engine bay area. Easy to control, low pressure and you can used hot water to help cut the grime and grease. You can do it when the engine is mildly warm (NOT HOT!) to help evaporate the water faster. When you're done, go ahead and get the engine warmed up to full operating temp then maybe a drive around the block. By the time you come back, it's 90% dry or better. That'll keep the water from getting time to seep into placed it shouldn't be.

1. Degreaser /simple green
2. Low pressure water rinse
3. Hit it with compressed air
4. wipe down anything else

then finish off the plastic stuff with Mothers back to black

Agreed... I went through some puddles and i have to replace my ignition wires i believe because their rusted... and i didnt spray my engine with Water... so just wipe it down with a cloth and keep it clean... whats the old quote again??? "Rather safe than sorry" but then again its your money...

APC 5:1 dilute
Paint safe brush
Soft wheel brush for plastics
Hose
Dry with MF towel
Dress with Meg's Hyper Dressing 4:1 dilute

No joke but I found leather cleaner makes the plastic parts shine really well and stay shiny.

i clean my engine with PURPLE POWER
and my plastics with PLEDGE
they both are great

Two methods:

1. hand clean with a rag and some less aggressive solvent like Simple Green (preventive maintenance)
2. Steam clean (if not well maintained)

I know the bay is open (bottom) to the elements, but I don't like running a hose on it.

Of course on vehicles I didn't care as much about I've used engine degreaser and a hose. ;)