one time i just sprayed a can and a half of GUNK degreaser all over the engine bay, and then hosed it all off. i ddint cover anything or dry anything off after that, and i just let it sit over night. the next morning, drove to work it drove liek absolute CRAP. it felt like an intercooler hose had popped off or something, and it was running super rich. it drove so bad for a week or so that i was taking my dad's car to work, and i couldnt figure out what could be bad. one day i got in and started it up, and it ran fine. well, it ran just like it did BEFORE the engine cleaning. i guess something just stayed wet for a while and was messing something up, anyways havnt had a problem like that since

i would cover important things though, like sensors, alternator, sparkplug wells, distibuter, those types of things. if you dont want to go through all that trouble, just dont soak those areas with water. a friend of mine washed his car very meticulously, didnt use a hose, but degreaser, a water bottle, and a scrub brush. took him like 2 hours though

 

that engine degreaser works pretty well. you might have to do it more than once to get rid of the tougher stuff. I always used the spray cans and avoided the electrical stuff. If I got it wet all well, i just didn't soak it. You want the engine to be at least warm I usually did it right when I got home from work. Sprayed it down, let it sit for a bit and rinsed it off. repeated as needed.

 

I used a bottle of simple green, a hose and a tooth brush on my engine bay and it came out real clean.

 

simple green and a brush! maybe even twice.

 

You have Waaayyy to much time on your hands....

 

or maybe, he likes to do things right...

i second simple green.

 

I clean battery terminals by removing them,
fine-sandpapering the inside,
fine sand-papering the post,
putting no-ox grease on ALL the parts including the bolts,
and they NEVER corrode.-Bob

 

I spray the outside of the dist cap/distributor with carb cleaner.

I pack a plastic bag into the distributor cap to keep out water,
wrap another bag around the outside to keep out water,
pack the carb with plastic bags and cover it with a plastic
tupperware lid, gunk the motor down and spray wash it
at the car wash where they have the filters to reclaim
the water for other car washes.

I use my air tank to blow water off the engine-end of the
plug wires where the plug boot is, remove all the plactic
bags, etc.and it starts/runs good.-Bob

Mean green removes any dried rusty water ..............

 

I personally never disconnect anything.. Spray SimpleGreen, let it sit, and pressure wash it off. Never thought about not starting it right up afterwards either, because I normally do...This is exactlly what they did at the car detailing place I worked at so it seems fine.

 

Just dont do it on a white driveway...