What is the best way to clean the engine bay?

As you can see from the pics, I still have salt deposits from the winter and I'd like to rinse that out. None of my previous cars had that much deposit. Is that fairly common on our legacies?

 

In the past I would just warm up the car a little bit, not all the way to operating temp, and use one of the self service car wash bays to spray down on the engine, avoiding the alternator and standing a tad bit away so it doesn't get the full force of the jet. Let it sit for some till till the water rolled off/evaporated before starting the car again.

 

Anything that I should be watching out for on the Legacy? Any suggestions from folks that did this?

I'd spray it with a garden hose (not a pressure washer or car wash high pressure wand).

 

Then try to let it dry before you start it up.

 

If you can't do that (apartment, no garden hose) some car washes have a low pressure setting for rinsing, use that.

 

Obviously don't spray it while running, the components are pretty well protected and they can get wet while driving in the rain so I wouldn't be too worried about rinsing it off.

Those are not salt deposits, its the aluminum oxidizing creating a powdery compound on the surface of raw aluminum (equivalent to rust for other metals).

 

Spraying down the engine with water, simple green/purple, scrubbing bubbles, dish soap solution, de-greaser solution will only make it WORSE.

 

 

There is little to nothing you can do short of pulling the block, mechanically cleaning with brass brushes, applying a thin layer of WD40 to slow down the growth or de-greasing the entire block and applying some heat-tolerant clearcoat.

 

Its BAU on Subaru's living in the rust belt or anywhere humid/wet.

 

"I think I'd just use scotchbrite. Aluminum "passivates" which is why water doesn't corrode it. Passivation is where aluminum covers itself in a in a thin layer of oxide that will not react with the hydrogen to create water in which creates rust. The white spots of powder on you casing is actually a clump of oxide.....just scotchbrite to remove and you can get a "pickling" solution in which when applied to a area removes the old gunk and oxy layer and allows for a new one....but pickling jelly is evil!!!

Don't get it anywhere because its essentially an acid."

I do the following every 6 months or so:

 

1. Spray the entire engine and bay down while bone dry with Simple Green

2. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes and brush any areas that are very dirty

3. Hose it off well with a light hose spray

4. Fire up your leaf blower and blow all of the water out of the engine and engine bay

5. Go take it for a 10 minute drive to let the engine heat up and burn off any additional left over water

6. Done!

Those are not salt deposits, its the aluminum oxidizing creating a powdery compound on the surface of raw aluminum (equivalent to rust for other metals).

 

Spraying down the engine with water, simple green/purple, scrubbing bubbles, dish soap solution, de-greaser solution will only make it WORSE.

 

 

There is little to nothing you can do short of pulling the block, mechanically cleaning with brass brushes, applying a thin layer of WD40 to slow down the growth or de-greasing the entire block and applying some heat-tolerant clearcoat.

 

Its BAU on Subaru's living in the rust belt or anywhere humid/wet.

 

"I think I'd just use scotchbrite. Aluminum "passivates" which is why water doesn't corrode it. Passivation is where aluminum covers itself in a in a thin layer of oxide that will not react with the hydrogen to create water in which creates rust. The white spots of powder on you casing is actually a clump of oxide.....just scotchbrite to remove and you can get a "pickling" solution in which when applied to a area removes the old gunk and oxy layer and allows for a new one....but pickling jelly is evil!!!

Don't get it anywhere because its essentially an acid."

 

Look at the black plastic in that picture. That's dirt, and can be sprayed off. As far as aluminum, who is going to pull their engine in order to deoxidize all the aluminum bits?

 

I guess if you enter your cars in shows, that might be worthwhile...

Thanks for the comments guys. Didn't think it was oxidizing aluminum. Guess I see more of the block with it being a "H" versus my older cars.

 

No garden hose. I could just pour down with a garden watering jug, but that may do no good.

 

I had cleaned all the plastic pieces and the air box before the winter when I had the bumper off while installing the hella horns. That's all the crap from about 6 months

1. Don't worry about the oxidation. By the time it caused any issue the car will have been recycled into a refrigerator due to some other catastrophic problem

2. Have a beer

Look at the black plastic in that picture. That's dirt, and can be sprayed off. As far as aluminum, who is going to pull their engine in order to deoxidize all the aluminum bits? I guess if you enter your cars in shows, that might be worthwhile...

OP wasn't asking about the plastic. That's BAU and a waste of time to write about. The idea with the aluminum oxide that forms on Subaru blocks is to prevent or at least retard its formation. Yes, little else can and would be practical to be done on a DD.

 

 

 

None of these econoboxes are worth entering into any car shows anyway. Unless perhaps at the local Home Depo parking lot where demon eyes, bass-boom-n-rattle audio systems,

 

catless muffler delete exhausts with flat black or flame blue tips and pops-n-bangs timing table tunes are all the rage.

My engine bay hardly ever needs cleaning. I drive in some salt and sometimes on wet gravel roads.

 

Two mods:

 

Top seal - D style rubber off ebay:

 

And foam over top the wheel well.

Do not pass "GO"...do not collect $200...just go back to post #4...all you need to know:p

OP wasn't asking about the plastic. That's BAU and a waste of time to write about. The idea with the aluminum oxide that forms on Subaru blocks is to prevent or at least retard its formation. Yes, little else can and would be practical to be done on a DD.

 

Yep, not talking abt the plastic. I know that can just be wiped off with water and bounty (and some shampoo if needed).

 

It ain't no show car and will never be. It just looked ugly the few times I popped the hood to fill washer fluid.

 

 

My engine bay hardly ever needs cleaning. I drive in some salt and sometimes on wet gravel roads.

 

Two mods:

 

Top seal - D style rubber off ebay:

 

And foam over top the wheel well.

 

That rubber seal looks good. The amount of gap the hood has always bothered me. Just didn't know what to do.

 

Could you post a pic with better lighting of where you put the foam over the wheel well and how the rubber looks with the hood closed. Thanks!

I pressure wash mine a few times a year... not a problem as long as you are not too close or spraying directly into connectors. May cars, many years, no issues

I clean all my vehicles engines anytime I wash the them. The service department always complement how nice my engine look. They many times stated that my vehicles are nicer than their show room units and their detailer even wear gloves/ foot cover when servicing my vehicles.

It is just easier to do a detail job when I washing them than later in which it needs we comes a chore.

 

 

 

 

Laughing at oneself and with others is good for the Soul![emoji2]

That rubber seal looks good. The amount of gap the hood has always bothered me. Just didn't know what to do.

 

Could you post a pic with better lighting of where you put the foam over the wheel well and how the rubber looks with the hood closed. Thanks!

 

Re: the foam - it's not hard to measure the gap by pre-fitting a cardboard cutout, cutting the foam a little larger, then securing it with goop. It's actually easiest to secure by pushing in from the wheel well side.

 

As for the pic of the rubber seal:

 

Best way to ensure the cleanest engine bay with the least amount of maintainence is a part out and for sale thread.

Re: the foam - it's not hard to measure the gap by pre-fitting a cardboard cutout, cutting the foam a little larger, then securing it with goop. It's actually easiest to secure by pushing in from the wheel well side.

 

As for the pic of the rubber seal:

 

 

Thanks. Looks pretty decent. Did you just stick on something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Trim-Lok-Rubber-Closed-Sponge-Strength/dp/B00NL4BL0K?th=1

Thanks. Looks pretty decent. Did you just stick on something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Trim-Lok-Rubber-Closed-Sponge-Strength/dp/B00NL4BL0K?th=1

 

 

That's the stuff. I installed 1/2" but 3/8" would likely be adequate.

 

 

 

If you want to be precise, close your hood on a soft material like plasticene or wet dough to determine the gap in your car's fitment where you want to install the molding.

 

 

 

 

That's the stuff. I installed 1/2" but 3/8" would likely be adequate.

 

 

 

If you want to be precise, close your hood on a soft material like plasticene or wet dough to determine the gap in your car's fitment where you want to install the molding.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks! I got a digital caliper, so I'll just measure at a couple of spots and go from there.

Got around to this today. Decided to just use plain old water from a garden watering jug.

Set it out in the sun for a little and rinsed out the entire bay. A lot of the white stuff was just salt and dirt which came off; the rest of it was oxidized AL.

 

Used an air can to get some of the water out from connectors, wiped it down with a cloth and let it sit for an hour in the sun.

 

Cranked it up, and it started up fine

 

Here is the end result.

Looks good but, next time, spray Simple Green all over the engine, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then just hose it off. Then it will be beautiful:)

Got around to this today. Decided to just use plain old water from a garden watering jug.

Set it out in the sun for a little and rinsed out the entire bay. A lot of the white stuff was just salt and dirt which came off; the rest of it was oxidized AL.

 

Used an air can to get some of the water out from connectors, wiped it down with a cloth and let it sit for an hour in the sun.

 

Cranked it up, and it started up fine

 

I just came across this, but it looks like you did a pretty good job without it ...