Engine Bay Cleaning - LS3 VF

[Mayuri Krab]

How dirty does a VF LS3 engine bay get???
Mine gets dusty, and accumulates a few leaves, but an air hose fixes that.
And it does get used, clocked up 54k today.

Mine is full of dead bugs & dirt as it is used for all my 1000+km road trips around rural WA & gets driven on dirt unsealed roads often (proof you don't need a soccer mum SUV for most of those roads) lol

In comparison my daily beater has a much cleaner engine bay, as it's only ever used for short trips driving to work/shops.

 

[jono67]

Guys I think panhead or someone else posted below the link for this, or something similar to a youtuber called chrisfix, so I can't take credit. This is his guide to cleaning an engine bay. I tried it on both my VF and my wifes car, both came up a treat without any electrical or other issues. The only thing I didn't do was disconnect the battery. I don't have a compressor to blow away the dust and dirt, but did use my vacuum cleaner and leaf blower.

The VF wasn't too bad, but my wifes car was, and it came up almost brand new. Chrisfix has some other pretty good automotive hacks as well.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Really, it's just dust and some crap. Nothing crazy. Just curious on how ppl clean it. I normally just do a quick wipe down and dressing and I'm done. It's nice to give it a light hose but really it's not that dirty. Hope it stays that way. My mates sv6 is filthy and full of dirt and mud. nFI where he has been

Compressed air and brush to dust and then wipedown with protectant like 303.

If not oily and greasy give water a miss. I know it's tempting but a car that's leak free and only few years old probably does not need it

 

[Deucefanny]

It's the last thing I do after every wash. Once I have finished drying the car down with my Bowden's green towel I give the engine bay a wipe over. I do it at least twice a week so it stays pretty clean anyway.
I'm sure others do it differently, but this works for me

 

[MaxCommie689]

A wipe down at the end of every wash keeps my engine bay nice and clean. Once every month or two I use an all purpose cleaner & 303 to stop grease/ grime from accumulating.

 

[Reaper]

Lol - Over think things much? Just hit it with a pressure washer and avoid the fuse box. I have washed all of my LS cars (well all of my cars period) engine bays with a pressure washer for 30 years and never had a bad outcome yet. Since I've been doing the 4WD thing and have the thing caked with mud I've blasted it even harder/longer, not to mention where the muddy water goes when I'm in a bog hole etc. Once again - never had a drama what so ever.

Had a hose blow in my Prado 120 - oil **everywhere** - just blasted it with water and all good again. Don't over think things fellas - these cars are more resilient than you give them credit for.

 

[MaxCommie689]

I think the point is the average Joe's engine bay doesn't require a pressure washer cleaning if they follow a few simple steps. You are probably right about the engine bay tolerating water - but who would risk having to deal with the sh!theads at Holden/ its dealers?

 

[MasterC]

I think ill stick to my current routine. Some APC (Carpro MultiX or Bowdens OWn Orange Agent) and wipedown everything, than dress with 303 Aerospace or MEguairs Hyper Dressing. Im lucky, no oil leaks or real areas of cleaning so ill just avoid the hose and stick to steam if i need to.

 

[vywgn]

I use Bowden's own orange agent with a brush and their dirty deeds cloth followed by vinyl care every 3 months. Generally use an air blower in between