i spray everything down really good with a hose. then spray simple green and let it sit for a little while then hose it off.

been doing it since i got the car about 6 years ago. never covered anything with plastic and have never had an opti problem. the stocker has 90K on it now and still going strong.

 

A clean rag and elbow grease. I know it probably won't hurt anything to wash the engine but I just don't think it is meant to be washed with a hose (at least while it is in the car) anymore than the interior is. A hose won't get anywhere near my engine.

 

What is the best way to clean the engine bay in an Lt1 without messing up the opti? I'm tired of my engine bay looking like. Who has done this alot? Any suggestions?

 

Castrol super Clean is a good one also. Ive always sprayed mine down at the car wash and never have had anything go wrong thank God.

 

A lot of you guys want the easy way out and just to spray some stuff on the engine and then just for it wash off with all the dirt and grime. If you want your engine bay to look clean and nice, your going to have to do more than that. Grab an old rag and start scrubbing with some soapy water or spray some degreaser and start cleaning with the rag. Your hands will get dirty but it'll look better than just throwing some degreaser on the engine and just spraying off. Just like your car paint. You wash it by hand, not just throwing a bucket of soapy water over it and just spraying off right? Stick your fingers in it just like anything else.

 

I have power washed the motor in my 97 many times. A couple of times I assume I have gotten the opti wet, as it would miss for a few seconds, then run fine as the moisture escaped from the vents. I have 104k on my opti now.
If I am detailing the engine, I usually leave it running and soak it in all purpose cleaner (diluted simple green or painted wheel cleaner), let it soak for a minute or two, then go nuts with the power washer. Be sure to stick the wand behind the intake manifold to wash out any accumulated crap out of the firewall area. Also is a good idea to get up under the front of the car (oil change ramps help here), soak the a-arms, inside of the wheels, k-member, and oil pan area in simple green and blast them out too.
The motor will dry quickly if you leave it running the whole time, once its dry, shut it off and take some steel wool and polish up the fuel rails, then a few damp rags with some leather/vinyl conditioner applied sparingly, and wipe down the radiator cover plastic, valve covers, hoses, and wire looms. Thats about it.

 

I go to the self-serve car wash, shut the car off, spray the low pressure engine degreaser liberally over the entire engine bay and let it soak while I wash the rest of the car, then come back and rinse the engine bay on low pressure spot free rinse. Been doing that at least once a month for 9 years...never a problem.

 

After washing the motor off, you can get the engine dress up silicone spray and coat the motor and surrounding areas in it also. Makes everything stay nice and shiny for a long time.

 

So people have actually been spraying their motors off with a pressure washer without any problems?

 

Yes. Mine has a vented opti though, so your results may vary with a non-vented. I can say that I have pressure washed a couple friends' cars with non-vented optis as well, and havent had a problem. I was careful to avoid spraying water directly into that area though.

 

Mine a 96 so I do have a vented opti. What solution did you use to clean the engine bay?

 

I dont understand whats so bad about pressure washing, i do it with out damaging anything and with no problems. You do need to be careful though. Heres what i do to clean an engine.

1. Let the engine cool off
2. Spray with degreaser (or engine cleaner on the wand) and use a cloth to adgitate the really grimey areas.
3. Use the soap and keep the wand at least a foot away, avoid getting the PCM and fuses too wet (dont try to direct the water so it can get through the seals)
4. Rinse everything off good, keeping your distance again with the wand.
5. Dry off with cloth
6. Wipe on some protectant on the plastic and rubber hoses (but not any belts because they could slip) I always use 303 aerospace protectant for this, its not too shiney but it leaves a nice natural looking finish.
7. Take pics http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...carsnow004.jpg

Basicly, the engine bay is designed to get a little wet but a mis used pressure washer can force water into places where it shouldnt be. Its not like we go off roading with our LT1s so a quick spray should do the job