(T) Engine Needs Cleaning

Hey All, My Brava's engine needs washing. What I mean is if I lift open the bonnet and look at the components, they look dusty and dirty. I've been told it needs washing but I don't want to take it to the car wash cos I'm positive they'll damage something electrical or ECU or conection.... These people are not so professional here.
So I was thinking of doing it myself. Can someone give me pointers and advice on how to do it and what to use?
Thankyou guys.

i know plenty of people who steam clean their engine bays. they should be shot. it removes all the grease & oil, and leaves bare metal. the first parts to suffer are connectors (causing electrical faults). and also moving parts (prepare for squeals and premature bearing failure)

my engine bay is almost always spotless. i dont steam clean my engine bay. i think any water based cleaning method is a bad idea.

so whats the alternative? something i've done since i was 6 years old. you use wd40 to clean all surfaces, then apply grease, thick oil, or plastic conditoner to the cleaned surfaces (depending on the part in question). this will give a clean bay that is well protected.

as a kid i raced (and maintained/modified) motocross bikes in the dubai desert. obviously developing a strict cleaning and servicing regime was critical to keeping the bike alive. thats where i learnt the basics of mechanics and maintenance (thanks to my expert dad). water isnt allowed near a bike, and if it does get on it you need to be protected. your engine bay should be treated the same. you can get it spotless using wd40, and keep it in mint conditon by protecting all surfaces with oils. the problem with this oil based approach is that dust will stick to the oily surfaces (especially desert sand). but its far easier to wipe surfaces down with an oily rag to remove sand than it is to clean the rust off every matallic part in the engine bay. finding and fixing electrical faults is never fun, so keep moisture away from the engine bay.

Yep, couldn't agree more. Keep water away from engines! WD40 is more then a lubricant. Makes a good dirt remover/degreaser! And dispels water away from connectors.

Andy.

Cool, so I guess I have to buy me 2or 3 cans of WD and get on with it before the rainy season comes.

Am I right in thinking that as WD40 is a water dispersant it would be worth doing this even if it is now raining practically 24-7?

All i ever use is an old tooth brush, a sponge, silicone spray and some water with washing up liquid. The results....

JTDs are a whole different ball game.. Just use the biggest puddle you can find

i'll need to get so pics but i'm the same as Joske many peeps have commented on how clean the bay is (shame about the rest of the car ), although i used some engine bay degreaser the first time as it was really nasty and i had some lying around. Also i use one of those brushes you use to clean the dishes, really a large toothbrush. You need to ajitate the grime or you wont remove it.

What if a turbo blew on your engine way back when and there is still loads of clagged up oil left in every nook and cranny that cannot be removed by human hands. Is this a special case? I can't look at this filth anymore. A v v careful steam clean then WD40?

if you steam clean it, you really need to make sure the bare surfaces are protected, and all electrical conections are too. bare metal rusts, oily metal is protected. take your pick. i prefer to have an oily engine bay, you can clean the parts and surfaces that are easily visible without any worry, but i'd rather drink oil than steam clean my engine bay.

I used WD40 and it gave good result. But I need to use a brush next time and I'm sure I'll get a result like the one in the pic above.
But the problem is that my MK2 100 has lots of hoses and sensor wiring so it won't look that much perfect I'm afraid.

i just used a good old degreaser then gave it the once over with a sponge

didnt do to bad of a job methinks

clean enough to eat your dinner off

not bad looking for 80 k and 10 years old ehh hehe

NOT BAD???!!!! This thing is spotless, better than when the car was first bought!!!!
Gotta get me some degreaser and a brush and get to work!!!