looking to try to do this soon, it can definitely use it from all the abuse of leaky valve covers causing all that dried up gunked on oil n stuff. anyone have personal experience doing this on the Vq37s, with all the wiring n stuff, I mean its an "older" car, so I was seeing what you guys may have done

 

I would never do that. My recommendation is shop rags, elbow grease... and lots and lots of patience.

 

I used to do it all the time, never had an issue. Simply cover the alternator up with a plastic bag / trashbag, spray degreaser and powerwash.

 

Or do that, LOL. That works too.

Clean it well enough, then get detailed with it. And you'll find you only need to touch it up once in a while.

 

If you're worried about DIY'ing it, I used to get my truck engine bay steam cleaned at Delta Sonic every spring. They made it look like new. Haven't had to clean the G, but for wife's 2005 minivan, my garage has hot water so I've sprayed it down with that a few times. Did it with engine running to keep water out of the moving parts. Then left it running and used trusty leaf blower to more or less dry it.

 

Interesting service. Do they also steam clean the underside and chassis? I know they use steam, but is there water residue when they finish, or do they dry the engine bay as well?

There are a couple of good before and after pics here: https://litus29detailing.com/engine-...caAoDtEALw_wcB

 

Not sure about the underside. I don't think they steam it but they do run it through the dreaded car wash afterwards.
Never watched them do it so I don't know about drying the engine bay, they do spray it down with "engine dressing" probably the same stuff as for tires, so it's nice and shiny.

 

Here's how to do it for the cautious ones:

A generic spray bottle with a decent mix of dawn dish soap and warm/hot water

A 1 gallon pump sprayer with warm/hot water ( gardening)

A long bristle brush, tooth brush

A couple of microfiber towels

With the engine cold, use the bottle with soap and a solid stream to concentrate on the gunky sides. Spray and leave in the valleys of where the gaskets seal which are the most common for leaks. Once you see the soap starts to break apart the gunk, brush what you can and with the pump sprayer blast it clean. Use the stream of the sprayer to focus on the gunk as it will help push it. The hotter the water it can have vapor cleaner effects, the dawn keeps the shine on plastics and does great with grease. Degreaser might be too strong for some of these older engines that have accrued that "oxide dust" all around the aluminum castings.

If your engine has developed this oxide dust, only a combination of wheel acid, properly cleaned, neutralized and rinsed can help you.

This way you can focus clean and control water excess. Dry the rest with a blower/vacuum, confirm big puddles are dry then star the engine with the hood open and let it idle. While it's doing so go around with a microfiber towel and wipe away any water or stains you see around.

Good luck!

 

Protectant (like Armor All) for the plastics.
Tire Gel for the rubber.
Microfiber towels that you don't mind throwing away. (Hello, Walmart)
Replace rusted bolts with SS or titanium.