The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

GCMS2012 · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 13:52 Post subject: Need an Engine Degreaser

After fitting a new oil pressure switch, doing a fuel and oil filter service.

And then being able to look underneath properly when having a De cat fitted (see thieving thread).

I now need to clean /degrease the engine bay.

What do you all recommend??

To get into difficult places, I'm going to be using a garden pressure sprayer with lance, so a water bases one would be better other wise the sprayer will probably disintegrate.

People say to use gunk, or is there other stuff out there that maybe better??

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tom fenton · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 14:12 Post subject:

Any engine degreaser will do, spray it on let it soak then with engine running jet wash it all off. Leave engine running to get hot and evaporate all water off. I use my compressed air line to blow it off as well. Do not spray the jet wash directly at anything electrical.
Have done this for many years on many vehicles.

peteinchad · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 14:23 Post subject:

I got some no-name stuff in an aerosol from the pound shop on Friday.

Got the engine just slightly warm and then sprayed on and left it for 10 minutes - washed off with a garden pressure sprayer and then started engine to dry it off.

I clean my engine every month - so any cheap stuff works for me because there isn't much crud to clean off.

rich r · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 15:10 Post subject:

You two - never look at my Pajero's engine bay Smile

I've interpreted having a leaking rocker cover and driving from Cornwall to North Yorkshire with a split turbo oil return hose as a rustproofing treatment for the engine bay and underside of the chassis and body... Actually it's not that bad really, just a bit of burnt oil round the exhaust manifold and down that side of the block, plus a coating on the gearbox and chassis rails to about halfway down.

There's a certain amount of veg oil in the area below the filter after doing a filter change at the weekend - I suppose I could have put a bucket or something underneath to catch what comes out when you bleed it though, but I don't see any issues with letting it soak into the grass.

peteinchad · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 15:32 Post subject:

I like a shiny engine Cool

Once it is clean it is only a 30 minute job once a month to keep it that way.

rich r · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 15:51 Post subject:

I only have to drive up the rough gravel road to my house when it's been raining though to get the engine bay covered in muddy water.

My Subaru's engine bay is fairly clean though - the undertray covers more than the Pajero's bash plates, and there's a big plastic engine cover that protects the block and heads from anything coming through the radiator.

tom fenton · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 16:35 Post subject:

I don't make a habit of it. In my opinion doing it too often is detrimental. I do it when I have an oil leak to sort out, as its then much easier to see where its coming from, or when I have a large job to do, as its much nicer working on a clean engine rather than one blathered in oil and grime.