Engine Cleaning Products?

Hi guys,

Can anyone recommend any good engine cleaning products?

My engine is standard (no fancy pipes/hoses, induction kits etc).

I'm looking for something that does a good job at getting rid of all the everyday crap without the risk of damaging the engine in any way.

I've always been a bit sceptical when it comes to these kind of products but think it's time to give it a good clean.

Thanks.

Meguires do really good products.

try and find a product called virosol ive been using it for years , its a citrus degreaser , its safe to use on practically anything , it has to be the most versatile product i use , and its not expensive

or if you have any companies near you that sell janitorial stuff see if they sell clover chemicals where it goes under a different name citra safe , ive just replenished my stock this week

Silkolene wash off is cheap (10x1L bottles for £36 in eBay), I use it in a different trigger bottle (an old muc off bottle) that has a variable spray pattern as set to a jet instead of mist it can power off grim (I even dilute it further sometimes). You can use it liberally and get a few brushes to agitate stubborn areas.

If youre looking at cleaning the engine AND the hoses etc, make sure you use something detergent based, not solvent based. Solvent based cleaners like Gunk will chomp through any rubber inside your engine bay.

The virosol stuff is great, but honestly I just use a high ratio (about 2:1 water to detergent) of the cheapest washing up liquid to water, apply it to a cloth, and use it everywhere when cleaning inside the bay. I then rinse with a different wet cloth, being mindful of not touching any electrical connectors.

I have seen people who just powerwash their engine bay on a sunny day and then don't drive it for a few days to make sure its dry...

If i'm cleaning metal parts only, then Gunk is the bomb and comes highly recommended from me!

Hot wash (very hot, but not true steam, not that many "steam" cleaners will produce proper steam these days), from a "steam" cleaner with traffic film remover as a detergent. Nothing beats it and i have never seen any damage to an engine bay from this unless the lacquer is not done properly and lifts from the paintwork.

Autosmart TFR and cold jetwash works spot on for me and the TFR is cheap as long as you get it from

the Autosmart rep, less than £25 for 25 litres

Thanks for the replies guys. I heard from some guys at work that the Auto Glym engine cleaner is very good too and won't harm engine components.

I know that a lot of their other products are very good so would this be a good alternative to the ones suggested or avoid it?

usually expensive and the ones above do the same if not better for less

Great, I'll give some of these suggestions above a go. Thanks again for the advice guys.