So, my 74 Mav runs great now, however the entire engine is filthy. She was sitting at her previous owners house for 2 -3 years. Under all the grime she is in pristine condition. Any tips on how I can clean her out. She is mostly covered in dirt on the under hood body. But the engine herself is black grime.
a few cans of brake clean would cut right through that caked on grease. dont let it get on the paint or anything and make sure your ready for it to all come dripping out the bottom of the car. you dont want a big black stain in your drive way
you can use the hose, just make sure the carb and distributer are sealed from the water. oil and grease is water resistant anyway so its not like the water is going to disolve it away. its the force of the water blowing out thats going to knock it off the engine if you get what im saying
Buy a can of engine degreaser.Spray it on, follow instructions on can.Run car to warm everything up and loosen the grunge.Drive to local do it your self car wash(take a plastic grocery bag with you or 2. If its allowed(some car washes dont allow it)With the car not running,Cover distributor with one bag cover alternator with other bag.Put your coins in the machine and use the high pressure rinse to hose the grunge off.Try not to blast any electrical stuff like the alt,dist,voltage reg.Works pretty well,tells you if you need plug wires too once you start it back up.Good luck.Dont hose the carb.
MM72 is good advice. I use a gal of diesel ,kerosene and it really loosens it up with a brush, then purple power, then wash, covering all the electrical. comes out pretty clean, but messy.
do you have any before pics? always take pics. before and after. is it a 6 or 8 cyl? the 6s are a piece of cake... ...Frank...:Handshake motor/engine bay cleaning...