Quote:
Originally Posted by swilly43
I have just purchased an 86 560SL and want to clean the engine components and bay. I have given it a cursory cleaning with the hose and some orange cleaner. Ok this was ok but did not provide the results I was looking for. My experience with the orange clean products is that it leaves a residue and can attract more dirt. I use a soft bristle brush. I am consideing the steam clean (low pressure) if I can find a good outfit in the San Diego area.
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Before cleaning the engine compartment, make sure it won't get dirty again! I had to replace my valve cover gaskets (I reinstalled the covers with a torque wrench and the proper crush washers). This was how my engine compartment got bad in the first place.
I then cleaned it with several cans of cheap "3M heavy duty brake cleaner", which was on sale at NAPA at the time; as far as I can tell, it did no harm to the paint but I used the nozzle hoses on the cans to keep the spray away from any externally-visible paint (USE OUTSIDE GARAGE, KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT/SPARKS/FLAMES UNTIL ENTIRELY EVAPORATED). I then waxed everything I could get to with a lot of the cheapest wax I could find at Mart Le Wal.
I would NOT use pressure washing or steam cleaning in an engine compartment anymore, there's just too much electrical/electronic stuff and you are asking for trouble. I will say that you keep cleaning as you get more into it and get into more nooks and crannies. Changing the water pump is a great cleaning opportunity; so is pulling the radiator. Changing the front/rear hood pads on your SL will dramatically improve underhood appearance (and other things) if you only have remnants of them or if they are deteriorating.
A great thing about having a clean engine compartment is that it will quickly show any early signs of leaks (from the cooling or oil systems) before they get bad.